West Marches.games

Running West Marches

You can run a West Marches campaign in many ways, and there's no single right answer. If you're not sure where to begin, these practical tips will help you get started.

World and Content Setup

  • Frontier region

    Set up a wilderness area outside civilization. Break it into three to five subregions, each with its own theme, dangers, and unique geography.

  • Adventure sites

    Plan for about eight to twelve short dungeons with five rooms each, two or three medium locations, and maybe one large dungeon that links different areas. Use the World Wiki to keep track of locations, rumors, and lore.

  • Clue web

    Make sure each location leads to at least three others using rumors, letters, or objects. This keeps exploration moving forward.

  • Factions

    Create three separate groups, each with their own goals that can change as the game goes on.

  • Home base

    Have one safe town where players can rest, trade, and plan. Keep it straightforward and avoid preset storylines.

  • Hex crawl (optional)

    Set up the map using three-mile hexes. The GM keeps a detailed map, while players explore and fill in their own blank map. WestMarches.games has a built-in hexcrawl map tool for making interactive hex maps.

Scheduling and Communication

  • Set up a shared calendar for scheduling sessions, and make sure everyone knows the sign-up rules.

  • Keep an adventure log where players can write short summaries of each session.

  • Set up clear ways for everyone to communicate about planning, sharing rumors, and chatting outside the game.

  • Decide on booking rules, like who can schedule sessions, how much notice is needed, and how big each group can be.

Session Flow

  1. Begin every session in town, with the group stating what they want to do.

  2. Have the group travel through the wilderness, making choices about routes, distances, and risks.

  3. Let players explore each site and choose whether to go further or head back.

  4. Try to finish each session back in town whenever you can.

  5. After the session, players should post a log and update the map.

Progression and Rewards

  • Use XP instead of milestones. This makes progress clear, measurable, and consistent across different groups. WestMarches.games tracks XP and levels for all characters automatically.

  • Give XP for defeating monsters, finding treasure, and making important discoveries. After each session, GMs use the platform to hand out XP and rewards, and character sheets update automatically.

  • Make sure loot and challenge levels are balanced so all DMs give out rewards at about the same pace.

  • Offer rewards beyond items, such as boons, titles, or training, to give players more reasons to get involved.

  • Be clear about the risk and reward: the more dangerous the challenge, the better the treasure.

Managing Multiple DMs

  • Share a DM guide that covers encounter math, loot tables for each level, downtime rules, and how resurrection works.

  • Maintain a world ledger to track dates, places visited, faction progress, and active quests. WestMarches.games keeps an automatic adventure history with details on what happened, when, and who was involved.

  • When something changes, like a site being cleared or a faction defeated, record it right away. Update the World Wiki and use the settings to keep character progression rules the same for all DMs.

Travel, Time, and Risk

  • Make sure distances and time matter. Use simple travel and weather rules so that player choices have real consequences.

  • Encourage real danger in the game. Make threats clear, and always let retreat be a real choice.

  • Let players have more than one character, so if one dies or is far away, the game can keep going.

Social Dynamics

Watch out for common issues like player cliques, inactive members, unfair loot, or trouble booking sessions.

Solutions:

  • Take turns giving everyone a chance to go first.

  • Host mixer sessions where groups are chosen at random.

  • Make sure loot is handled openly and by the same rules for everyone.

  • Encourage new DMs by giving them ready-to-run one-shot sites.

  • Share clear rules for conduct and safety with everyone.

GM Prep Workflow

  • Make a one-page summary for each site, including its purpose, map, clues, loot, and how it restocks.

  • Create rumor tables for each region to help build the clue web.

  • Keep track of faction progress on a calendar everyone can see.

  • Make session prep simple and easy to reuse.

Player Responsibilities

  • Suggest and help organize sessions.

  • Keep your character sheets up to date and easy to use anywhere.

  • Write short reports after each session and update the shared map.

  • Try to finish sessions in town when you can, to keep the story flowing smoothly.

Using WestMarches.games

WestMarches.games offers tools made just for running West Marches campaigns:

  • Adventure Scheduling & History

    Set up sessions with dates, player limits, and level requirements. The platform keeps a full adventure history with summaries and who joined each session.

  • Character Management

    Players can manage several characters, with XP tracked automatically and detailed reward logs for each one.

  • World Wiki

    Build your world together using pages, categories, and links. You can also make DM-only sections for guides and secrets.

  • Interactive Hex Maps

    Use the built-in hexcrawl tool to make maps that players can explore and refer to during the game.

  • Marketplace

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

  • Community Settings

    Set up roles, permissions, progression rules, and custom character or adventure details to keep things consistent for all DMs.

WestMarches.games connects with Discord for authentication and setting up your community. Discord is your social hub, while WestMarches.games takes care of organizing, scheduling, and tracking. For online play, 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

Begin with a simple setup, share information often, and let your players take the lead. When they feel ownership of the map, rumors, and goals, your West Marches world will feel much more alive.

Video by Mystic Arts (No affiliation)