diff --git a/dist.ini b/dist.ini
index 28caba758..1113f0ef9 100644
--- a/dist.ini
+++ b/dist.ini
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ App::cpanminus = 0
 PPI::XS = 0
 
 [Prereqs]
-perl    = v5.20.0
+perl    = v5.14.0
 
 parent  = 0 ; used by the AutoPrereq test corpus
 
@@ -87,3 +87,13 @@ Dist::Zilla::Plugin::NameFromDirectory = <= 0.03
 :version = 0.017
 conflicts_module = Moose::Conflicts
 conflicts_module = Module::Runtime::Conflicts
+
+[Babble]
+plugin = ::CoreSignatures
+plugin = ::PostfixDeref
+
+[Substitute / Pragmas]
+file = lib/Dist/Zilla/Pragmas.pm
+mode = whole
+code = s/use v5.20.0/use v5.14.0/;
+code = s/^#begin babble.*?^#end babble\n//gsm;
diff --git a/lib/Dist/Zilla.pm b/lib/Dist/Zilla.pm
index 143134510..e2fc058a9 100644
--- a/lib/Dist/Zilla.pm
+++ b/lib/Dist/Zilla.pm
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ use Dist::Zilla::Path;
 use List::Util 1.33 qw(first none);
 use Software::License 0.104001; # ->program
 use String::RewritePrefix;
-use Try::Tiny;
+use Feature::Compat::Try;
 
 use Dist::Zilla::Prereqs;
 use Dist::Zilla::File::OnDisk;
@@ -469,8 +469,10 @@ has authors => (
       return $stash->authors;
     }
 
-    my $author = try { $self->copyright_holder };
-    return [ $author ] if length $author;
+    try {
+      my $author = $self->copyright_holder;
+      return [ $author ] if length $author;
+    } catch ($e) { }
 
     $self->log_fatal(
       "No %User stash and no copyright holder;",
diff --git a/lib/Dist/Zilla/App.pm b/lib/Dist/Zilla/App.pm
index bb7cc8aca..f9a9fad1a 100644
--- a/lib/Dist/Zilla/App.pm
+++ b/lib/Dist/Zilla/App.pm
@@ -6,7 +6,8 @@ use Dist::Zilla::Pragmas;
 use App::Cmd::Setup 0.330 -app; # better compilation error detection
 
 use Carp ();
-use Try::Tiny;
+use Feature::Compat::Try;
+use Scalar::Util 'blessed';
 
 use namespace::autoclean;
 
@@ -63,8 +64,7 @@ sub _build_global_stashes {
     });
 
     my $seq = $reader->read_config($config_base, { assembler => $assembler });
-  } catch {
-    my $e = $_;
+  } catch($e) {
     if (eval { $e->isa('Config::MVP::Error') and $e->ident eq 'package not installed' }) {
       my $package = $e->package;
 
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ and deleting any [!new] stanza.  You can also delete the existing file and run
 "dzil setup"
 END_DIE
     }
-  };
+  }
 
   return $stash_registry;
 }
@@ -141,11 +141,11 @@ sub zilla {
         chrome => $self->chrome,
         _global_stashes => $self->_build_global_stashes,
       });
-    } catch {
-      die $_ unless try { $_->isa('Config::MVP::Error') }
-                 && $_->ident =~ /no viable config/;
+    } catch($e) {
+      die $e unless blessed($e) && $e->isa('Config::MVP::Error')
+                 && $e->ident =~ /no viable config/;
       $self->chrome->logger->log_fatal("no configuration (e.g, dist.ini) found");
-    };
+    }
 
     $zilla->logger->set_debug($verbose ? 1 : 0);
 
diff --git a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Dist/Builder.pm b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Dist/Builder.pm
index 15078bc88..06b2dae15 100644
--- a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Dist/Builder.pm
+++ b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Dist/Builder.pm
@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ use Dist::Zilla::Types qw(Path);
 
 use File::pushd ();
 use Dist::Zilla::Path; # because more Path::* is better, eh?
-use Try::Tiny;
+use Feature::Compat::Try;
 use List::Util 1.45 'uniq';
+use Scalar::Util 'blessed';
 use Module::Runtime 'require_module';
 
 use namespace::autoclean;
@@ -285,22 +286,20 @@ sub _load_config {
       if $arg->{_global_stashes};
   }
 
-  my $seq;
   try {
-    $seq = $config_class->read_config(
+    return $config_class->read_config(
       $root->child('dist'),
       {
         assembler => $assembler
       },
     );
-  } catch {
-    die $_ unless try {
-      $_->isa('Config::MVP::Error')
-      and $_->ident eq 'package not installed'
-    };
+  } catch($e) {
+    die $e unless
+      blessed($e) and $e->isa('Config::MVP::Error')
+      and $e->ident eq 'package not installed';
 
-    my $package = $_->package;
-    my $bundle  = $_->section_name =~ m{^@(?!.*/)} ? ' bundle' : '';
+    my $package = $e->package;
+    my $bundle  = $e->section_name =~ m{^@(?!.*/)} ? ' bundle' : '';
 
     die <<"END_DIE";
 Required plugin$bundle $package isn't installed.
@@ -312,9 +311,7 @@ You can pipe the list to your CPAN client to install or update them:
 
 END_DIE
 
-  };
-
-  return $seq;
+  }
 }
 
 =method build_in
diff --git a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Plugin/MetaYAML.pm b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Plugin/MetaYAML.pm
index becd64a32..05da59a6e 100644
--- a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Plugin/MetaYAML.pm
+++ b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Plugin/MetaYAML.pm
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ with 'Dist::Zilla::Role::FileGatherer';
 
 use Dist::Zilla::Pragmas;
 
-use Try::Tiny;
+use Feature::Compat::Try;
 use namespace::autoclean;
 
 =head1 DESCRIPTION
@@ -59,13 +59,12 @@ sub gather_files {
       $output->{x_serialization_backend} = sprintf '%s version %s',
             'YAML::Tiny', YAML::Tiny->VERSION;
 
-      my $yaml = try {
-        YAML::Tiny->new($output)->write_string; # text!
+      try {
+        return YAML::Tiny->new($output)->write_string; # text!
       }
-      catch {
+      catch($e) {
         $self->log_fatal("Could not create YAML string: " . YAML::Tiny->errstr)
-      };
-      return $yaml;
+      }
     },
   });
 
diff --git a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Plugin/UploadToCPAN.pm b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Plugin/UploadToCPAN.pm
index c1e3f67ec..0219a42c8 100644
--- a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Plugin/UploadToCPAN.pm
+++ b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Plugin/UploadToCPAN.pm
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use File::Spec;
 use Moose::Util::TypeConstraints;
 use Scalar::Util qw(weaken);
 use Dist::Zilla::Util;
-use Try::Tiny;
+use Feature::Compat::Try;
 
 use namespace::autoclean;
 
@@ -188,13 +188,12 @@ has pause_cfg => (
     $file = File::Spec->catfile($self->pause_cfg_dir, $file)
       unless File::Spec->file_name_is_absolute($file);
     return {} unless -e $file && -r _;
-    my $cfg = try {
-      CPAN::Uploader->read_config_file($file)
-    } catch {
-      $self->log("Couldn't load credentials from '$file': $_");
-      {};
-    };
-    return $cfg;
+    try {
+      return CPAN::Uploader->read_config_file($file)
+    } catch($e) {
+      $self->log("Couldn't load credentials from '$file': $e");
+      return {};
+    }
   },
 );
 
@@ -292,9 +291,9 @@ sub before_release {
       die unless length $self->$attr;
     }
     undef $problem;
-  };
-
-  $self->log_fatal(['You need to supply a %s', $problem]) if $problem;
+  } catch($e) {
+    $self->log_fatal(['You need to supply a %s', $problem]) if $problem;
+  }
 }
 
 sub release {
diff --git a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Pragmas.pm b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Pragmas.pm
index 3d3f80689..9eedd850d 100644
--- a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Pragmas.pm
+++ b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Pragmas.pm
@@ -15,12 +15,14 @@ sub import {
   feature->import(':5.20');
   feature->unimport('switch');
 
+#begin babble
   experimental->import(qw(
     lexical_subs
     postderef
     postderef_qq
     signatures
   ));
+#end babble
 
   feature->unimport('multidimensional') if $] >= 5.034;
 }
diff --git a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Role/File.pm b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Role/File.pm
index 2e1acad07..664121774 100644
--- a/lib/Dist/Zilla/Role/File.pm
+++ b/lib/Dist/Zilla/Role/File.pm
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use Dist::Zilla::Pragmas;
 
 use Dist::Zilla::Types qw(_Filename);
 use Moose::Util::TypeConstraints;
-use Try::Tiny;
+use Feature::Compat::Try;
 
 use namespace::autoclean;
 
@@ -128,10 +128,8 @@ sub _encode {
   }
   else {
     require Encode;
-    my $bytes =
-      try { Encode::encode($enc, $text, Encode::FB_CROAK()) }
-      catch { $self->_throw("encode $enc" => $_) };
-    return $bytes;
+    try { return Encode::encode($enc, $text, Encode::FB_CROAK()) }
+    catch($e) { $self->_throw("encode $enc" => $e) }
   }
 }
 
@@ -143,25 +141,27 @@ sub _decode {
   }
   else {
     require Encode;
-    my $text =
-      try { Encode::decode($enc, $bytes, Encode::FB_CROAK()) }
-      catch { $self->_throw("decode $enc" => $_) };
-
-    # Okay, look, buddy…  If you're using a BOM on UTF-8, that's fine.  You can
-    # use it.  You're just not going to get it back.  If we don't do this, the
-    # sequence of events will be:
-    # * read file from UTF-8-BOM file on disk
-    # * end up with FEFF as first character of file
-    # * pass file content to PPI
-    # * PPI blows up
-    #
-    # I'm not going to try to account for the BOM and add it back.  It's awful!
-    #
-    # Meanwhile, if you're using UTF-16, you can get the BOM handled by picking
-    # the right encoding type, I think. -- rjbs, 2016-04-24
-    $enc =~ /^utf-?8$/i && $text =~ s/\A\x{FEFF}//;
-
-    return $text;
+    try {
+      my $text = Encode::decode($enc, $bytes, Encode::FB_CROAK());
+
+      # Okay, look, buddy…  If you're using a BOM on UTF-8, that's fine.  You can
+      # use it.  You're just not going to get it back.  If we don't do this, the
+      # sequence of events will be:
+      # * read file from UTF-8-BOM file on disk
+      # * end up with FEFF as first character of file
+      # * pass file content to PPI
+      # * PPI blows up
+      #
+      # I'm not going to try to account for the BOM and add it back.  It's awful!
+      #
+      # Meanwhile, if you're using UTF-16, you can get the BOM handled by picking
+      # the right encoding type, I think. -- rjbs, 2016-04-24
+      $enc =~ /^utf-?8$/i && $text =~ s/\A\x{FEFF}//;
+
+      return $text;
+    } catch($e) {
+      $self->_throw("decode $enc" => $e)
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/t/compile.t b/t/compile.t
index 3b5a5fbc9..dfe8cdb0e 100644
--- a/t/compile.t
+++ b/t/compile.t
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ use warnings;
 use Test::More;
 
 use File::Find::Rule;
-use Try::Tiny;
 
 my @files = File::Find::Rule->name('*.pm')->in('lib');
 plan tests => @files - 1;