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.

At a glance:

• Collaborative map drawing game.
• 3 to 6 players (solo and duo modes also included.)
• Played over rounds, with each player taking turns to lead each round.
• Invent a community, and watch it face challenges over the passing years.
• Create a series of maps that stack atop one another. Hold them up to a window at the end of play to see redrawn lines shine through onto the present.
• Requires 2D6, pens, 10 to 20 sheets of paper, 1 to 2 hours to play.

Its touchstones include Avery Alder’s The Quiet Year, Everest Pipkin’s zine-game The Ground Itself and Iman Tajik’s project Bordered Miles.

What's Inside?

• Fold out Map PDF. A full 1000mm x 890mm layout of the rules, map and resources. Exported at 144DPI - perfect for digital perusal.
• Map JPG. A 144DPI cropped image of the map and resources, for easily slotting into VTTs.
• Booklet Edition PDF. The rules from the fold out map, laid out as a traditional A5 booklet. Includes accessibility tags for screen readers and bookmarks. Exported at 300DPI, and paginated for at home printing.
• Bonus Printed Zine: 'On Common Riding'.  24 page risograph printed booklet. An essay on the history behind the tradition of Common Ridings in the Scottish Borders. Explores the tradition's roots, how it has changed over the centuries, and its modern form of social pageantry.