The Shadow of Yesterday
Encyclopedia
The Shadow of Yesterday (or TSoY) is a narrativist sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...

 (with optional elements of heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Unlike stories of sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy narratives tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes,...

) indie
Indie role-playing game
An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published outside of traditional, "mainstream" means. Varying definitions require that commercial, design, or conceptual elements of the game stay under the control of the creator, or that the game should just be produced outside of a corporate...

 role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

, designed by Clinton R. Nixon and published by CRN Games
CRN Games
CRN Games is an indie role-playing games publisher best known for The Shadow of Yesterday, a narrativist sword and sorcery game designed by Clinton R. Nixon....

.

Notable features

It is notable due to large portion of the game content and its core mechanics, the Solar System http://files.crngames.com/cc/tsoy2/solar_system.html have been released under a Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...

 license, as well as being published using only Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...

 tools.

TSoY won Best Free Game of the Year at the 2004 Indie RPG Awards, and was a runner-up
Runner-up
Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...

 for the 2004 Indie Game of the Year.

Translations

The game has been translated into several languages: 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.

In 2008, Eero Tuovinen, translator of the Finnish version, republished an edited and slightly revised generic version of the core rules as "Solar System".

Setting

The Shadow of Yesterday takes place on the world of Near, a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where civilization has been destroyed three hundred years ago and is presently undergoing a rebirth. Because of this, the races in TSOY (elves, goblins, and ratkin) are not seen as genetically separate races at all, but rather an evolution/devolution from humans, and each of them can inclusively become "human" if they give up what makes them different.

There are some notable differences between the settings as presented in the various releases. The Finnish version has greatly expanded the setting by adding minor cultures and other details to the existing background material, and also has a slightly different map than the original. The Spanish setting is faithful in regards to the text, but does have a completely different map. The German setting has some 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 version.

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
Fudge
Fudge is a type of Western confectionery which is usually very sweet, and extremely rich. It is made by mixing sugar, butter, and milk and heating it to the soft-ball stage at , and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency...

 dice.
The Shadow of Yesterday (or TSoY) is a narrativist sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...

 (with optional elements of heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Unlike stories of sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy narratives tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes,...

) indie
Indie role-playing game
An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published outside of traditional, "mainstream" means. Varying definitions require that commercial, design, or conceptual elements of the game stay under the control of the creator, or that the game should just be produced outside of a corporate...

 role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

, designed by Clinton R. Nixon and published by CRN Games
CRN Games
CRN Games is an indie role-playing games publisher best known for The Shadow of Yesterday, a narrativist sword and sorcery game designed by Clinton R. Nixon....

.

Notable features

It is notable due to large portion of the game content and its core mechanics, the Solar System http://files.crngames.com/cc/tsoy2/solar_system.html have been released under a Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...

 license, as well as being published using only Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...

 tools.

TSoY won Best Free Game of the Year at the 2004 Indie RPG Awards, and was a runner-up
Runner-up
Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...

 for the 2004 Indie Game of the Year.

Translations

The game has been translated into several languages: 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.

In 2008, Eero Tuovinen, translator of the Finnish version, republished an edited and slightly revised generic version of the core rules as "Solar System".

Setting

The Shadow of Yesterday takes place on the world of Near, a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where civilization has been destroyed three hundred years ago and is presently undergoing a rebirth. Because of this, the races in TSOY (elves, goblins, and ratkin) are not seen as genetically separate races at all, but rather an evolution/devolution from humans, and each of them can inclusively become "human" if they give up what makes them different.

There are some notable differences between the settings as presented in the various releases. The Finnish version has greatly expanded the setting by adding minor cultures and other details to the existing background material, and also has a slightly different map than the original. The Spanish setting is faithful in regards to the text, but does have a completely different map. The German setting has some 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 version.


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
Fudge
Fudge is a type of Western confectionery which is usually very sweet, and extremely rich. It is made by mixing sugar, butter, and milk and heating it to the soft-ball stage at , and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency...

 dice.
The Shadow of Yesterday (or TSoY) is a narrativist sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...

 (with optional elements of heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Unlike stories of sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy narratives tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes,...

) indie
Indie role-playing game
An indie role-playing game is a role-playing game published outside of traditional, "mainstream" means. Varying definitions require that commercial, design, or conceptual elements of the game stay under the control of the creator, or that the game should just be produced outside of a corporate...

 role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

, designed by Clinton R. Nixon and published by CRN Games
CRN Games
CRN Games is an indie role-playing games publisher best known for The Shadow of Yesterday, a narrativist sword and sorcery game designed by Clinton R. Nixon....

.

Notable features

It is notable due to large portion of the game content and its core mechanics, the Solar System http://files.crngames.com/cc/tsoy2/solar_system.html have been released under a Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...

 license, as well as being published using only Open Source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...

 tools.

TSoY won Best Free Game of the Year at the 2004 Indie RPG Awards, and was a runner-up
Runner-up
Runner-up is a term used to denote a participant which finishes in second place in any of a variety of competitive endeavors, most notably sporting events and beauty pageants; in the latter instance, the term is applied to more than one of the highest-ranked non-winning contestants, the...

 for the 2004 Indie Game of the Year.

Translations

The game has been translated into several languages: 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.

In 2008, Eero Tuovinen, translator of the Finnish version, republished an edited and slightly revised generic version of the core rules as "Solar System".

Setting

The Shadow of Yesterday takes place on the world of Near, a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where civilization has been destroyed three hundred years ago and is presently undergoing a rebirth. Because of this, the races in TSOY (elves, goblins, and ratkin) are not seen as genetically separate races at all, but rather an evolution/devolution from humans, and each of them can inclusively become "human" if they give up what makes them different.

There are some notable differences between the settings as presented in the various releases. The Finnish version has greatly expanded the setting by adding minor cultures and other details to the existing background material, and also has a slightly different map than the original. The Spanish setting is faithful in regards to the text, but does have a completely different map. The German setting has some 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 version.


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
Fudge
Fudge is a type of Western confectionery which is usually very sweet, and extremely rich. It is made by mixing sugar, butter, and milk and heating it to the soft-ball stage at , and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency...

dice.

x
OK