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boundlessnations.bsky.social
Boundless Nations
@boundlessnations.bsky.social
41 followers 61 following 130 posts
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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boundlessnations.bsky.social
Boundless Nations @boundlessnations.bsky.social · 18d
Our Website has had a revamp! Let us know what you think.

boundlessnations.com
Title card for Boundless Nations: A 4X Tabletop Role Playing Game. Warm sepia-brown background with detailed cream line art in an etching style. The central title uses a distinctive angular font evoking ancient carved stone. Surrounding illustrations depict the game's civilisation-spanning scope: a sailing vessel's rigging, gothic church spires, a hillside city, a minotaur figure with an instrument, a bearded character, and a tentacled sea creature. A faded fantasy map with place names like 'Nor Chiang'Na' fills the upper portion, suggesting the game's world-building scope
boundlessnations.bsky.social
The Hrvelir (HER-VEL- ER), furry giants from frozen mountains.
This is a lunar ritual they perform when they need to draw in celestial magic to supplement whatever they harvest from the atmosphere.

#CreatureConcept #IndieGameDev #GameDesign #CreatureDesign #ConceptArt
February 6, 2026 at 12:36 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
Animation for the trailer. One of the "endless worlds ruled by vengeful gods" the Shapers created because they got bored with living out their deepest fantasies.

#IndieRPG #TTRPGDesign #WorldBuilding #animation #gamedev
February 5, 2026 at 8:45 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
Someone asked to see the feedback from our playtests, so we sent it, then put it on our website.

boundlessnations.com/about/testimonials

If you're interested in the next run of playtests, DM us, or sign up below

forms.gle/DsHNzpEcx3eLMJKj8

#TTRPG #gamesdesign #playtest #gamesdevelopment #4xgames
February 3, 2026 at 11:07 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
Animating this Di Roll took ages. Not being technical, I 'threw' it over and over until it hit 20, then animated the camera.

boundlessnations.com

#BoundlessNations
#ConceptArt
#GameDev
#TabletopRPG
#IndieGame
January 30, 2026 at 11:56 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
Bit more animation for the Pitch Video, this one showing pieces moving on the tracking board and cards being collected.

#BoundlessNations
#ConceptArt
#GameDev
#TabletopRPG
#IndieGame
January 29, 2026 at 3:05 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
Decided to animate this timelapse thing differently. I think it looks better simplified.

#BoundlessNations
#ConceptArt
#GameDev
#TabletopRPG
#IndieGame
January 28, 2026 at 1:26 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
Our Tech Tree (so far) is now viewable on our website! There's wayyy more than in this picture.
Have a look, let us know what you think:
boundlessnations.com/mechanics

#TTRPG #tabletopgames #gamedev
Boundless Nations tech tree showing branching advancement paths. Players progress from basic technologies upward through interconnected nodes representing new capabilities. Icons depict buildings, tools, ships, weapons, and cultural developments. Multiple parallel tracks allow different civilisation specialisations. Styled as an aged manuscript with detailed line art illustrations for each technology node.
January 26, 2026 at 10:35 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
While we're wrapping the trailer soundtrack, I'm doing some simple animations for the pitch video. This is a sample of the technology tree, showing twelve researchable techs from the Lithic Age (cavefolk times) to the Awakened Age (rennaisance approx)

#TTRPG
January 24, 2026 at 9:22 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
So, some Redditors had a look at our site recently, and were (understandably) put off by the lack of actual mechanics to review. Well, now there are! Have a look, see what you think!

boundlessnations.com/mechanics

#ttrpg #tabletopgames #indiegames
January 21, 2026 at 3:44 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
Our Website has had a revamp! Let us know what you think.

boundlessnations.com
Title card for Boundless Nations: A 4X Tabletop Role Playing Game. Warm sepia-brown background with detailed cream line art in an etching style. The central title uses a distinctive angular font evoking ancient carved stone. Surrounding illustrations depict the game's civilisation-spanning scope: a sailing vessel's rigging, gothic church spires, a hillside city, a minotaur figure with an instrument, a bearded character, and a tentacled sea creature. A faded fantasy map with place names like 'Nor Chiang'Na' fills the upper portion, suggesting the game's world-building scope
January 19, 2026 at 10:53 AM
Reposted by Boundless Nations
unaminh.bsky.social
please support your local jobless indie dev and spread the word of CFR over on TikTok - comments appreciated.

Over 1000 plays so far and a good amount of five star ratings :)) www.tiktok.com/@unaminh/vid... #gamedev #indiegames
well here she is. my first solo game about #Ireland’s believe Chicken Fillet Rolls. Happy 2026 lol #indiegames #irish #gamedev #ireland🇨🇮
TikTok video by Úna-Minh 🇮🇪 | Game Producer
www.tiktok.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Boundless Nations
colinbwilliams.com
I set up a GoFundMe for former @pghcitypaper.com staff. This will be used to help us submit last year's stories for awards, defray loss of income and insurance, and support laid-off single moms with childcare. Chip in if you'd like:
Donate to Support former Pittsburgh City Paper staff, organized by Colin Williams
R.I.P. Pittsburgh City Paper, 1991-2025. After over three decades, Block… Colin Williams needs your support for Support former Pittsburgh City Paper staff
gofund.me
January 4, 2026 at 1:49 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
This drawing represents the Shapers having created dying planets populated by beings who exist only to suffer.
Does it capture the sense of how brief and fragile life is when compared to machinations of the cosmos?
#animation #scifi #indiegames
January 4, 2026 at 2:04 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
This is a 3D mock up of the Tracking Board, Player Pieces, Decree Cards, dice, Core and Tech Card Decks, Core Rule Book and their box.
This is our system for keeping track of Culture operations across 100s of turns.
#tabletopgames #ttrpg #indiegames
January 3, 2026 at 11:33 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
This is a possible design for the box everything comes in, I'm going for a laser-etched wood thing. Again, I think it would be a cool reward for any especially generous donors.
What do we think of this for a box cover?

#BoundlessNations #ConceptArt #GameDev
Wood-textured game box cover with embossed relief illustration. The title 'BOUNDLESS NATIONS - A 4X TABLETOP ROLEPLAYING GAME' appears in carved lettering at the top. The central image features a tall Art Deco-style tower or monument with radiating light beams behind it. Flanking the tower are various faction symbols and imagery: on the left, a spaceship and celestial motifs; on the right, what appears to be a dragon or winged creature. The entire design has an engraved, woodcut aesthetic with warm brown tones suggesting carved or laser-etched wood.
December 14, 2025 at 12:43 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
Zel'khari forces seiging a city.
The Zel'khari are a species of organic metal, having evolved in paralel to the Brass Scarabs.
#CreatureConcept #IndieGameDev
Black and white illustration of an ant-like mechanical army besieging a medieval fantasy city. Zel'khari soldiers made of organic metal operate massive siege equipment including trebuchets and catapults. The foreground shows detailed mechanical creatures with intricate gears and joints, while the background depicts a walled city with towers and spires beneath dramatic cumulus clouds.
December 11, 2025 at 12:56 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
A Leporidian business magnate takes a leisurely Daucan ride through his grounds, as Honkrats flee to the water.
The Leporidians are a humanoid rabbit-like species. Their culture is highly capitalistic, with fiercely rigid class structure based on personal wealth.

#BoundlessNations #4XTTRPG
Black and white line drawing of an anthropomorphic rabbit wearing a tall top hat and formal Victorian-style clothing with a crest on the vest, riding on the back of a large dinosaur-like creature with striped legs and a long neck. The rabbit holds a riding crop. They're in a landscaped park setting with classical architecture including a domed temple structure in the background, ornamental trees, and a pond where several goose-like birds are fleeing into the water. The art style is detailed with cross-hatching and stippling techniques.
December 7, 2025 at 1:29 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
This is an inexperienced Ijo Hunter having an altercation with an adult Thassik.
The Ijo are a species of megafauna sentient spiders shaped by an environment hostile to most life with culture to match.
#TTRPGDesign #WorldBuilding #FantasyCreature
A detailed black and white illustration depicting an Ijo, a megafauna sentient spider creature. The Ijo has a large, bulbous abdomen covered in fine hair texture, eight powerful legs with visible joints and segments, and a distinctive head featuring multiple eyes and sharp mandibles. The creature is shown in a dynamic pose against a desert landscape with rocky outcroppings and sparse vegetation in the background. The artistic style uses dense crosshatching and fine linework to create depth and texture, consistent with historical natural history illustrations.
December 6, 2025 at 10:38 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
Not posted lately-in a new job! But this didn't stop. Here's our map repurposed for a Core Rulebook cover.
We'll need a bespoke cover, but for now, we want to finish the trailer & launch the Kickstarter.
Ideas for cover designs? Let us know 🙂
And Miyazaki!
#IndieTabletop #TTRPGDev #KickstarterPrep
Book cover design for Boundless Nations tabletop RPG featuring a fantasy world map in beige/tan on brown leather-textured background. The map shows continents labeled "Nor'Chiangata," "Topolaro," and regions like "Dantian Schapru" and "Ilia Coast." Title reads "BOUNDLESS NATIONS: A 4X Tabletop Role Playing Game" with "Core Rulebook" and "First Edition" labels. Spine text and author names "Jonathan Staines | Jesse Koan Smith" appear at bottom. Engraved aesthetic with decorative border. Ragdoll cat named Miyazaki sitting in a white bathtub, looking up at the camera with bright blue eyes. The cat has cream-colored fluffy fur with dark brown points on face, ears, and bushy tail. White tile wall background with chrome shower fixtures visible.
December 5, 2025 at 7:32 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
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
October 23, 2025 at 12:16 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
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
October 18, 2025 at 6:32 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
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
October 15, 2025 at 10:31 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
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."
October 8, 2025 at 1:36 PM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
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.
October 6, 2025 at 9:52 AM
boundlessnations.bsky.social
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.
September 28, 2025 at 10:29 AM