Westmarches
West Marches is a sandbox style of RPG campaign, created by Ben Robbins and popularized by Matt Colville, designed to facilitate player agency and reduce ‘mindless plot following’ by putting a large group of players (10+) in charge of where they go, what they do, and when they play.
In case you rather listen to, or watch an explanation, follow this link to a video by Matt Colville (you can stop the video at 23:00, as he starts talking about other stuff), otherwise scroll down at your own risk for the detailed breakdown by Ben Robbins himself (lifted from the original at arsludi.lamemage.com, and edited to fit our specific game)
The whole territory is (by necessity) very detailed. The landscape is broken up into a variety of regions (The Marrow, Mesaia, etc.) each with its own particular tone, ecology and hazards. There are dungeons, ruins, and caves all over the place, some big and many small. Some are known landmarks, some are rumored but their exact location is unknown and others are completely unknown and only discovered by exploring.
The environment is dangerous. Very dangerous. That’s intentional, because as the great MUD Nexus teaches us, danger unites. PCs have to work together or they are going to get creamed. They also have to think and pick their battles — since they can go anywhere, there is nothing stopping them from strolling into areas that will wipe them out. If they just strap on their swords and charge everything they see they are going to be rolling up new characters. Players learn to observe their environment and adapt — when they find owlbear tracks in the woods they give the area a wide berth (at least until they gain a few levels). When they stumble into the lair of a terrifying hydra they retreat and round up a huge posse to hunt it down.
The PCs are weak but central: they are small fish in a dangerous world that they have to explore with caution, but because they are the only adventurers they never play second fiddle. Overshadowed by looming peaks and foreboding forests yes. Overshadowed by other characters, no.
The West Marches charter is that games only happen when the players decide to do something — the players initiate all adventures and it’s their job to schedule games and organize an adventuring party once they decide where to go.
Players communicate via Discord, saying when they want to play and what they want to do. This could work like this: “I’d like to play Tuesday. I want to go back and look for that ruined monastery we heard out about past the Golden Hills. I know Mike wants to play, but we could use one or two more. Who’s interested?” Interested players chime in and negotiation ensues. Players may suggest alternate dates, different places to explore (“I’ve been to the monastery and it’s too dangerous. Let’s track down the witch in Pike Hollow instead!”), whatever — it’s a chaotic process, and the details sort themselves out accordingly. In theory this mirrors what’s going on in the tavern in the game world: adventurers are talking about their plans, finding comrades to join them, sharing info, etc.
The only hard scheduling rules are:
1) The GM has to be available that day (obviously) so this system only works if the GM is pretty flexible.
2) The players have to tell the GM where they plan on going well in advance, so he (meaning me) has at least a chance to prepare anything that’s missing. As the campaign goes on this becomes less and less of a problem, because so many areas are so fleshed out the PCs can go just about anywhere on the map and hit adventure. The GM can also veto a plan that sounds completely boring and not worth a game session.
All other decisions are up to the players — they fight it out among themselves, sometimes literally.
Players are strongly encouraged to chat about their adventures between games. Discord makes between-game communication very easy, something that would have been next to impossible years ago. This discussion theoretically mirrors chatter between characters take make it back safely to the town. Did you stumble into the barrow mounds and barely escape with your life? Warn other adventurers so they can steer clear. Did you slay wolves on the moors until the snow was red with blood? Brag about it so everyone else knows how tough you are.
What starts off as humble anecdotes may evolve into elaborate game summaries, stories written by the players recounting each adventure (or misadventure). Instead of just sharing information and documenting discoveries (“we found ancient standing stones north of the Golden Hills”), game summaries can turn into tributes to really great (or maybe tragic) game sessions, and potentially become a creative outlet in their own right. Some Players may enjoy writing them and others will likely enjoy reading them.
The other major way information that is shared is the world map. When the game first starts the PCs will discover an old leather map of the time before the Planeshift, that's displayed and openly accessible to everyone in the local inn. This map shows mostly geography since most signs of civilization have been lost to the ages and will have to be rediscovered.
Over time you will start adding bits, cleaning it up, and before long it will grow from some loose notes to a detailed map with information about that old castle, the sunken ruins and that cursed mere, etc. In other words, the map and therefore the world is alive, everchanging, as more and more adventurers set foor outside the town gates. As the campaign goes on you may gather around the map, quaff an ale, and plan adventures. In the real world it will be a scene in Foundry VTT with the world map, that anyone and everyone can write notes on.
Will your notes be accurate? Probably not, but having a common reference point, a shared sense of what you think the region looks like, will keep everyone feeling like you are playing in the same world.
Maps of dungeons, ruins, etc. are no longer only used once, because even if a party comes through and wipes out all the creatures the floor plan does not change. Come back a season later and who knows what will have taken up residence. Wipe out the entrenched kobolds and next spring the molds and fungi that were a minor hazard before have spread into whole colonies of mushroom warriors. Drive the pirates out of the Sunken Fort and its lonely halls become the hunting ground for the fishy devils from the sea — or maybe the whole place is just empty. These “evolving dungeons” were a key feature of the West Marches.
West Marches is dangerous by design. Danger encourages teamwork because you have to work together to survive. It also forces players to think: if they make bad decisions they get wiped out, or at least “chased into the swamp like little sissy girls”.
It’s an open secret that every GM fudges sometimes, or glosses over closely checking rolls and just hand waves things. It’s part of the art to do it well and gracefully. No such thing in West Marches: I will roll all dice in the open, not behind the screen or hidden by Foundry.
Does this lead to looming specter of sudden death? Yes, but having strong and fairly unyielding consequences combined with a consistent, logical environment means the players really can make intelligent decisions that determine their own fate — you really do hold your own lives in your hands.
At the end of the day...
...this will be a learning experience for both players and Gamemaster(s) and many Design Principles of the original Westmarches have already gone out the window before we played our first session, and others may follow and be replaced by what we deem more fun. But this should be a good starting point for all of us to set expectations and get us going. Cheers!
In case you rather listen to, or watch an explanation, follow this link to a video by Matt Colville (you can stop the video at 23:00, as he starts talking about other stuff), otherwise scroll down at your own risk for the detailed breakdown by Ben Robbins himself (lifted from the original at arsludi.lamemage.com, and edited to fit our specific game)
Setting: Go West Young Man
The game is set in Mindosza, a young land about to be discovered and claimed by adventurers (Mindosza being a Homebrew of what was originally the eponymous West Marches). There’s a fortified town that marks the farthest outpost of civilization, but beyond that is sketchy wilderness. All the PCs are would-be adventurers based in this town. Adventuring is not a common or safe profession, so the player characters are the only ones interested in risking their lives in the wilderness in hopes of making a fortune. Between sorties into the wilds PCs rest up, trade info and plan their next foray in the cheery taproom of the Local Inn.The whole territory is (by necessity) very detailed. The landscape is broken up into a variety of regions (The Marrow, Mesaia, etc.) each with its own particular tone, ecology and hazards. There are dungeons, ruins, and caves all over the place, some big and many small. Some are known landmarks, some are rumored but their exact location is unknown and others are completely unknown and only discovered by exploring.
The environment is dangerous. Very dangerous. That’s intentional, because as the great MUD Nexus teaches us, danger unites. PCs have to work together or they are going to get creamed. They also have to think and pick their battles — since they can go anywhere, there is nothing stopping them from strolling into areas that will wipe them out. If they just strap on their swords and charge everything they see they are going to be rolling up new characters. Players learn to observe their environment and adapt — when they find owlbear tracks in the woods they give the area a wide berth (at least until they gain a few levels). When they stumble into the lair of a terrifying hydra they retreat and round up a huge posse to hunt it down.
The PCs are weak but central: they are small fish in a dangerous world that they have to explore with caution, but because they are the only adventurers they never play second fiddle. Overshadowed by looming peaks and foreboding forests yes. Overshadowed by other characters, no.
Scheduling: Players Are In Control
The West Marches charter is that games only happen when the players decide to do something — the players initiate all adventures and it’s their job to schedule games and organize an adventuring party once they decide where to go.
Players communicate via Discord, saying when they want to play and what they want to do. This could work like this: “I’d like to play Tuesday. I want to go back and look for that ruined monastery we heard out about past the Golden Hills. I know Mike wants to play, but we could use one or two more. Who’s interested?” Interested players chime in and negotiation ensues. Players may suggest alternate dates, different places to explore (“I’ve been to the monastery and it’s too dangerous. Let’s track down the witch in Pike Hollow instead!”), whatever — it’s a chaotic process, and the details sort themselves out accordingly. In theory this mirrors what’s going on in the tavern in the game world: adventurers are talking about their plans, finding comrades to join them, sharing info, etc.
The only hard scheduling rules are:
1) The GM has to be available that day (obviously) so this system only works if the GM is pretty flexible.
2) The players have to tell the GM where they plan on going well in advance, so he (meaning me) has at least a chance to prepare anything that’s missing. As the campaign goes on this becomes less and less of a problem, because so many areas are so fleshed out the PCs can go just about anywhere on the map and hit adventure. The GM can also veto a plan that sounds completely boring and not worth a game session.
All other decisions are up to the players — they fight it out among themselves, sometimes literally.
Shared Experience: Game Summaries
Players are strongly encouraged to chat about their adventures between games. Discord makes between-game communication very easy, something that would have been next to impossible years ago. This discussion theoretically mirrors chatter between characters take make it back safely to the town. Did you stumble into the barrow mounds and barely escape with your life? Warn other adventurers so they can steer clear. Did you slay wolves on the moors until the snow was red with blood? Brag about it so everyone else knows how tough you are.
What starts off as humble anecdotes may evolve into elaborate game summaries, stories written by the players recounting each adventure (or misadventure). Instead of just sharing information and documenting discoveries (“we found ancient standing stones north of the Golden Hills”), game summaries can turn into tributes to really great (or maybe tragic) game sessions, and potentially become a creative outlet in their own right. Some Players may enjoy writing them and others will likely enjoy reading them.
Shared World: the Table Map
The other major way information that is shared is the world map. When the game first starts the PCs will discover an old leather map of the time before the Planeshift, that's displayed and openly accessible to everyone in the local inn. This map shows mostly geography since most signs of civilization have been lost to the ages and will have to be rediscovered.
Over time you will start adding bits, cleaning it up, and before long it will grow from some loose notes to a detailed map with information about that old castle, the sunken ruins and that cursed mere, etc. In other words, the map and therefore the world is alive, everchanging, as more and more adventurers set foor outside the town gates. As the campaign goes on you may gather around the map, quaff an ale, and plan adventures. In the real world it will be a scene in Foundry VTT with the world map, that anyone and everyone can write notes on.
Will your notes be accurate? Probably not, but having a common reference point, a shared sense of what you think the region looks like, will keep everyone feeling like you are playing in the same world.
Recycled Maps: Evolving Dungeons
Maps of dungeons, ruins, etc. are no longer only used once, because even if a party comes through and wipes out all the creatures the floor plan does not change. Come back a season later and who knows what will have taken up residence. Wipe out the entrenched kobolds and next spring the molds and fungi that were a minor hazard before have spread into whole colonies of mushroom warriors. Drive the pirates out of the Sunken Fort and its lonely halls become the hunting ground for the fishy devils from the sea — or maybe the whole place is just empty. These “evolving dungeons” were a key feature of the West Marches.
Death & Danger
West Marches is dangerous by design. Danger encourages teamwork because you have to work together to survive. It also forces players to think: if they make bad decisions they get wiped out, or at least “chased into the swamp like little sissy girls”.
It’s an open secret that every GM fudges sometimes, or glosses over closely checking rolls and just hand waves things. It’s part of the art to do it well and gracefully. No such thing in West Marches: I will roll all dice in the open, not behind the screen or hidden by Foundry.
Does this lead to looming specter of sudden death? Yes, but having strong and fairly unyielding consequences combined with a consistent, logical environment means the players really can make intelligent decisions that determine their own fate — you really do hold your own lives in your hands.
At the end of the day...
...this will be a learning experience for both players and Gamemaster(s) and many Design Principles of the original Westmarches have already gone out the window before we played our first session, and others may follow and be replaced by what we deem more fun. But this should be a good starting point for all of us to set expectations and get us going. Cheers!
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