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 regionSet up a wilderness area outside civilization. Break it into three to five subregions, each with its own theme, dangers, and unique geography.
Adventure sitesPlan 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 webMake sure each location leads to at least three others using rumors, letters, or objects. This keeps exploration moving forward.
FactionsCreate three separate groups, each with their own goals that can change as the game goes on.
Home baseHave 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
Begin every session in town, with the group stating what they want to do.
Have the group travel through the wilderness, making choices about routes, distances, and risks.
Let players explore each site and choose whether to go further or head back.
Try to finish each session back in town whenever you can.
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
Here's what the platform gives you:
Adventure Scheduling & HistorySet up sessions with dates, player limits, and level requirements. The platform keeps a full adventure history with summaries and who joined each session.
Character ManagementPlayers can manage several characters, with XP tracked automatically and detailed reward logs for each one.
World WikiBuild your world together using pages, categories, and links. You can also make DM-only sections for guides and secrets.
Interactive Hex MapsUse the built-in hexcrawl tool to make maps that players can explore and refer to during the game.
MarketplaceItem trading and shopping with purchases automatically added to character reward logs.
Community SettingsSet 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
Start small and share information often. The campaign gets better once players start driving the action themselves - picking where to go, following up on rumors, and arguing about what to explore next.
Running it with Daggerheart
Pairing your West Marches with Daggerheart? A few system-specific choices are worth getting right early: how fast characters climb the level ladder, which tiers can join which expeditions, and whether to turn coins back on for the marketplace. The companion guide on running a Daggerheart West Marches campaign walks through a suggested level-to-session ladder and how to handle XP and gold.
Running it with Shadowdark
Playing Shadowdark instead? Its deadly, treasure-driven dungeon-crawling suits West Marches well. The companion guide on running a Shadowdark West Marches campaign covers treasure-based XP, gold, and the marketplace.
Running it with Pathfinder 2e
On Pathfinder 2e? Its tight, level-based math takes a little adapting for an open table. The companion guide on running a Pathfinder 2e West Marches campaign covers converting its XP to the platform ladder, keeping parties in a level band, and gold.