Description
This is a game about boundaries, how we mark them and who we include or exclude from them. While inspired by the Common Ridings festivals in the Scottish Borders, this game can be about any community, and take place at any time, in any setting.
Border Riding explores how arbitrary borders can create real long-lasting divisions between communities, and how petty village rivalries can turn into full blown conflicts. By following these communities and their border rituals over time, you will also explore how, in seeking safety from perceived threats, communities can vilify and warmly welcome those that fall outside of a drawn border.
Border Riding is a GM-less, collaborative storytelling-and-map-making game… completely contained in a giant, full-color, fully-illustrated, fold-out map! Carve out some time, gather your most curious, historically-minded crew, and imagine a community. Map their land. Take turns drawing the geography that comprises their space, then define your community’s priorities, traditions, and beliefs. As you follow your community through time, you’ll ponder themes of xenophobia, ownership, ritual, and boundaries both physical and psychological.
Naturally, people and land change, so every cycle, a new map is drawn on a fresh sheet of paper above the original map. When the game has concluded, the group may hold the layers up to the light of a window to see the real ways borders ebb and flow.
- Requires 2 d6 dice, pens, and 10-20 sheets of paper
- For 3-6 players – solo and duet modes included
- Playable in any setting (fantasy, sci-fi, historical, etc)
- Game rules, art, and resources printed on a full-color fold-out 1000mm x 890mm map, also includes On Common Riding, a historical essay about the Scottish tradition’s roots
