A system-agnostic setting guide to Scotland’s Pictish peoples, for players, historians and enthusiasts of all ages!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
USA Fulfilment Underway
27 days ago
– Wed, Mar 11, 2026 at 09:58:54 AM
Hi folks!
Update on USA Fulfilment
Good news for everyone in the USA — distribution of backer rewards has begun over at Indie Press Revolution.
If you have rewards going out to a USA address, you should have already or should soon receive an email with tracking details from [email protected]. As with all big fulfilment jobs, packages are being processed and picked up in batches, so some backers may get their books a little sooner than others. Most importantly, rewards are actively being sent out to the USA now.
Pallets being unpacked over at Indie Press Revolution
Thanks for your patience these last few months. These delays were out of my control, and equally frustrating for me as well. The shipping company my printer contracted faced import paperwork difficulties at the end of last year, which stalled sending out the consignment of books. While the books arrived in the USA in late January, it took until early February for the them to be unpacked from their cargo containers. The overland transport company briefly lost by the consignment, delivering the books to IPR by late February. Once the books had arrived, they needed to be processed alongside IPR's other many responsibilities; after all, these books were supposed to be handled in November 2025, not March 2026.
Digital Fulfilment
All backers have had access to the digital copies of Carved in Stone since October 2025. If you're having trouble locating your files, drop me an email or a message on Kickstarter and we can troubleshoot.
Other Business
Back in December 2025, Heather and I gave a talk about the process of working on Carved in Stone for the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. That talk is now available on YouTube:
Otherwise, there are no further updates to share for Carved in Stone at the moment. Conversations are taking place between myself, the Society, and other organisations and charities, but all of this takes time. However, outside of book sales, myself and Heather are still not paid to work on Carved in Stone, so we're having to prioritise other work right now.
I'm currently drafting a retrospective of this project as part of wrapping up this Kickstarter, which should hopefully address any remaining questions. I'm balancing this around freelance work at the moment, so progress is being made in pockets of free time.
If you have any questions regarding the book, feel free to drop me an email! As a heads up, I may take a few days to respond.
That's all for now, - Brian
New Year Updates
3 months ago
– Thu, Jan 15, 2026 at 04:05:54 AM
Happy New Year!
I'm back with a few small updates to share. For the most part Heather and I are still on break until March, as we need rest after such an extended period of work. However, I will be noodling away at getting any remaining rewards out, and offering support for backers facing issues.
USA Fulfilment
I've received confirmation that the USA consignment of Carved in Stone has arrived in San Francisco, and will soon be en-route to Indie Press Revolution. I will be sending an updated fulfilment spreadsheet to IPR at the start of next week.
If you're in the USA and need to update your address, you have until Monday 9AM GMT to let me know! Send a message on Kickstarter or an email to [email protected] .
Late Surveys
A few backer surveys were submitted mid-to-late December last year. I'm now getting around to resolving these, aiming to coincide with the USA fulfilment details I'll be collating on Monday.
If you have unpaid charges (i.e. shipping fees, add-ons), I will be trying to resolve those over the next couple days. If you've already paid your outstanding charges and are waiting for your rewards, then there's nothing for you to worry about.
Incomplete Surveys
There are ~90 incomplete backer surveys; of those ~60 are meant to be receiving books and/or other physical rewards. If you're thinking "what's a survey, and did I fill mine in?", then you should probably check your pledge on Backerkit. Enter your Kickstarter account email, and it should find your pledge. If you're having issues, drop me an email!
As stated in previous updates, because the budget of this project has been significantly overspent, I won't be able to offer refunds to backers who don't claim their rewards. However, I will do my best to make books available when possible to backers returning to this project in the future.
Print runs, Typos, and Corrections
We have fulfilled and sold a majority of the books from the 1st print run, which is a huge achievement! While there will be healthy amount of stock available from the USA and the UK, I suspect a 2nd printing will be needed later this year.
In preparation for that, I've put together a wee form for reporting typos in the book. If you think you've seen something amiss, let us know, and we can fix it.
Other Goals
As mentioned in my last update, as a team we'll be discussing the logistics of goals from the original Kickstarter. We need to make sure we do this sustainably, so we won't have answers for a while yet. However, I want you to know we are thinking about them!
That's all for this update -- Brian
Fulfilment update, Wrapping up 2025, and Looking to the future
4 months ago
– Fri, Dec 05, 2025 at 05:20:55 AM
Hi everyone,
I have a big update covering all sorts of fun details to help bring some loose threads together before the end of 2025. This does include information about USA delays.
All Things Fulfilment
UK, EU and International (excl. USA) Fulfilment
After generating hundreds of labels, completing tax documents to dozens of countries, and packaging and hauling about 1,200kg of paper and cardboard up and then back down three flights of stairs, I can gladly declare that UK, EU and International (excl. USA) fulfilment is now complete. Depending on your geographic location you should either already have your rewards, or hopefully be receiving them very shortly.
Please keep in mind that Royal Mail recommends UK orders need to be placed before December 15th for the best chance of them arriving in time for Christmas.
Royal Mail's recommended deadline for international delivery in time for before Christmas has passed; if you're shipping internationally I'll still fulfil your order, but the timing of its arrival is out of my hands!
Resolving Fulfilment Issues
Having packed these orders on my own back-to-back in between two conventions, I haven't actually had a day of downtime since the start of November. Though I've done my best to be diligent, I'm only human and it's possible I may have made an error.
If you think something has gone wrong with the fulfilment of your rewards, please email me ([email protected]) and I'll do my best to investigate as soon as possible.
Digital PDFs
Everyone should now have access to the digital version of Carved in Stone. If you're having issues, please email me ([email protected]).
Currently there is a PDF available (v1.2). EPUB, text only, and accessibility tagged files will be worked on over the next few months, and provided as a free update.
USA Fulfilment Delays
I have been working with the company Books Line for the printing and international consignment of Carved in Stone. Unfortunately, they have informed me that the bureaucracy surrounding import and tariffs has caused the USA consignment of books to be delayed. They've only recently left Poland, but shipping this late in the year means they are likely to arrive in early January 2026.
I can confirm that Indie Press Revolution are eager and ready to receive these books, and have already received all the extra goodies, like postcards, pin badges, and extra game titles. IPR have been a delight to work with, as always, and this delay is not their fault. However, this does mean that USA backers won't receive their books in time for Christmas, and regular USA orders won't open until the new year. This situation has been entirely outside of my control, and I can only thank everyone for joining me in demonstrating patience through this baffling and frustrating situation.
Late and Unanswered Surveys
There are a few surveys that came in past the deadline, and which have not yet been fulfilled. There are also about 100 backers (mostly digital) who've not yet technically filled in their surveys. Everyone, regardless of survey status, has been provided with an itch.io key and also been emailed a PDF through BackerKit.
I will begin processing late surveys after a short rest break. I will be charging cards and locking addresses without a delay, so that I can get them out quickly.
As the budget of this campaign is fully spent, I don't have the ability to refund pledges that go unclaimed. However, I will do my best to provide a copy of the book to backers who do answer their surveys later in the future, so long as I have stock remaining.
Other Business
Press, Reviews and an Upcoming Event
We publicly debuted the book on the 12th of November 2025, with press releases being picked up by the BBC, The Herald, front page attention from The Scotsman, and more stories with other reputable news sources. We've also had a tide of truly warming praise come in from game designers, scholars, archaeologists, teachers, and regular readers from around the world. Heather and I had a delightful interview with Rascal News, and we have a couple podcast appearances scheduled in the near future, too.
You may have seen some very enthusiastic responses from right-wing media and influencers, but we're happy to say the team has weathered these targeted attacks, in part thanks to everyone who has stood up for and shared praise about the book. The team has gathered a folder of positive news, now overflowing with many comments, reviews, and posts. It really means the world that those who have read the book so dearly enjoyed it. Please don't hesitate to share more positive reviews of the book on the store page and the itch.io page, we read all of them and it supports the future of the project too!
If you want to go behind the scenes and hear Heather and I discuss the creation of Carved in Stone, online tickets are still available for the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland’s free panel discussion on 11 December.
Looking forward to the new year
With our core mission to write, publish and ship this book out now met (for the most part — sorry, USA!), Heather and I will be taking a desperately needed break through December 2025 to February 2026. Heather and I have been working on Carved in Stone non-stop, through weekends, and while enduring adversarial conditions for the better part of a year and half. We're both queer and disabled, and the UK has not been a kind place for either demographic in recent years. Once we've had some time to catch our breath, Heather and I will be discussing with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland the practicality and feasibility of delivering other aspirations from the original Kickstarter campaign. This will include workshops offered for Trove Rewards, community box copies of the book, and the Pictish papercrafts.
Though discussed across different updates, it's a good time to restate that the Celebration of Blades adventure path stretch goal had to be scaled back in order to be able to finish Carved in Stone. All content developed for the adventure path (i.e. the locations, NPCs, and side quests) has been woven into the core book, but without its overarching narrative. Though mentioned more speculatively before, it's time to firmly say we've pursued this stretch goal as far as we can, and will no longer be able to work on it.
As confirmed earlier this year, we're still committed to releasing Carved in Stone under a Creative Commons license, and we're aiming for a date in Q4 2026. Early plans are in the works to make this launch very special. More news on this in the new year.
As discussed in Update #17, published July 2023, the original Kickstarter had a budget suitable for a tight 1-year project, assuming we received a further £30,000 in match funding. We didn't receive that match funding, and what was raised through the Kickstarter has been stretched out over 4+ years, and battered by higher printing costs, international tariffs, and a spiralling rate of inflation. Despite all that, we have created a genre- and sector-defining publication that we're incredibly proud of! While we hope to do much more work in Pictland yet, we have long since passed the point where we needed to pause, rest and recharge before continuing. For now, we have delivered a book that we are excited and proud to share with you all — we would like to hold onto that win for a little while yet.
A heartfelt thank you
We cannot understate how grateful we are for your patience over the years. You all have demonstrated phenomenal levels of faith in this project, and without your support it would not have come to be printed on paper. Heather and I would like to shower praise on our team of 20 artists, all who worked so reverently and excitedly with the research we could provide for them. And on that note, Carved in Stone could not exist without the huge body of Pictish and early medieval research it relied on, conducted and assembled by archaeologists, researchers, artists, trades experts, and many other people. Speaking for myself, this project has defined the latter half of my 20s, and forever changed the path of my life. As a team, it is our honour to offer it to you now.
We look forward to returning in the new year!
– Brian
Fulfilment Update: It's happening!
5 months ago
– Sat, Nov 22, 2025 at 02:16:29 AM
Hey everyone,
Short and sharp today! Over this last week I've started sending out backers' rewards.
UK Fulfilment is about 50% done. I've sent out close to 150 orders have another 150 packed, and a further 100 to process over the weekend. The next mail collection will be Monday afternoon, so you should be able to expect your rewards Tuesday/Wednesday this coming week. Some UK folks should already have their books - I hope you enjoy them!
EU & International Fulfilment will happen after that; there's more paperwork behind it, but I should be able to pack and send orders out by Wednesday next week. That'll allow for (fingers crossed) a mid-December delivery.
Stock as yet to arrive in the USA, and everything in that process is out of my hands. I'll add a note to this update when Carved in Stone does arrive on the other side of the big pond.
Cheers!
Brian
Fulfilment begins next week
5 months ago
– Tue, Nov 11, 2025 at 08:27:20 AM
Hey Everyone!
Exciting news - the main delivery of books arrived over the weekend, and I'll be able to start UK, EU and International fulfilment next week! USA fulfilment will begin a little later, as the books are still in-transit.
Book Debut
The book will officially be visible to the public tomorrow, on November 12th! The PDF will be available for purchase via itch.io, and people can order the book on my website. All orders I get will get queued up behind fulfilment — it's my priority to get your Kickstarter rewards out first!
Thought Bubble & In-Person pick up
I'll be at Thought Bubble this weekend, in Harrogate, Leeds. I will have copies of Carved in Stone with me for sale, but none of the Kickstarter-only rewards (like the postcards, pin badges, or Troves).
If you're only receiving copies Carved in Stone and you're attending Thought Bubble, please drop by the table and I can give you your books in person!
If you're receiving extra goodies with your book, please still do say hi! However it's easiest logistically if I mail you your rewards next week.
Digital Files
At the start of September with Update #35 I sent out digital download keys for Carved in Stone on itch.io. I've noticed only about a ⅓ of those keys have been claimed! I'm not the best myself at keeping on top of digital PDFs, so I understand it may just be that most of you are keen for the physical book.
Just in case any one has had issues accessing itch.io or worries they've lost their key, I'll also be distributing the PDF via BackerKit as well. You should receive an email with a download link later today.
