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Boundless Nations

@boundlessnations.bsky.social

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Boundless Nations is a 4X tabletop RPG - lead a civilization through epochs in a sprawling magical multiverse. Stories as limitless as the imagination. Discord: https://discord.gg/n9cgV2PE

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 3d

Close-up photo of a white cat paw with pink paw pads. The image is slightly blurred, showing the furry paw against what appears to be textured fabric or bedding. The cat's body is partially visible but out of focus in the background.

Intimate close-up photo of a Ragdoll cat's face resting on a textured surface. The image captures fine detail of the cat's dark facial markings, white stripe, whiskers, and one visible blue eye. The warm lighting emphasizes the cat's fluffy fur texture.

Extreme close-up photo of a Ragdoll cat's face taken from below, showing the cat lying on a yellow textured surface. The cat's striking blue eyes are prominent, along with its dark facial markings and white stripe down the nose. Long white whiskers are visible against the warm lighting.

Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 3d

Ultimately, this shot will be used in our trailer to represent to world building element of Boundless Nations.
#ConceptArt #IndieGameDev #GameArt

Fantasy map illustration in sepia tones showing multiple landmasses and regions with labels including "Nor'Chiangnata," "Great Mountains," "D'ev Sunderawls," "Myrallia Coast," "Tupolaroh," "Da'ntun Schapiu," "Nerkern Archipelago," and other fantasy location names. The map features detailed terrain markings including mountains, forests (shown in green), coastlines, and various geographical features in a hand-drawn cartographic style.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 3d

Animated our map in a combination of 3D and 2D. I'm not at all a 3D animator so this was challenging, but I reckon it came out ok.

#BoundlessNations #GameDev #TabletopRPG

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 8d

And a picture of Miyazaki. He's soft.

#cat #miyazaki #ragdoll

Photo of a Ragdoll cat lying sprawled on its side on a fluffy textured blanket or cushion. The cat has cream and brown coloring with white paws visible in the foreground. The cat appears very relaxed and comfortable in what looks like a home interior setting.

Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 8d

Animated thing for our trailer. This drawing is simpler than the others, largely because I drew it to be animated.
The Spider creature is an Ijo hunter, dealing with being too close to its prey.
#ConceptArt
#GameDev
#TabletopRPG

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 12d

And here's a poorly lit video of Miyazaki, because animating takes ages and I don't have all day to make the videos of him look high end. There's a darling picture as well.

#Miyazaki #Ragdoll

Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 12d

Animating the trains has been the biggest pain, as you can see in the in screen recording.
#ProcessVideo #MakingOf #BehindTheScenes

Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 12d

Little sneak peak at our trailer. This is that drawing of the machine, with Turbulent Displace. Frustratingly, I'm gonna have to make some changes to this and reexport, because the camera movement is wrong.

#TabletopGameDev #GameDesign #ConceptArt

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 18d

So many layers........

#BehindTheScenes #MakingOf #RPGArt

Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 18d

So, I'm told that in this brave new AI world, you're supposed to show your work so people know you're making it yourself.
These screenshots and 1 screen recording (see second post) give a little insight into how I'm prepping our drawings for animation.

#BehindTheScenes #MakingOf #RPGArt

Screenshot of Adobe Photoshop showing a detailed line drawing of a fantastical scene with a tall tower structure, an airship, a train on tracks, and swirling clouds in the sky. The Photoshop layers panel on the right shows multiple separated layers including "Front Train," "Tower," "Train," "Airship," "Right cloud," "Clouds," "Left side cloud," "Tracks," and "BG." Text overlay reads: "Each element of the drawing has been separated so they can be individually animated for the trailer."

Cropped view of the same Photoshop file showing the drawing with the cloud layers turned off to reveal the underlying landscape without the swirling sky patterns. The layers panel shows the "Clouds" layer is selected. Text overlay reads: "You can see here, the swirling clouds above have their own layer, which I've switched off in this screenshot to show which part of the image it refers to."

Close-up of the Photoshop file focusing on the central tower structure with the "Tower" layer selected in the layers panel. The drawing shows intricate line work of the tower with empty space behind it. Text overlay reads: "In the case of objects in the fore/middle ground, the space behind them needs to be filled in. This will allow me to animate a slight sideways motion on the tower later, simulating 3D space."

Wide view of the line drawing showing the full scene with minimal background detail behind the foreground elements. Text overlay reads: "Before being prepped for animation, the area behind any object was blank. Anyone who does stuff like this will notice I've been making things harder on myself. If I was trying to set a good example I would have drawn each background area in full and then put stuff on top, and I would have drawn everything on properly allocated separate layers from the beginning. But hey ho."

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 21d

As always, we have some Miyazaki Photos, just because.

#Miyazaki #Ragdoll #cats

Photo of a Ragdoll cat with striking blue eyes and cream/brown coloring sitting on a beige surface. The cat is positioned next to a wooden bamboo bowl and has a video game controller visible near its paws. A kitchen setting with plants and yellow furniture is visible in the background.

Photo of a Ragdoll cat with blue eyes and dark facial markings sitting on or behind a beige couch. The cat has luxurious long fur and is looking directly at the camera. A bookshelf with books and framed items is visible in the background.

Close-up photo of a Ragdoll cat mid-yawn, showing the inside of its mouth, tongue, and teeth. The cat has fluffy cream and brown fur with a white chest. A guitar on a stand and various household items are visible in the blurred background.

Photo of a Ragdoll cat lying on its side on beige carpet, looking up at the camera with blue eyes. The cat appears relaxed and is positioned near furniture including a shelving unit with various items. The photo is taken from above, showing the cat's fluffy coat and characteristic coloring.

Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 21d

Their small stature and exceptional flexibility allows them to move in silence, and hide in tight spaces, making them effective spies.
Still, war is never the desired by any Cenelin, who would prefer to drink with family.
What song does it look like they're playing?
#FantasyArt #CreatureDesign

Close-up of an anthropomorphic elephant shrew (Cenelin) character with large ears playing a large stringed instrument, possibly a lute or guitar. The character has a long tail and is dressed in period clothing.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 21d

The Cultures may not even be deterred by the diplomatic fallout, and international demand for intervention.
But the Cenelin aren't just cute and cuddly. They are also impressively skilled engineers, fully able to develop novel weaponry, and defensive buildings.
#WorldBuilding #FantasyWorldbuilding

Close-up showing multiple smaller anthropomorphic animal musicians (Cenelin) seated at a table, playing small guitars or similar stringed instruments.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 21d

Now, we concede, the likes of the Ijo, or Djiurka Barr don't necessarily care about cute, and their populations would not object. Never mind that, Jardwinians would likely enjoy knowing they were violating some kind of taboo.
#TTRPGCommunity #IndieRPG #TTRPGDesign

Close-up of an anthropomorphic elephant shrew (Cenelin) wearing a wide-brimmed hat and playing a violin. The character is smoking a tobacco pipe, blowing smoke from their nose.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 21d

As a playable faction, they may not be strong, and at first may appear vulnerable in war. Fortunately, they are so cute, raising public support for any kind of conflict against them practically impossible for most other factions.
#IndieGame #GameDesign

Close-up of an anthropomorphic elephant shrew (Canelin) playing bongo drums or similar percussion instruments. The character appears animated and expressive, seated on what appears to be a barrel or stool.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 21d

I posted one of these guys a while ago, but they're a band now, and they have a nice town square looking place to play. Appropriately, these guys are a Ramshackle Studios UK original concept.
#TabletopRPG #AlienWorlds

Close-up of an anthropomorphic Elephant Shrew (Canelin) character with textured fur playing a multi-stringed lute. The character is wearing period clothing and sitting on a stool on cobblestone pavement.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 21d

These are the Cenelin (that's a hard C right there), the most adorable of all in the Boundless Realms. Culturally, they're like groovy little Hobbits, they're all about good food, drink, music, family, and friends.
#BoundlessNations #ConceptArt #GameDev

Image 1: Black and white illustration showing a group of anthropomorphic animal (Cenelin) musicians performing in a courtyard with stone archways. The musicians, wearing period clothing, are playing various stringed instruments including lutes and guitars. The scene is set on cobblestone pavement with architectural elements like columns and arches in the background.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 28d

Thanks so much! I'll ruminate on it and get-a-texturing

Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 28d

Hahah yeah it's hiding in plain sight for sure. Reckon I should vamp the foreground some more, or just let the sky hold the attention?

Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 29d

There's also pictures of Miyazaki this morning. He requires no feedback, because he is unapologetically perfect.
#CatsOfInstagram
#Miyazaki
#Ragdoll

Close-up photo of a Ragdoll cat's face, slightly blurred from movement. The cat has cream and brown coloring with dark facial markings, blue eyes, and a white stripe down the nose. Long white whiskers are visible, and human hands can be seen in the background, suggesting the cat is being petted or held.

Photo of a Ragdoll cat lying on what appears to be a soft surface, looking directly at the camera with striking blue eyes. The cat has the characteristic cream and brown point coloration with dark facial markings and a fluffy white chest. The image has a soft, slightly blurred quality.

Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 29d

I considered going over this longer to shade the landscape better, but the focus is so much on the sky, I'm not sure there's much point. If anyone reading this has feedback, please share.
#WorldBuilding
#FantasyWorldbuilding

Wide view of the complete cosmic scene showing both circular formations in the sky above a desolate landscape. Small structures and ruins are visible on the rocky terrain below, emphasizing the massive scale of the celestial phenomena above.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 29d

I've always found celestial bodies very compelling, and felt that the collective human knowledge of astrophysics recontextualises our relationship to reality. I'd be lying if I said I remotely understood what the new context would be, but that's the feeling I get.
#TTRPGDesign

Close-up view of a single large circular formation with dense concentric rings radiating from the center. The circle has a fuzzy, textured border and appears to be floating against a white background. The line work creates a hypnotic spiral effect.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 29d

Thrown in a couple skulls and some ruins to convey that there used to be life there, but the focal point is really the sky.
#GameDesign
#4XTTRPG
#TTRPGCommunity
#IndieRPG

Close-up of the darker circular formation, showing detailed concentric rings and textured edges. The circle appears more solid and defined compared to the glowing version, with intricate line work creating depth and dimension.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 29d

There is a moment in our trailer which makes reference to the Shapers creating "dying planets". There's a bunch of ways to show that, I went with a vision of planets during an eclipse, as viewed from a planet without an atmosphere.
#DarkFantasy
#SciFiArt
#HorrorArt
#IndieGame

Another view of the cosmic scene focusing on the bright, glowing circular formation surrounded by radiating lines and energy patterns. The composition emphasizes the luminous quality of the central orb against darker surrounding elements.

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Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 29d

This one has been hell on my pooter's resources. And it's not too happy to be compressed by socials. It simply has too much line!
#ConceptArt
#GameDev
#TabletopRPG
#AlienWorlds

Black and white illustration showing a dramatic cosmic scene with two large circular formations in the sky - one bright and glowing on the left, one darker on the right, both with concentric circular patterns. The scene is viewed from a barren, rocky landscape with some structures visible. The entire composition uses intricate line work to create texture and depth.

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