Pre-orders open for Carved in Stone
This November, walk into ancient Scotland as if you were a Pict with one of the most thoroughly researched medieval setting guides ever produced.
The year is 690 CE, but for you, it is the first good spring in memory.
Five years ago, King Bridei III and his war-band of Hounds killed King Ecgfrith in a cunning ambush. Once and for all, they pushed our Northumbrian oppressors south, across the hills and firths and beyond the horizon where they belong.
Ours will be the first generation to come of age out from under the boot of southern royals and their exploitations. And yet, our home of Pictland is far from peaceful:
Ghosts lurk behind the melted walls of our vitrified hill forts.
Beasts prowl the wild twisting temperate rainforests.
Dál Riatan raiders cross into our lands from the marshes of the Bannawg.
Wild spirits reclaim abandoned spaces.
The darkness of harsh years still haunts our people, gnawing on us from within and without. As the storm abates, we have a chance to reflect on who we are and what we did in the name of survival. Now more than ever is the time to find our neighbours, to renew old oaths, and bring our communities together.
Now is the time for YOU to adventure forth into Pictland!
Carved in Stone is a comprehensive guide to early medieval Pictish society. Through its pages you will see, touch, taste, hear and smell your way through everything that modern scholars currently know of the Picts’ enigmatic culture.
It's part visual encyclopaedia, with over 350 historically informed illustrations spread out across clean, easy-to-navigate layouts.
It's part setting guide, immersing you into Pictish lore by framing it as if you, the reader, were a 7th Century Pict.
It's part adventure path, with settlements to explore, characters to meet, experiences to collect, and random encounters seeded naturally throughout.
With 21st Century foresight provided in pop-ups throughout the book, you’ll be able to craft your own Pictish legends, and understand this ancient society in revolutionary new ways.
This tome of lore was produced in partnership with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, with support from the University of Glasgow, and peer reviewed by experts across the Pictish academic sector. Carved in Stone represents a bold collaboration between archaeologists, historians, scholars, artists and game designers, all who have worked hard to create the tools you need to play with the past.
Carved in Stone is available for pre-order on BackerKit with a 20% discount for a limited time, with fulfilment slated to start this coming November.
Click the link below to see a preview of what’s to come!