Between Earth and Sky RPG: What Monte Cook Games Has Announced

A Black Sun trilogy RPG is on the way

Monte Cook Games’ September 28, 2026 announcement introduces Between Earth and Sky: The Roleplaying Game, based on Rebecca Roanhorse’s novels Black Sun, Fevered Star and Mirrored Heavens. The announcement positions the project as a tabletop adaptation of the books’ world, rather than a new novel or an update to an existing game. It describes the project’s broad premise, but does not set out rules, a finished product format or a publication timetable.

The setting is the Meridian, a world inspired by civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas. The publisher’s description foregrounds political intrigue, prophecy, dangerous gods and forbidden magic. It also points to distinctive possibilities such as dreamwalking, sea-singing and communicating with crows. These are features named in the announcement’s setting description, not a complete list of player abilities or confirmed game mechanics.

The Meridian’s central conflict

The announcement frames the story around the aftermath of the War of the Spear. In its account, the Treaty of Hokaia brought three centuries of peace, with magic outlawed and worship of the gods forbidden. The Watchers were established to guard against those forces returning. This history helps explain the project’s tension between public order and supernatural power, but the source does not describe the rules the game will use to portray that conflict.

That order is now under strain: the publisher says the gods and forbidden magic threaten the Meridian again. The premise sets up a conflict between obedience and personal choice, as characters face expectations shaped by prophecy, their communities and powerful political or divine forces. The announcement gives a narrative pitch, not a detailed account of mechanics, character creation, campaign structure or the balance between player choice and predetermined prophecy.

Who is designing it?

Monte Cook Games says the design team will include its senior designer Shanna Germain and game designer Kenna Alexander of Coyote & Crow Games, alongside Columbian and Indigenous American artists. Rebecca Roanhorse is the author whose trilogy provides the source material. The notice identifies these contributors but does not offer a full staff roster or explain individual responsibilities.

That is useful context for readers weighing the project’s creative lineage, but it should not be mistaken for a complete credits list or a description of how design decisions are divided. The announcement does not specify the game system, production schedule, planned page count or finished contents. Prospective players can use the named creative team as early context while reserving judgment about the final product until more details appear.

What interested players should check next

This announcement does not describe an expansion, rules revision or compatibility update for an already-published Between Earth and Sky game. It presents the roleplaying game as a project moving toward crowdfunding. The publisher’s page invites readers to sign up for a campaign notification, but the supplied announcement does not state when the campaign will launch or confirm whether it has since begun.

For now, existing owners of Monte Cook Games titles should not assume this project uses a particular rules system or works with their current books: the announcement does not specify either point. Nor does it provide a publication date, final product format or complete contents. These are unanswered questions in the source, not evidence that the game will or will not use any particular system.

A practical reader checklist is to wait for the campaign page or a later official notice, then look for the rules system, what the pledge includes, delivery estimates and the role of the source novels. That is decision advice, not a claim about forthcoming product details. Until those points are documented, treat the announcement as an early introduction to the setting and creative team rather than a buying decision point.