Beyond the Wall: Pictland & The North

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 of 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."^[3]

In Issue 26 of Australian Realms, Paul Mittig found the book had pros and cons. On the plus side "I enjoyed both the source and adventure material. This book also gives a pretty good insight into the minds and culture of the early Pictish people." However, "On the other side of the coin, the supplement doesn't really detail the actual lands and places much. Most places get a single paragraph or two, meaning the referee will have to do a bit of prep work." Mittig also would have preferred the map to be printed in color rather than black & white. Mittig concluded, "For those wanting to take their Pendragon characters beyond Hadnan’s wall, this is a very worthwhile investment."^[2]

At the 1995 Origins Awards, Beyond the Wall was a finalist in the category "Best Role-playing Rules."^[4][5]