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"How would you two officially like to become members... of the Dandy Alliance?"
—Flamegirl

The Terrain of Magical Expertise video game is a Role-Playing Game adaptation of the webseries of the same name. Featuring a Turn-Based Combat system inspired by the likes of Super Mario RPG, it is the logical conclusion to a series set within a game world (though it is not an MMORPG like in the webseries; it is a simulated one instead, inspired by the .hack video games).

Set entirely in its own canon, the TOME Video Game features different versions of characters from the web show, as well as a "White-Hat Hacker" Canon Foreigner Player Character that joins them. It was successfully funded on Kickstarter in October 2017.

The Player Character is a White Hat Hacker asked by a colleague to help them bring down a large number of malicious hackers using their talents to cheat in the MMORPG TOME. The reason for so much rampant cheating stems from the current event in TOME, the Contest of Champions, which offers a cash prize up to $28,000. Upon logging into TOME for the first time, the hacker meets fellow new player Alpha as he is invited to play by his friend Kirbopher, which eventually leads to the Hacker joining the Dandy Alliance as they compete for the prize money while working to fight the hackers in secret.

Chris Niosi has confirmed this will be the final incarnation of the TOME story ever produced, as he wants to move on from the TOME IP and work on other ideas. This marks the End of an Era that started in 2004, as Niosi has not worked on any other entirely original projects since the original TVTome Adventures series began.note  Originally set to be released in 2020, the year it takes place, the game was pushed back by a year in order to ensure that it would be as good as it could possibly be.

On December 21st, 2020, it was announced that the game had reached its alpha build. Three months later, on March 27th, 2021, the game officially hit beta, before it was finally released on September 9th, 2021. The game was released with Russian and Chinese language options pre-installed.

Not to be confused with Tales of Maj'Eyal, which has the same acronym, or TOEM, an adventure/puzzle game.

Spoilers below for both Web Series! You have been warned.


This work provides examples of:

  • Action Commands: In the same vein as the Trope Namer, the effectiveness of attacks and abilities in the demo/game can be enhanced by a timed button.
  • Adaptation Name Change: A great many characters have had their names changed from the webseries.
  • Alternate Continuity: The game is set in its own canon and its story is not connected to either webseries.
  • Blow You Away: The Nature alignment has a good range of air spells.
  • Chess Motif: Characters that work for Netking Software have avatars modeled after chess pieces. NPCs in the Zen Hub are modeled after pawns and bishops while a game administrator Flamegirl speaks to is modeled after a knight piece.
  • Crapsack World: Implied. By 2020, the world isn't doing well because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and everyone is stuck inside and looking for ways to get away from the stress.
  • Dangerous Forbidden Technique:
    • The White Hat can hack TOME just as much as other hackers, changing character elements and gaining other bonuses. But this comes at the risk of stressing and damaging the source code for TOME. Hacking too frequently can result in crashing the game for good.
    • Breaker Beam. It is one of the most powerful skills in the game being able to literally obliterate the opposing side for max damage. It comes with not just the caveat of lower defense stats on charging, but the risk of exploding on the user if not used correctly, as it requires intense focus and timing. There are only two known users of this skill: Zetto, who mastered it and grew a swelled head because of this, and Okra, who tried to learn it just to fight Zetto.
  • Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Much like the series, there are four elemental factions with the following interactions: mystical and icy Crystal extinguishes the demonic fires of the Infernal, but is often resisted by Technical beings that disbelief silly mysticism: Technical is in turn vulnerable to the power of Nature and barely scratches such enemies with their attacks; Nature is easily burned by the Infernal Flames. The player can also be Neutral, and avoid both the bonuses and the shortcomings of either alignment.
  • Failure Is the Only Option: Despite the Dandy Alliance's best efforts, they will not be able to win in the first three regional events. Losing a spot at the fourth event, or losing during the Conclave of Courage, leads to a non-standard bad ending.
  • Fighter, Mage, Thief: The three classes available in TOME follow the traditional dynamic.
    • Weaponary are Fighters, focusing on heavy-hitting physical attacks.
    • Spellcasters are Mages who are especially good with magical attacks and ranged skills.
    • Brawlers are Thieves who prioritize speed and can extend their main attack combo up to six times instead of the standard two.
  • Forced Transformation: The Nature alignment grants its champions the ability to temporarily turn their foes into weak and practically harmless flowers.
  • Gender Flip: A good number of guys from the previous continuity have been changed into girls.
  • Good Old Fisticuffs: Brawler characters specialize in bare-handed combat.
  • Graffiti Town: Telluria City.
  • Green Thumb: Part of the focus of the Nature element.
  • Hand Blast: Flamegirl's Sun Gun and Sun Shotgun skills are animated in the demo as she points a finger at the enemy to fire a fireball (multiple fireballs for the Sun Shotgun) from it.
  • Harmless Freezing: The ice magic of the Crystal-aligned characters can freeze their opponents solid for several turns.
  • Left the Background Music On: After a tense, emotional moment at Morgonite Valley, Alpha comments on the game's use of a fittingly appropriate background song.
  • Magical Defibrillator: A magical skill called "Defibrillators" consumes a hefty amount of MP, but will revive downed characters with 20% of their HP (60% if you manage to time your button press right.)
  • Multiple Endings: The final release of the game features these, dependent on both the player's decisions during the story as well as your victories and losses.
  • No Hugging, No Kissing: According to Word of God, there will be no romance in this version of the story. However, there may still be Ship Tease.
  • Palmtree Panic: Orange Island.
  • Playing with Fire: The Infernal alignment is all about flame attacks, like the so-called Corona Cut.
  • Shock and Awe: Technical characters have electrical attack abilities.
  • Slime Girl: Morphological character type are inorganic humanoid constructs consisting mostly of slime, so all the female characters of this type amount to this.
  • Token Heroic Orc: The White Hat. Their background is that of a Hacker who uses their skills to benefit other players by keeping more malicious hackers at bay rather than wreak havoc. The synopsis states they're not the only one either.

Alternative Title(s): Terrain Of Magical Expertise, Terrain Of Magical Expertise RPG

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