While the idea of a first-person RPG set in Kentucky might not catch your interest at first, Pioneering takes place during an interesting time for the state -- during the Revolutionary War, when early America considered Kentucky its Western frontier.

This episodic PC game, with the first of its planned three releases coming out this September, has you taking on the role of a young pioneer seeking to survive and prosper in the frontier -- not just monetarily, but by completing different "life goals".

Pioneering features an open-world environment in which players can hunt, complete missions/quests, and even purchase properties and businesses. Players can also marry if they choose, though taking lives in the game lowers their conscience and makes it difficult to find a mate.

Developer Chidem says the campaigns are based on historical documents and doesn't look to "exaggerate or parody the period on which it is based". While Pioneering isn't intended as a educational game, it will include historical facts and quotes, and address "certain issues attached to the expansion of Euro-Americans across the continent, typically at the expense of Native Americans".

The game is being developed with FPS Creator, which might turn off some gamers due to its underpowered engine, but I've wanted to play a game like this ever since I read Allan Eckert's The Frontiersmen in 8th grade, so I'm willing to overlook the dated graphics in favor of the title's intriguing concept.

Chidem originally started work on the game for a contest, so you can see his in-progress work, including screenshots and a downloadable early preview of Pioneering in this thread. I'm not sure if the plot is the same, but this version is described as concerning "the Indian war that took place on the frontier during the revolution, so settler-Native American relations and enmity will be at the centre of the game."

Pioneering's episodes will release through several digital download shops, with a retail edition collecting all of the episode planned for 2010 (presumably through independent shops). You can find more information on the game at its official site.