The Futility of Nomadic


Someone on Facebook commented on one of my post about Nomadic and suggested that there should be a way to "win" the game, and I would like to go over why you cannot win Nomadic.

The idea that you cannot win was intentional. It's inspired by something I read in Sean Patrick Cain's The Long Haul 1983 (fantastic game, go check it out).

The goal of the game is to explore, document, and survive as long as you possibly can. It's about the journey, and not the destination. You will never be the Nomad that finds the right planet for humankind. Maybe it's someone else? Or maybe it's simply never found. You'll be dead before you can know the answer anyway.

That's the reason there's a content warning about futility in the game. You can't win, because this isn't about winning. It's about how much hope you can drain to push yourself beyond your physical and mental limits. How long are you willing to fight for the idea of a new world for our species, even though your efforts might mean nothing when compared to the immense vastness of space.

I totally get that this isn't for everybody. You can definitely hack the game to your liking and add a new mechanic that lets you find the right planet at some point, either using tracks or luck rolls, but that wasn't the original intention behind the game.

Hope that clarifies a bit the idea behind all this!

Nomadic Actual Play

If you want to see Nomadic in action, be sure to tune in to Squidsy twitch channel as she plays a session of Nomadic live for everyone. You will also get a chance to win a free copy of the game if you interact in the chat!

See y'all in the chat this Sunday ^^

twitch.tv/corrosivesquid

Hey y'all, remember that giveaway for #Nomadic I did? No one won so I'm doing it again!

See Lyra discover a whole new planet Sunday at 11am cst and win a copy of @RPDeshaies #breathless #ttrpg Nomadic! You must be active in chat to qualify, even if you just say hello 🧡
— Squidsy (@corrosivesquid) <a href="<a href=" https:="" twitter.com="" corrosivesquid="" status="" 1544705838924939266?ref_src="twsrc%5Etfw"">July" class="redactor-linkify-object"></a>https://twitter.com/corrosivesquid/status/1544705838924939266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etf... 6, 2022

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Comments

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(+1)

Haven't read or played the game yet but I resonate with this concept. Not everything needs a winning mechanic or something. 

(+1)

Agreed, and I love it when we try to explore those other facets of the hobby.