diff --git a/code/controllers/subsystem/persistence/engravings.dm b/code/controllers/subsystem/persistence/engravings.dm
index f47fc7fbba1..6808a101bb8 100644
--- a/code/controllers/subsystem/persistence/engravings.dm
+++ b/code/controllers/subsystem/persistence/engravings.dm
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
 
 	var/successfully_loaded_engravings = 0
 
-	for(var/iteration in 1 to rand(MIN_PERSISTENT_ENGRAVINGS, MAX_PERSISTENT_ENGRAVINGS))
+	for(var/iteration in 1 to min(rand(MIN_PERSISTENT_ENGRAVINGS, MAX_PERSISTENT_ENGRAVINGS), saved_engravings.len))
 		var/engraving = pick_n_take(saved_engravings)
 		if(!islist(engraving))
 			stack_trace("something's wrong with the engraving data! one of the saved engravings wasn't a list!")