TSOY is an RPG of post-apocalyptic fantasy--"pumpkin fiction." The world of Near is struggling to remake itself after an emperor's mad ambition was righted by terrible sacrifice; a fire from heaven smote the earth and broke away a moon that blinds the sun for one week of every month. New species have emerged. Old ones, transformed. The once mighty Maldor Empire is hopelessly divided into islands of barony; former provinces have become states unto themselves, asserting their will over indigenous cultures, interrupting their paths of harmony.

Layout, Format and Writing Style
The printer did good work. It's a soft-bound book, and I folded it back, every page, and it's held up great.

The footer of sun and Shadow Moon over endless sea evoke world feel. The chapter and section headings work well. The Ammeni poiture bullet is choice. Inset boxes are spare and relevant.

I really missed not having an index.

By walking us through each step of character generation, providing a one-page redux and a running example of group creation, including filled-in sheets, the author scores a homerun. I felt it flying into my brain.

The balance between appreciable range and simplicity that underpins the lists for TSOY (i.e. Abilities, Secrets and Keys; more later) is exceptional. They are neatly tucked behind chargen, before a chapter that shoulder rubs and pep talks the Story Guide.

The author is in a zen of format in the world setting part, from evocative headings (e.g. "Hordes in the Mouth, Fires in the Belly") to slice-of-life narrative snipets, demonstrating that culture's distinctive aspects. The details chosen fired my mind with images and emotions.

You really hit the breaks once you get to Bringing Down the Pain. I had to read it (slowly) three times. Similiar bottlenecks arrive with Three-Corner Magic, a Taste of Death, the Power of Zu and Spirit-talkers.

Art
Three themes of art can be found: one heavily inked with ample negative space; another of symolic outlines, creating many comic book-ish planes; (filled in with color on the cover, to great effect; squint above Oliphant's head--that's right; there's a boat on the water) and lastly, grayscale pencil sketches. Violet's "pools of Vigor" have encited many favorable comments among friends with whom I've shared the book. [Thumbs through.] I am remiss--a fourth theme combines elements of the first and second listed, adding a more cartoonish flair.

All but the grayscale theme work. (As a positive, the figures are thematic and imaginary; especially p. 98. But pencil and indistinct lines seem out of place.) The cover really makes you think "What's this? What's this?" [Hear Jack Skelington.] So, mission accomplished. The generous ink complements the layout.

Dig the full page pictures of (1) an ascending warlord and (2) a Hyborean-inspired city. Nice transition from chargen to world setting. Sticking with one theme for each nation of Near adds consistency.

Game Mechanics
Before I summarize the mechanics, I'm going to have to re-arrange your brain. First, when I say "pool," understand that it's not a pool of dice that you roll together and count successes; no, friend--it's a pool of counters to modify checks or activate special abilities. Secondly, when I say "ability," don't think infravision or "finds secret doors, 1-2 on a d6" or some such; in TSOY, it's a skill. (Still with me?) Lastly, when I say "secret," think specialized ability. Also, Keys are thematic goals for play that meter Advances, used to increase Pools/Ability Ranks or add new Abilities/Secrets/Keys.

The basic mechanic is 2d6 + Ability Rank. A result of 9 or higher succeeds. Ranks range from 1 to 10. There can be opposition. The margin of success is aggregated to Success Level (SL), (the chart is found on p. 18, otherwise known as "the page you will most frequently refer to") which features as narrative wattage, rollover bonus(es) and damage.

Ability checks alone feature rules support for a variety of functions: pass/fail, how good was it, who won, I help out, etc.

Your Pools are Vigor, Instinct and Reason; loosely, body, spirit (or anima) and mind. This triad is the foundation upon which every character refinement is based. Each Ability has a Pool associated with it, chiefly to qualify the purchase of bonus dice. Pools also work nicely as money to meter specialized layers of Abilities (i.e. Secrets) or Spells/Rituals.

- Bringing Down the Pain
Any opposed Ability check can chapter into rounds of moment-to-moment tasks. This feature is worth emphasizing. As a GM, you can say, "Ok. The Ratkin scavenger pounces onto your chest and claws your eyes out. [Rolls dice.] Success! You're blind." And the player can respond, "The hell, you say!" The result is struck, and you both expound on the details. Nifty, eh?

BDTP with multiple characters is probably the height of complexity that the rules support. It's a bit particular. Specifically, switching targets/intentions is priced as a dedicated action. (Has the feel of a hat tip to simulating confusion or hesitation.) There's also this quirky rule about a dogpile: the more foes you fend off, the less effective anything you do.

The examples are couched in combat, but you could also woo a woman, conspire to undermine the king, conduct trade negotiations, etc.

World Setting
The World of Near is surprisingly fresh and offbeat. Maldor is a feudal maze. Ammeni (ah, sweet Ammeni) is brutalized by a backstabbing council of power-mad despots and their poisoning agents. The Zaru, a sub-culture, occupied by the Ammenites, are peasants and monk-like priests; they hold the power to destroy all but won't lift a finger. Khale is a dense forest of tribal warriors. (I find them to be the least compelling.) Qef is an Indian jungle of natural wealth and horrifying necromancy.

- Species
TSOY is very "brown town." Kind of like The Matrix in that way. Aside from humans, elfs and goblins are expressed as exaggerated humanity. The title for Scourge of Civilization has been awarded to the newest player on the block--the Ratkin. (They're basically anthropomorphic nutria.) Unless transformed to rampage as a wizard's pawn, goblins more resemble dogs or monkeys (depending on where you go) and are often kept as pets.

- Sub-systems
Each nation/culture has a collection of rules that support a role that is featured in that society:

• Maldor: Three-Corner Magic - a lovely little build-a-spell affair.
• Ammeni: herbalist poisoner/healers - don't let the label fool you; they're potion makers, and their stuff does all kinds of things.
• Zaru: the Language of Zu - creating and unmaking reality.
• Khale: the Green World - a dimension outside time and space that overlays the forest.
• Qef: spirit-talkers - they see dead people!

The Solar System and Yesterday's Heresies
The Solar System is TSOY minus Near. The author is currently playtesting a more Fudge-inspired version in order to sharpen a few weak spots with the print edition (i.e. over-emphasis on the Stay Up Ability, too many chapters for BDTP, not enough Pool spending for bonus dice, etc.). I've pretty much absorbed the changes and plan to use them for a one-shot I'm GM'ing this month.

Yesterday's Heresies is the title for the first TSOY supplement and is currently being developed.

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