The multiverse awaits in Nomads Unbound, a diceless and GMless RPG of infinite possibilites

NOMADS Unbound is a diceless Role-Playing Game with deep customization set in infinite worlds, across time and space. With a modern fantasy setting, your story unfolds by drawing cards quickly with the help of multiple charts to guide you on story choices, character creation, combat situations, and problem-solving.

A crowdfunding hit in Brazil, NOMADS Unbound is receiving an English version with revised text and rules, along with an impressive selection of accessories from Mind's Vision, publisher of The Legacy of Cthulhu and Infaernum - Extreme Role-Playing Game. As with other games from the catalog, NOMADS Unbound offers great customization: it can be played solo or with a group, and with different optional rules and setups. From a simple set of pen, paper, and a deck of regular playing cards to long tables full of terrain, miniatures, and tokens, the game can fit any budget, time slot, or party size.

A different take on action mechanics

For beginners in GMless play, think of it like this: the questions you’d typically ask a GM — “Is the door locked?” or “Does my character see anyone in the dark alley?” — you ask the system instead.

How does it work? Both actions and questions are categorized, through a quick judgment (or debate, if playing with a group), based on logic and common sense, into one of four levels of increasing difficulty: Trivial, Likely, Unlikely, or Absurd. The harder the action, the higher the category. The less likely a “yes” answer to a question, the higher the category.

Then you draw cards quickly. The number depends on the category:

• Trivial → automatic success
• Likely → draw 1 card
• Unlikely → draw 2 cards
• Absurd → draw 3 cards

Plus, if a character has a Talent tied to the action or question (let's say the character is trying to use a pistol and has a Talent for shooting), the difficulty drops one level, making the test easier.

If there’s at least one red card, the action fails, or the answer is “no.” If all are black, the action succeeds, or the answer is “yes.” The intensity of the result is set by the last card drawn (the one on top of the discard pile). Let's say you are trying to kick a door down. A 9 would result in a clean kick that would open the door masterfully, while a 2 would still open the door, but in a much messier way.

But here’s the true twist: if a face card shows up (J, Q, or K), an Oddity happens, shaking up the scene with an unexpected event — good, bad, or maybe a rival suddenly entering the story. And the game will guide you through these possibilities with many pre-populated tables, which are commonly called Oracles in Solo RPG lingo.

In practice, the system is lightning-fast. Most checks fall into likely or unlikely, so players just draw one or two cards and check the colors. In solo mode, the flow is almost as quick as your own train of thought, and the more you play, the more natural it feels. That's the true motivation behind the card-drawing system instead of a traditional dice-based one. With a little bit of practice, it will feel very organic and much cleaner than constantly picking up dice and counting results at every move.

And the more weird the players’ questions get, “Could my attacker be feeling stomach cramps? What if a bird flies out of nowhere and gets in the middle of their shot? What if the gun malfunctions?”, the more cards are drawn, the greater the chance of Oddities, and the greater the chance of Singularities, which trigger when the deck runs out of cards. Then things can get really, really WEIRD.

Versatility is key

As mentioned earlier, you can play NOMADS Unbound as a traditional RPG, using only paper, pen, and a deck of cards instead of a set of dice. You check on a series of tables for results or options instead of asking a person designated as a GM, and you will be ready to live infinite adventures.

But the system can be so quick and generate so much chaos that some players might prefer having more tools to keep things under control. That's why NOMADS Unbound offers a selection of terrain and miniatures (for print-and-play or in STL format for 3d Printing) so you can have physical manifestations of your adventures.

And, if you want to take advantage of the setup to its fullest, you can add optional rules to make combat deeper, similar to wargames like Warhammer. These are part of a special Content Pack with a mini-expansion called Advanced Combat Rules. The package will also include a different set of custom cards with modifiers and premade actions, as well as new miniature models for printing on paper or as 3D minis. This is a complimentary gift to all backers of the Gamefound campaign, and it will be available for sale separately in the future.

NOMADS Unbound also has a very ambitious content calendar that will provide new adventures, characters, rules, and accessories through at least the end of 2026. For more details, please check out the campaign on Gamefound.

NOMADS Unbound is published by Mind's Vision, an indie publisher of tabletop games from Orlando, Florida. Some of our titles include tabletop games like Potato Man, Fibonachos, and Sea of Lies, as well as role-playing games such as The Legacy of Cthulhu, The Vampire—Alone in the Darkness, and Infaernum - Extreme Role-Playing Game.