''The Shadow of Yesterday'' (or ''TSoY'') is a

narrativist GNS theory is an informal field of study developed by Ron Edwards which attempts to create a unified theory of how role-playing games work. Focused on player behavior, in GNS theory participants in role-playing games organize their interactions ...

sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tale ...

(with optional elements of heroic fantasy) indie

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...

, designed by

Clinton R. Nixon Clinton R. Nixon is a designer and publisher of indie role-playing games. Career He is the designer and publisher of ''The Shadow of Yesterday'', ''Donjon'',Snow, Cason (2008). "Dragons in the stacks: an introduction to role-playing games and th ...

and published by CRN Games.

Notable features

A large portion of the game content and its core mechanics, the "Solar System", have been released under a

Creative Commons Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...

license, as well as being published using only

Open Source Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open-source model is a decentralized sof ...

tools. TSoY won Best Free Game of the Year at the 2004 Indie RPG Awards, and was a runner-up for the 2004 Indie Game of the Year.

Translations

''The Shadow of Yesterday'' has been translated into Finnish (2006), Spanish (2007), German (2007) and Polish (two editions: abridged in 2009 and a new, extended and modified in 2011, also published on paper in a short limited run of 250 copies). An Italian translation is in the works. Eero Tuovinen, the editor of the Finnish version, republished an edited and slightly revised generic version of the core rules as "Solar System" in 2008.

Setting

''The Shadow of Yesterday'' takes place in Near, a post-apocalyptic fantasy world set three hundred years after the destruction of the previous civilization. It is undergoing a rebirth. The races in ''TSOY'' (elves, goblins, and ratkin) are not seen as genetically separate races at all, but rather an evolution or devolution from human. Each of them can inclusively become "human" if they give up what makes them different. The setting differs depending on the release. The Finnish edition has expanded the setting with minor cultures and other details and a revised map. The Spanish setting is faithful in regards to the text but has an entirely new map. The German setting has additions inspired by online discussions, but not to the extent of the Finnish version. ''The World of Near for Solar System'' is a separate 190-page treatment of the setting from the creator of the Finnish translation. The Polish version combines the original setting with rules modifications taken from ''The World of Near for Solar System'' and original rules expansions and modifications; it also includes a map from Spanish edition.

History

, the game has been through two revisions. The second edition has different cover art and more game detail, but its primary observable difference is Nixon's move to using FUDGE dice.

Reviews

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Pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

References

External links

A Slashdot article on TSoYAn interview with Clinton R. Nixon at Linux Journal''Menneisyyden Varjot'', the Finnish version''La Sombra del Ayer'', the Spanish versionThe World of Near by Eero TuovinenDocumentation on World of Near by Eero Tuovinen

The Polish version, also called ''The Shadow of Yesterday''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shadow of Yesterday Fantasy role-playing games Indie role-playing games Role-playing games introduced in 2004 Heroic fantasy