It feels more like a draft but of a pretty decent OSR game.

This game hits all the right notes for me...rules-lite, uses all the polyhedral dice, uses dice for stats instead of static numbers, keeps GM bookkeeping to a minimum, keeps all rolls player-facing, reduces the number of die rolls in an encounter, has one resolution mechanic rather than a bunch of subsystems, etc. Nice work. I think I'll be running this one next.

BLUF: I really like this RPG. I get a strong SWADE feel from it, but much lighter in feel. I had been considering migrating our current setting over to SWADE, but I think we will be using Eyes Beyond the Torchlight now, especially considering the availability of the SRD as well.

The only issue I personally have with it, is that the rules are approx 218 and could have been 2/3-1/2 that. Much of the basics are repeated several times throughout the beginning of the document. For example; the basic mechanic is mention thoroughly in the Introduction, Basic Rules and Combat Rules. Much of this, in my opinion, could have been consolidated.

Over all, I feel this will be a dynamic, easy to run and prep, rules light system that has a lot to offer. Well worth the sub $10 price as of this review.

In an episode of the Shades of D&D podcast, the hosts talked about how the Eyes Beyond the Torchlight system was inspired by 13th Age. The game was new to me, so I decided to come to DriveThruRPG and check it out. The preview is meaty – 100 pages offers nearly half the book's content for free. You can read the game's core mechanics via the preview alone. It was enough to justify the purchase, and I'm glad that I bought this book.

I haven't had a chance to fully check out Eyes Beyond the Torchlight, but it sounds like it draws from several of my favorite systems (13th Age, Shadow of the Demon Lord, Savage Worlds, Castles & Crusades, Black Hack). I could imagine incorporating some of the mechanics into a 13th Age game, which is my current system of choice.

For example, using a d6 bonus/penalty to represent Boosts and Setbacks is similar to 13th Age's universal combat modifier (13th Age core rulebook p. 171), but might be fun for tables that enjoy rolling an extra die instead of adding a static modifier.

The Hero and Villain Points could serve as a way of implementing Icon Advantages and Complications in your game.

EBTT also offers an interesting distinction between a Breather (similar to a 13A quick rest) and a Short Rest (somewhere between a quick rest and a full heal-up in 13th Age). For 13A games that are looking for a grittier feel, this might be an approach to consider.

The mob rules in EBTT could simplify attacks from large numbers of mooks in 13th Age. I love how 13th Age allows PCs to mow through mooks, but when I have a mob attempt to clobber a single target (e.g., the PC swarmed by the horde of mindless zombies), I don't want to roll a half dozen d20 attacks for all of those mooks. This rule is similar to a house rule I'm already using, and it goes a long way towards modeling cinematic moments involving large numbers of foes without things grinding to a halt at the table.

The escalation die in EBTT is used in a manner similar to the wood elf's racial power: try to roll under the escalation die each round after the first, and if you succeed, damage (not accuracy) is escalated on both sides of the battle. It would definitely lead to a different feel in 13th Age (and monster ACs might need to be adjusted accordingly if the escalation die doesn't grant accuracy bonuses).

I appreciate the simple rules for aerial and underwater combat. A paragraph can go a long way towards offering a GM a reasonable approach to handling situations like these, as long as they only come up occasionally, and you aren't basing a significant chunk of a campaign underwater or on aerial mounts.

I'm interested in finding an opportunity to run EBTT, but in the meantime, I really appreciate the innovative rules that I can draw from and use in other systems.

I am a systems collector. It’s a problem, I know, but I suspect that there are others of us out there, relentlessly pursuing the unattainable, the Holy Grail, the ‘perfect’ system. I’ve collected over 1400 titles on DTRPG, and have a library of print books dating back to the start of the TTRPG hobby that I count by the numbers of crates they occupy. The search has been a bit of an obsession. I know there is no Holy Grail, nothing is perfect for everyone, but of all those countless titles, from publishers large and small, Eyes Beyond the Torchlight and the Target 12 game system has become hands-down my favorite for many reasons.

The system is simple and elegant, logical and intuitive, easy to explain and understand, with unified and consistent principles. At the same time, it doesn’t feel overly stripped down, or so uniform that every action/encounter/etc feels the same or generic. It plays quickly and easily while still allowing for tactical choices, and somehow manages to feel both familiar and utterly novel at the same time. It's also extremely flexible - So far, I've run it as fantasy, sci-fi, sicence-fantasy, cyberpunk, and modern action (espionage and monster hunters), and it's been performed seamlessly. In short, I think it is simply brilliant.

Here are just a few of the specific elements I think propel this title to the top of my list: 1) The d20 + Attribute dice mechanic mitigates the brutal random ‘swinginess’ of d20 (and other straight percentile) systems; 2) The way that same mechanic eliminates the need for an additional roll to determine damage or other effects; 3) The ease of importing d20 and OSR materials, so all those old books on your shelf or in your closet can be a ready resource for inspiration; 4) Rolls are player facing, allowing the GM to focus on storytelling; 5) The ease with which the system lends itself to table rulings rather than rules lawyering; 6) It’s just plain fun to play! 7) The good folks at at Max HP recently released the SRD for Target 12, making it possible for community creators to add more new content for this fantastic game.

I highly encourage anyone who likes games that allow you to focus on playing, stories, characters and camaraderie, rather than micro-systems and specific rules for every eventuality, to give this title a look. You’ll be very glad you did.