West Marches Keeps My RPG Dreams Alive
Last December, I started my first West Marches campaign—and I'm so glad I did. In just six months, I've played 19 sessions with 15 different players. Not even in my student days did I manage to play this frequently.
But What Is a West Marches Campaign?
For those who don't know, West Marches is a style of play popularized (I believe) by Ars Ludi on his blog. In short, a West Marches campaign differs in the following ways:
It's a sandbox focused on exploration: the world is mostly unknown, and the players' main motivation is to explore and uncover its wonders and dangers.
It's player-driven: players decide what to do and when to do it. There’s no overarching plot line.
There’s no fixed party: each session features a different group of players drawn from a larger pool (usually 10+).
Players control the schedule: the GM posts their availability, players propose what they want to do on those dates, and others join in if they're available and interested.
These simple rules solve a lot of common problems in surprisingly elegant ways.
Scheduling Hell
The most universal problem. Adulting is hard, life is unpredictable, and everyone has different responsibilities. Trying to schedule a weekly or even monthly game for a group of six 30-somethings is, frankly, hell. This often leads to half-baked campaigns, canceled sessions, and a lot of stress on the GM.
West Marches completely eliminates this issue. In 19 sessions, I’ve canceled zero times and only had to reschedule once (for a personal reason). Before this, I’d say I had to cancel or reschedule one in every four sessions. In this format, players cancel with varying levels of notice and it’s simply not a problem.
Player Burnout
Player burnout is also minimal. In traditional campaigns, it’s common for someone to gradually lose interest. That makes scheduling harder (it's no longer a priority for them), and it drags the sessions down (they’re distracted or disengaged).
In a West Marches game, they can just take a break—skip a few weeks, or even months—and come back when they’re ready. Or maybe they don’t. And that’s okay too.
GMing Is Easier
No more Hollywood-style scripts with intricate plots and deeply interwoven character backstories. No more doomed attempts at complex narratives that too easily slide into railroading. I’m not an award-winning screenwriter—and chances are, neither are you. And that’s perfectly fine. We were never supposed to be.
Letting players drive the action (e.g., “We want to raid the Temple of the False Gods”) means they’re participating in the prep process, not just the gameplay. It’s easier to meet expectations when players explicitly tell you what they want from the game.
Easier prep means less burnout for the GM—and I can honestly say my GM burnout is at an all-time low compared to previous campaigns.
Everyone Gets to Join
How many times has someone asked to join your ongoing campaign, and you had to say no because you were mid-arc, the table was full, or some other reason? It’s happened to me more than once—and it always feels bad. I want them to play, but I just can’t make it work.
With West Marches, that problem disappears. New player wants in? Send them the intro doc, add them to the calendar or group chat, and that’s it. Easy.
Wrapping Up
I’m so glad I decided to run this style of game—and if you haven’t tried it yet, you absolutely should.
If you're curious to learn more, there are a ton of resources out there that explain the concept better and in more depth.
And if you're a Shadowdark stan like me (by the way, it just launched its own West Marches setting: The Western Reaches), I highly recommend checking out this adaptation of the legendary Keep on the Borderlands.