What is a West Marches Campaign?

The Core Elements

A West Marches campaign is usually defined by a few key elements, as discussed in an RPG Stack Exchange thread:

• Variable player groups

  There isn't a fixed group of players. Instead, each session draws from a larger pool.

• Self-contained sessions

  Every session stands on its own, with a complete story or adventure each time.

• Community-driven

  Players and GMs participate in creating the world

Beyond the Basics

These basics lead to some practical features that help organize and run West Marches campaigns:

• Multiple GMs

  One or more Game Masters can run different adventures, all set in the same ongoing world.

• Shared home base

  Every adventure begins and ends at a shared hub, similar to an adventurers' league.

• Persistent world

  What happens in one session can change the world for future adventures.

• Flexible character participation

  Players are free to use different characters in different adventures.

• Focus on exploration

  Exploration is usually a main focus.

How West Marches Campaigns Work Online

Ben Robbins came up with the West Marches style, and it's really taken off in online gaming. At first, it described a specific kind of sandbox game, but now it covers any group where players choose which adventures to join and which characters to bring along. It's also known as "open table" gaming. This setup works especially well for Discord servers and online groups, since it lets people play around their own schedules and time zones, all in the same world.

Most are run online, using Discord for chat and scheduling with virtual tabletops like Roll20 or Foundry VTT. The marches represent dangerous frontier territories beyond a civilized starting point. It is like an adventurers’ guild where heroes gather before venturing into the unknown.

The Organizational Challenge

Running a West Marches campaign with several GMs and many players can be tough to organize. Most groups use a mix of tools, which can quickly get overwhelming:

• Discord chaos

  When sessions are announced in chat, they often get lost, and players might miss out.

• Google Sheets overload

  There are often several spreadsheets to track characters, adventures, experience, and loot.

• Character management

  It can be hard to keep track of many characters across different GMs and adventures.

• Session coordination

  Managing signups, player limits, and level requirements

• World consistency

  Ensuring all GMs stay up to date on changes in the world is important.

• Reward distribution

  Experience points and loot often have to be tracked and handed out by hand.