Beyond the Wall: Pictland & The North

File:Beyond the Wall, Pictland & The North.jpg

Beyond the Wall is a supplement published by Chaosium in 1995 for the Arthurian fantasy role-playing game Pendragon.

Publication history

Beyond the Wall is a 128-page softcover book with an 11" x 15" map sheet that was designed by Chris Lampard, Roderick Robertson, Tom Rogan, Eric Rowe, and Dave Williams, with interior illustrations by Arnie Swekel, and cover art by Stephen King. The book describes Pictland, based on historical Iron Age Pictish society in northern Britain, for use in the role-playing game Pendragon.

Topics covered include

• Details of Pictish society, locales, dwellings, coming of age ceremonies, religion, and tattooing
• Campaign tips for referees
• Three short introductory adventures
• A full length adventure titled "The Treacherous Pict"

Reception

In the May 1996 edition of Dragon (Issue #229), Rick Swan was impressed by the book's setting, saying, "Beyond the Wall draws on one of the most volatile periods of European history, the rise of the savage Picts in northern Britain. With their militant outlook and barbaric traditions, the Picts make perfect foils for the courtly knights of Pendragon." However, Swan pointed out that the book presumes a working knowledge the Pictish era, and commented "if you slept through history class, you may find much of this baffling." He was also disappointed by the lack of detail of locations, saying the descriptions were too short and left too many unanswered questions. Swan liked the included adventure, saying it "not only brings the sourcebook material to life, but stands as one of the best Pendragon adventures." Swan concluded by giving the book an above-average rating of 5 out of 6, calling it "a solid example of history-based role-playing... If you want to learn the basics of setting design, you'd be hard-pressed to find better blueprints."