A West Marches campaign is usually defined by a few key elements, as discussed in an RPG Stack Exchange thread:
There isn't a fixed group of players. Instead, each session draws from a larger pool.
Every session stands on its own, with a complete story or adventure each time.
Players and GMs participate in creating the world
These basics lead to some practical features that help organize and run West Marches campaigns:
One or more Game Masters can run different adventures, all set in the same ongoing world.
Every adventure begins and ends at a shared hub, similar to an adventurers' league.
What happens in one session can change the world for future adventures.
Players are free to use different characters in different adventures.
Exploration is usually a main focus.
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" are the dangerous frontier beyond a safe starting town. Players organize into groups at this home base before heading out, kind of like an adventurers' guild.
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:
When sessions are announced in chat, they often get lost, and players might miss out.
There are often several spreadsheets to track characters, adventures, experience, and loot.
It can be hard to keep track of many characters across different GMs and adventures.
Managing signups, player limits, and level requirements
Ensuring all GMs stay up to date on changes in the world is important.
Experience points and loot often have to be tracked and handed out by hand.
WestMarches.games is a free tool for West Marches communities that run on Discord. It replaces the usual pile of spreadsheets and bots with one place to manage everything:
Post sessions, set player limits and level requirements, and let players sign up. Everything gets posted to Discord automatically.
Manage characters, XP, gold, and rewards without a single spreadsheet.
A shared wiki for your world so every GM stays on the same page.
Log in with Discord, sync roles, and get automatic posts for new adventures and recaps.
Works with D&D, Pathfinder, Daggerheart, and any other TTRPG system. Free, no ads, no strings attached.