Running West Marches

There are many ways to run a West Marches campaign and there are no rights or wrongs, but if you have no idea where to start, here are some practical tips to get you going.

World and Content Setup

• Frontier region

  Create a wild area beyond civilization. Divide it into 3–5 subregions with clear themes, dangers, and unique geography.

• Adventure sites

  Prepare around 8–12 short (five-room) dungeons, 2–3 medium-sized locations, and possibly one megadungeon connecting multiple areas. Use the World Wiki to document locations, rumors, and lore.

• Clue web

  Every location should point to at least three others through rumors, letters, or objects to keep exploration flowing.

• Factions

  Design three unrelated groups with independent goals that evolve over time.

• Home base

  A single safe town used for rest, trading, and planning. Keep it simple and free of scripted storylines.

• Hex crawl (optional)

  Use 3-mile hexes. The GM(s) keeps a keyed map; players explore a blank one they fill in themselves. WestMarches.games provides a built-in hexcrawl map tool for creating interactive hex-based maps.

Scheduling and Communication

• Use a central calendar for scheduling sessions with clear sign-up rules.

• Maintain an adventure log where players write session summaries.

• Establish clear communication channels for planning, rumors, and out-of-game discussion.

• Set booking guidelines: who can schedule, minimum notice time, and group size limits.

Session Flow

1. Start each session in town with the group's declared objective.

2. Travel through the wilderness using meaningful distances, routes, and risks.

3. Explore the site and decide when to push deeper or retreat.

4. Return to town by session end whenever possible.

5. Players post the session log and update the map.

Progression and Rewards

• Use XP, not milestones. It makes progress clearer, measurable, and consistent between multiple tables. WestMarches.games automatically tracks XP and levels for all characters.

• Award XP for monsters defeated, treasure recovered, and meaningful discoveries. After each session, GMs distribute XP and rewards through the platform, which automatically updates character sheets.

• Calibrate loot and challenge level so all DMs reward at roughly the same rate.

• Include non-item rewards like boons, titles, or training to broaden incentives.

• Keep the risk-to-reward ratio explicit: higher danger equals better treasure.

Managing Multiple DMs

• Share a DM guide with encounter math, loot tables per level, downtime rules, and resurrection policies.

• Keep a world ledger tracking dates, visited sites, faction progress, and active quests. WestMarches.games automatically maintains an adventure history showing what happened, when, and who participated.

• When something changes—site cleared, faction defeated—record it immediately. Update World Wiki pages and use the settings to configure character progression rules consistently across all DMs.

Travel, Time, and Risk

• Distances and clocks should matter. Use simple travel and weather rules so choices have cost.

• Encourage meaningful danger. Telegraph threats clearly and make retreat a real option.

• Encourage multiple characters per player so death or distance does not stall play.

Social Dynamics

Common problems: player cliques, inactive members, uneven loot, or booking paralysis.

Solutions:

• Rotate priority so everyone gets turns.

• Run mixer sessions with random groups.

• Keep loot transparent and standardized.

• Promote new DMs with prepared one-shot sites.

• Publish conduct and safety guidelines.

GM Prep Workflow

• One-page summaries for each site: purpose, map, clues, loot, restock rules.

• Rumor tables for each region that feed the clue web.

• Track faction progress on a visible calendar.

• Keep session prep light and reusable.

Player Responsibilities

• Propose and organize sessions.

• Keep character sheets updated and portable.

• Write brief session reports and update the shared map.

• End sessions in town when possible to keep continuity.

Using WestMarches.games

WestMarches.games provides purpose-built tools for West Marches campaigns:

• Adventure Scheduling & History

  Create sessions with dates, player limits, and level requirements. Complete adventure history with summaries and participants.

• Character Management

  Players manage multiple characters with automatic XP tracking and detailed reward logs.

• World Wiki

  Collaborative worldbuilding with pages, categories, and linking. Create DM-only sections for guides and secrets.

• Interactive Hex Maps

  Built-in hexcrawl tool for creating explorable maps that players can view and reference.

• Marketplace

  Item trading and shopping with purchases automatically added to character reward logs.

• Community Settings

  Configure roles, permissions, progression rules, and custom character/adventure properties for consistency across DMs.

WestMarches.games integrates with Discord for authentication and community setup. WestMarches.games integrates with Discord for authentication and community setup. Discord serves as the social hub for your community, while WestMarches.games handles the organization, scheduling, and tracking. For virtual tabletop gameplay during sessions, most groups use Roll20 or Foundry VTT.

Quick Start Checklist

• Frontier with 3–5 subregions
• Three active factions
• GM hex map and blank player map
• 8–12 small sites, 2–3 medium sites
• Rumor and clue web
• Simple town hub
• Shared comms with booking rules
• XP and loot standards
• DM guide and shared ledger
• Safety and culture rules

Start small, keep information moving, and let your players drive the action. The more they feel ownership of the map, rumors, and goals, the more alive your West Marches world will become.

Video by Mystic Arts (No affiliation)