Worlds Without Number is a tabletop role-playing game published by Sine Nomine Publishing, written by Kevin Crawford. Mr. Crawford is a prolific game designer and writer known for his ability to create immersive and deep game worlds, as well as his talent for developing innovative game mechanics. Some of his other notable works include Red Tide, Silent Legions, and Scarlet Heroes.
Worlds Without Number is a standalone game, but it's fully compatible with the sci-fi game Stars Without Number. As a result, the well-loved sci-fi tools of Stars Without Number are reworked to support fantasy gaming, whether in the Latter Earth setting or in a homebrew world. Worlds Without Number is built to provide gritty adventure, and it's packed with system-neutral GM tools and worldbuilding support.
What's Inside?
The book opens with Tales of the Latter Earth, which describes the history and setting of the world. The stars gutter, the skies fade, and the earth grows weary with years. Ages of men and of Outsiders have ascended and been forgotten, leaving behind only the bones of their cities and the dust of their dreams. The world is now haunted by those who came before, and humanity suffers for the sins of their dead.
Then there's character creation. Players choose from a range of classes and backgrounds, each with their own unique abilities and specialties. They also select a focus, which is a broad area of expertise that grants bonuses to specific actions or abilities.
Once characters have been created, the game focuses on exploration and adventure in the game world. The world of Worlds Without Number is vast and filled with opportunities for adventure. The game master can create their own setting or use one of the pre-made worlds provided in the book. These worlds include detailed information on their history, geography, and factions, providing the game master with everything they need to create a rich and engaging game world.
The game's mechanics are designed to be simple and flexible, with a focus on role-playing and storytelling. Combat is quick and deadly, with a focus on strategic decision-making and positioning. Characters can engage in a variety of actions, including charging, grappling, and fighting with multiple weapons. The game also includes rules for morale checks and fleeing, ensuring that combat is not the only option for resolving conflicts.
In addition to combat, Worlds Without Number also includes rules for social encounters, skill checks, and exploration. These rules allow players to use their character's abilities and skills to solve problems and overcome obstacles, whether they are navigating a dangerous dungeon or negotiating with a rival faction.
One of the unique features of Worlds Without Number is the faction system, which allows players to create and interact with factions in the game world. These factions can range from small groups of bandits to powerful nations, and the game includes rules for creating and managing them. Factions can be used to drive the plot forward, provide opportunities for the players to influence the game world, or even serve as the primary antagonists of the campaign.
Who's It For
Worlds Without Number is a game designed to cater to a wide range of players, from those who prefer gritty and hard-edged adventures to those who enjoy epic high fantasy with legendary heroes. The game's rules are also versatile, accommodating different styles of play, whether it be exploration, combat, social interaction, or investigation.
In addition to its adaptable game mechanics, Worlds Without Number offers GMs a wealth of world-building tools and support, regardless of their preferred setting or system. From inspirational tags for building ruins, courts, communities, and wilderness points of interest to guides for creating histories, societies, governments, religions, and geography, the game provides practical advice and resources that GMs can use to craft a rich and immersive world for their players to explore.
Moreover, the free edition of the game offers a comprehensive set of tools and resources that are already enough to support a thrilling and engaging gaming experience. However, for those who want to take their adventures to the next level, the deluxe, for-pay version of the game provides even more options, including heroic characters with epic abilities, additional character classes, and bonus GM tools.
Final Thoughts
One of the most remarkable aspects of Worlds Without Number is its ability to seamlessly blend elements of science fiction and fantasy into a single game world. By building upon the framework of the successful Stars Without Number system, the game allows for the exploration of both technological and magical realms in equal measure. This fusion of genres makes for a unique and exciting experience that will keep players engaged and eager to explore the richly detailed world.
In addition, the wealth of worldbuilding tools provided in the book makes it an invaluable resource for GMs who want to craft their own fantasy settings. The hundreds of tags, tables, and practical advice for creating histories, societies, governments, religions, and geography are written with a keen eye toward producing good, playable content for adventuring groups. The faction rules for fantasy worlds are also a welcome addition, providing a framework for political and social intrigue that can add depth and complexity to any campaign.
In this article, some content was generated using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence language model developed by OpenAI. The generated content was then edited and arranged for accuracy and readability by RPGPDFs.