Shadow of Yesterday

Quickleaf · Jul 31, 2005

I just found this great RPG, and was curious if anyone had any experience with it? Or if anyone had adapted some of the ideas to their own game? I know that the Sweet20 Experience system is based on this game.

The Shadow of Yesterday
http://www.anvilwerks.com/tsoy/

Crothian · Jul 31, 2005

I was ewying it at Origins but didn't pick it up. I've never seen it at the local sotres so forgot about it. So, tell us about it!

Turjan · Jul 31, 2005

The game was one of the darlings of rpg.net

. Is the new, Fudge-powered version already out?

Crothian · Jul 31, 2005

Turjan said:
The game was one of the darlings of rpg.net .

Ya, but they can be like a serial dater with a new darling they absolutely love each week.

Turjan · Jul 31, 2005

Crothian said:
Ya, but they can be like a serial dater with a new darling they absolutely love each week.

I agree, but it was one of the games that never got any negative response that went further than someone saying he found it boring. Most people loved it. It's clear that it's no Exalted. The game doesn't have anyone like White Wolf as a publisher, though.

trancejeremy · Jul 31, 2005

The rules system is fairly slick - it borrows a lot of things from other game systems. I can't imagine why someone would make a Fudge version (though Fudge is my least favorite system, even less liked than Gurps)

OTOH, the downside is that the setting of it is very very bare bones. So you have to do a lot of work filling it out.

Quickleaf · Jul 31, 2005

What stood out most to me was the integration of many ideas from other systems:

- The experience system is based on keys, which are (1) player defined goals for their characters, and (2) important scenes identified by the GM. Clinton Nixon said he adapted this idea from The Riddle of Steel and Sorcerer.

- Characters are very much defined by their culture, which provides unique outlook, magical system, abilities, keys, and secrets (like feats in d20). Clinton Nixon said he got this from HeroQuest.

- A unified Success Level Chart. Simply rool 2d6 + your relevant ability, and compare this result to the chart.

- The idea that the effect of a player's action is decided by both the GM and players. I've always liked this idea, since it basically widens the pool of imaginations to abjudicate a result.

Paka · Aug 2, 2005

http://www.anvilwerks.com/tsoy/

Its a neat game with a great experience system, taking my favorite parts from several games: feats from d20, spiritual attributes from Riddle of Steel and...something from...sometimes else. :uhoh:

The setting is light to some but to me, I dig having lots of white space on the map to fill in. It gives you all you need to play but again, I dig light, airy settings.

The rules are there for free download and the Fudge version is coming out at Gen Con.

SweeneyTodd · Aug 2, 2005

I just wanted to mention that the author's released a version of the TSOY experience system as OGL material.

http://www.anvilwerks.com/src/sweet20/

If you like the idea of Keys from TSOY and would like to use them in your D&D game, it's definately worth reading.

Clinton R. Nixon · Aug 2, 2005

Hey, I wanted to thank you guys for talking about my game! It's totally exciting to see people here interested in it.

The new version's coming out at GenCon in a few weeks. It's not Fudge as much as it uses Fudge dice, which I know is a killer for some people. (It's easily converted back to the original 2d6 system.) The reason for a revision is that the game's based on a lot of assumptions about the way I normally run games, and I felt like it really needed some clarification. One of the major rules parts (Bringing Down the Pain, which is combat, except used for any high-pressure situation) has been re-written to work better. It was like a 7 out of 10 before, and I'm hoping I've brought it up to a 9 out of 10.

So, again, thanks! Paka's right - the setting is purposefully full of white space, kind of like how Arcana Unearthed from Monte Cook does it - there's large spaces on the map for you to fill in, and even within cultures, there's questions for the group to answer.