Running A D&D Game for UNLIMITED Players | West Marches Campaign | DM Academy

  Рет қаралды 73,646

Enter the Dungeon

Enter the Dungeon

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 113
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
What are some tips you would give the black knights? Leave your comments below. Also if you want to see a step by step guide on how to build a West Marches campaign, let’s get this video to 1k likes and subscribe to the channel.
@Spark_Chaser
@Spark_Chaser Жыл бұрын
A discord channel is useful, but I'd also add a Google Doc of some kind for listing out the various locations explored and information that can be useful for other adventurers. Yes, the Discord will do this, but this centralizes the info in one thing so you have it all. With this, I'd make a tip for the DMs to not correct things put in here, unless it's a blatant falsehood meant to misdirect. If the players have made a logical leap about a thing that is untrue, let it play out and be corrected. Just keep a watch for trolls.
@KenSexe67
@KenSexe67 Жыл бұрын
I saw something like a West Marches set up when I was deployed in the Middle East a few years back. One of the cool things they had was a bulletin board with a schedule at the Rec center allowing people to put their names on a schedule which had DM/GM names associated with each session available. This allowed people to look at the schedule, write in their character's name into a slot, and allows DMs/GMs to prepare for the number of players available. Something else I saw was an issue was with higher level characters adventuring when lower-level characters wanted to play. Not sure how one should address this (I just let the lower level characters play if they understood the risks) but something a DM/GM should consider. I partially addressed this by making milestone leveling where it took more sessions to level the higher one went but that was my solution and may not work or be needed for other situations.
@duartecosta4298
@duartecosta4298 Жыл бұрын
I would love this so much!
@MemphiStig
@MemphiStig Жыл бұрын
Send them our gratitude, love, and best wishes.
@silverjohn6037
@silverjohn6037 9 ай бұрын
You could run this as a post-apocalypse (be it Black Death, demon invasion or even a Fallout style world war) scenario where a kingdom has been decimated. The plague/invasion has run it's course and the survivors of an army that had been away fighting an overseas campaign are returning to try and rebuild the land. This would be relatable for a military platoon and provide a scenario where they are going out and clearing out monsters that have moved into abandoned towns, recovering important relics from holy sites, getting spell books from university libraries, trying to find scattered communities of survivors and using diplomacy to bring them into a new alliance or, if they'd gone evil cult to deal with the disaster, clearing them out as well. You'd know the rough details of the terrain but which towns and cities have survived instead of being burned to the ground would be up for the players to discover.
@wiiplayers19
@wiiplayers19 Жыл бұрын
My D&D table top club ran a West March style homebrew campaign and it was glorious. It made it so the whole club could play together, and we set the premise on that everyone was part of an adventures guild and given “jobs” which gave the main plot. We had about 5 DM’s running the whole thing out of a google drive and a game shop so we could (in real time if needed) inform the other DM’s of any drastic changes. We actually had one session with two parties running on opposite sides of the city at the same time and the look of amazement when the two parties ended up at the same spot at roughly the same time, causing the tables to join together, was glorious.
@jojozxc1234
@jojozxc1234 Жыл бұрын
Sounds and looks epic. Our group has 3 people taking turn running separate games. Maybe we could do a west marches style in the future.
@murgel2006
@murgel2006 Жыл бұрын
If you use a "Board" for your various Adventuers/Quests you can directly limit the number of players in the "offer", use an "inworld board". "His Lordship the Baron of X is looking for a seasoned, small group of mercenaries to investigate... ... We are looking for a mixed of mundane and magical of 4-6 members." Something like that.
@josheshelman6728
@josheshelman6728 Жыл бұрын
This is exactly what we did with my old unit. It was a homebrew with only d6 and theatre of the mind because that’s all we had. It was brutal, somewhat unfair and fun as all get out! I highly suggest it
@colbyboucher6391
@colbyboucher6391 Жыл бұрын
There's actually a name for this, Free Kriegsspiel Revival. Kriegsspiel was the "first wargame" in the modern sense, developed by the Prussian army but it got popular among people wealthy enough to have a set for it. It was double-blind, and the referee used a set of dice to randomize outcomes sometimes. Eventually a general suggested that the best referees should just ignore the rules and the dice whenever possible in favor of what their own experience suggested, and people started calling that "free Kriegsspiel". Lately people have started using the term in the context of TTRPGs.
@IzzetNilson
@IzzetNilson Жыл бұрын
Westmarches were always one of those campaign types I've always wanted to dive in and really get into. My friends are nowhere near motivated enough to run one, so i keep forgetting about it until i see videos like these lmao I never really thought about there being a point system, and I think that its really freakin sweet that that can actually include parties that want to be more diplomatic/rp focused over crunchy combat. Maybe one day I'll get to be in one, but its going to be a while yet. Thanks for the video!
@Michael-bn1oi
@Michael-bn1oi Жыл бұрын
If your friends aren't motivated enough to run then it sounds like you need to do it. Can't complain about no DM and then not run yourself lol
@DerekRawlings
@DerekRawlings Жыл бұрын
I think this video is great! I ran a 70 session WM-style game, and my favourite anecdote was that two different groups went to the same dungeon and fell into the same resetting trap. It really reinforced to players that _they_ are responsible for communicating with each other. As for advice, I'd give some thought about how you manage travel mechanically since characters will be doing a lot of it. I encourage making return travel easier, since it can take multiple sessions to clear a dungeon, for instance. Secondly... be mindful of pacing, and be okay with asking for breaks. I ended up burning out because I didn't take corrective measures early enough. Limit how often you'll run and stick to it. Grab a co-GM if the game if the need is there. Lastly, and this is more about setting... I really enjoyed using environmental storytelling to hint at a larger overstory. My characters were fascinated about a bunch of old, indecipherable runes they found hidden around the various places and eventually starting unlocking their magical power (as an example). Just hint that something larger is happening in the region and build it out if the players take a shining to it.
@PhoKingHell
@PhoKingHell Жыл бұрын
This couldn’t have come across my screen at a better time. I’m gearing up to dm for a big group of young professionals during a busy season in our industry and a bunch or folks wanna play. I was going to do drop in drop out but this gives me better ideas for organizing the scheduling.
@VictoriousLoL
@VictoriousLoL Жыл бұрын
Solid video - I use to own the largest Pathfinder Living World (about 300 players at our peak). This video definitely covers pretty much everything!
@PresidentMystry
@PresidentMystry Жыл бұрын
Dude. I had heard of the term “West Marches” before but never knew what it was. I always thought it was an rpg in and of itself. Thank you for this video. I absolutely love this idea. I have 3 groups I run games for and scheduling is a nightmare. My players also tell others about my games and occasionally I mention that I play D&D to people and a lot of people ask me if I can teach them the game or DM for them. This idea is absolutely amazing
@Stickyrolls123
@Stickyrolls123 Жыл бұрын
This gives me hope for the next generation of soldier. TTRPGS teach a lot of useful skills and help with the ability to think outside the box.
@FrostSpike
@FrostSpike Жыл бұрын
19:10 The old 4e sort of "parcels" works well to standardise rewards across the DMs. Obviously they need to talk to each other but they can agree what the reward parcels at different levels should look like in order to avoid over inflation of the mundane and magic items.
@BrendonEvans-t3g
@BrendonEvans-t3g Жыл бұрын
What happens if the players take way too long and need to stay out in the wilderness for multiple sessions how would you work around that.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
The way I work around that is two pronged. Firstly, you CAN have missions that take multiple sessions. In my own campaigns are will even label them as multi-session missions. That way I can run longer missions. Also, you *absolutely can* just end a session in the middle of an adventure after asking if the players are ok with making this a 2 part mission. Remember, flexibility is the name of the game. This is almost a must sometimes if you're running 3 hour sessions and don't want to heavily railroad players. Finally, you can speed up not essential parts of the session. Travel can be done with a simple sentence. "You set out from [place] and arrive back at home base." Or if you're in a dungeon, you can remove certain rooms to quicken the pace of play. Don't be afraid to push the general formula (with player consent). It is ok to return another time to finish the mission after finding a place to stop in the middle.
@Spark_Chaser
@Spark_Chaser Жыл бұрын
On top of these, if a player was in a mid session stopped game and wants to get into another mission before the other group meets again, have them make another character. This game style is designed around a lot of flexibility, and that includes who plays what when. Players can have two or three characters (I'd keep it to a three character max) out doing different things with different groups. You aren't limited to a single party all the time. It's like an MMO where PUGs are the main form of questing, as there's only one Adventurers Guild.
@SweetPeteInTheBackSeat
@SweetPeteInTheBackSeat Жыл бұрын
well, if they fail that roll you're right back at the same problem lol
@synmad3638
@synmad3638 Жыл бұрын
@@SweetPeteInTheBackSeat nah failing the roll would result in losing some resources but you'd still make it
@Spark_Chaser
@Spark_Chaser Жыл бұрын
@@synmad3638 That's some OSR thinking there. I've heard that recently. I think Forbidden Lands does a similar thing.
@jl2295
@jl2295 Ай бұрын
😂 I loved the: "these are recommendations, if you don't like it don't take them"
@mizzrum7591
@mizzrum7591 9 ай бұрын
I find Savage World rules best for the West Marches Campaign. Great video and can't wait to check out more of your work.
@TheBronzeDog
@TheBronzeDog 9 ай бұрын
Got recommended this video since I was looking for West Marches advice. I've never been in one, and considering assembling a group. It's for Invisible Sun, rather than D&D, but all the video advice still sounds both insightful and relevant. I think the biggest difference my game would have is that it's set in the city of Satyrine, a major city that's been through a war recently, with ruined sections, though there's plenty of challenging stuff beyond the city limits. I think the central conceit would be something like "picking up the pieces," since the players are vislae (magic users) who retreated into the Shadow and returned in the now-unfamiliar aftermath. I think I'd declare Fartown and maybe a few other districts to be safe hubs with fewer plot hooks, encouraging players to work on the rough parts of town or try to clear the monster-spawning Hate Cysts in the abandoned parts.
@rafibausk7071
@rafibausk7071 Жыл бұрын
I kind of want to run one of these where the players are emerging from the equivalent of a Fallout vault. And are literally just discovering or rediscovering the world for the first time. Maybe even give them a map of what the world used to be like.
@gemyniraptor8626
@gemyniraptor8626 Жыл бұрын
I learned to play while in Iraq in 2006 as a means to destress and unwind after my duty days. Also love teh West Marches concept but so far havent had much success in getting it to fire off. my players were a bit confused on how it worked. appreciate this vid
@FrostSpike
@FrostSpike Жыл бұрын
24:30 I agree, but the "problem" you get with it is that, unless you do some sort of teleport macguffin, it means that the "return to base" methodology causes the higher-level characters to be travelling for more that a few days there and back and so it can get a bit messy on the character diaries working out where they are, or could be, at any point in time.
@alpharius7216
@alpharius7216 Жыл бұрын
maybe campaign time can be tracked in weeks? it wouldn't alleviate all problems but knowing that all the quests wont take longer than a week in game might help keep time organised between players
@FrostSpike
@FrostSpike Жыл бұрын
@@alpharius7216 Yes, you can do that but then the low-level characters that just want to go and hunt down some pesky goblins near the safe base would only be adventuring once a week too, but those characters could actually be going out a few times a week if they wanted. IME, it's quite key to maintain a good in-game diary for each character so you know who's available for each adventure or what in-game dates a session needs to be running on. Adds the paperwork, so it's really up to the group as to how much they want to pay attention to such things.
@FrostSpike
@FrostSpike Жыл бұрын
13:50 It might be a good idea to flatly ban PvP action, no robbing each other, etc. There can still be inter-character tensions but no-one draws a blade on each other, melts them with a spell, or snipes at them. They are the "points of light", albeit shining dimly in some cases, in the darkness.
@mannmoon2465
@mannmoon2465 Жыл бұрын
The og MMO RPG.
@NoalFarstrider
@NoalFarstrider Жыл бұрын
0:33 "Ahooo. Awhooo! Rah rah rah crayon!" 🫡
@truehalixon6356
@truehalixon6356 Жыл бұрын
Sorry if this is a strange compliment but you're one of my favorite channels if only for the fact that I could listen to you talk about D&D for hours 😅 A great voice and good video plans work well
@varto07
@varto07 Жыл бұрын
Imaging gathering several parties in order to stop an ancient evil, coordinating this platoon of adventurers into the lands of a lich, a dragon or an eldrich horror.
@wyrdsworth
@wyrdsworth 5 ай бұрын
A lot of this advice feels like it's come directly from Matt Colville's video, but there's enough supplementary information to keep it feeling fresh. Especially liked the notion of clearing new settlements to expand the "safe zones" available to players. Cheers!
@monkeyg0d
@monkeyg0d Жыл бұрын
Good overview. In my experience one of the things that can make West Marches/Sandbox/Exploration stuff, kinda... rough, is travel and encounters. I've done it with 2E style travel encounters and parties are beat to shit by the time they get to a POI, and THEN, they still need to get "home". In 5E, nature checks and favored terrain make it essentially impossible to get lost or run low on supplies which ruins the entire getting lost/survival aspect of the original West Marches. The moveable "home" fixes that to a degree, but to me kinda feels like cheating and also breaks the whole "dragon in the garden" solution, if you can go anywhere it breaks that danger/progression curve, ymmv. I've seen people fully ditch the travel stuff, but also, for ME personally that feels like a cop out, but its a good simplified solution. Also yeah steal all the quests, great advice. Also the WotC lead-up to quests they posted leading up to the Icewind Dale book release are super good for pilfering.
@EurojuegosBsAs
@EurojuegosBsAs Жыл бұрын
There was a wargame in the army war college here in argentina that used this style of campaining to teach MOUT (military operations in urbanized terrain). Parties were mounted patrols and it all happened in an undefined street corner of the city. It used a board similar to the one of the Time Stories boardgame, with random situations in cards forming a complex panorama of interactions. Mostly for NCOs, but probably too close to work for your black knight friends.
@Bee-wk7hw
@Bee-wk7hw Жыл бұрын
THIS IS LITERALLY PERFECT TIMING THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I run my colleges dnd club, and ive been struggling because we run groups if 8 players per dm and still need more space. We have 4 dms. But with this we can actually include everyone in my club
@TheLordUrban
@TheLordUrban 8 ай бұрын
Trying to get a Westmarch style game going in my area. This is very helpful.
@orcishdad8075
@orcishdad8075 Жыл бұрын
I am currently running a West Marches inspired standard campaign for 4 to 8 players. There is a central base on a newly discovered continent and it is the guild's job to explore the land and map out its resources. The players are members of the guild and have several missions to pick from at any given time, with an overarching story shaping the narrative. Each mission takes 1 or 2 (sometimes 3) sessions to complete, with them always returning back to base. We are all parents in the middle of raising young kids, with the occasional new kid joining our family. Our lives are hectic and this is the best way we have found to play. Also, don't limit "corners of the world" to literal corners on the map. I have a player in my game who is building an Underdark campaign set in my world. I have no idea what is going on down there, but I look forward to finding out.
@Kyle120212XD
@Kyle120212XD Жыл бұрын
This video has given me a grand ambition ngl 😂 I want to get a group of like 4 dms together to build a primary map of what's around the home town and then each DM goes crazy with their own area off that map, each one would get a cardinal direction kinda thing, that way when you're a DM playing in another DMS adventure you're going in blind
@samm5353
@samm5353 Жыл бұрын
I used to run/play in a west marches campaign, but I never knew there was an actual term for it! Me and my buddies had a bunch of random freeroaming characters that'd we'd play in between campaign sessions, and after one adventure, a couple of our characters ended up as the co-mayors of a town that had recently been razed to the ground. From there, during each adventure our characters would set out in search of things necessary to rebuild, and turn our town into a thriving location, such as lumber and other natural resources, NPCs that know specific trades, or have the ability to run different kinds of businesses and amenities, as well as others travelers, adventurers or refugees that could become permanent residents of the town. It was an incredible time, and it was always really exciting to return to the town as one of my characters and find that there were new shops, people, and areas that had been explored, as well as new tasks that needed to be complete to continue to growth of the town!
@MemphiStig
@MemphiStig Жыл бұрын
Imo this should be an active world, in that you've got all these players interacting with it, and their experiences will have an impact wherever they go. The DM sets things up, the pc's come in and mess with it, and the outcome is how it is from then on, regardless of what group comes thru later. I'm sure Army guys can relate. And if you've really got the time and the player base, you can use something like the old school rule that one real world day equaled one day passing in the campaign world. Players can use that time to account for their characters' off-screen/downtime activities, non-adventuring primarily, including carousing, training, crafting, study, r&r, whatever -- basic stuff not requiring hands-on rp but requiring real campaign time. Also, to the Black Knights, thank you.
@dustinseybold4717
@dustinseybold4717 21 күн бұрын
That was a good explanation on how to play. I guess I already kind of knew a lot of it but I was never explained. And on another note, I never liked how people say oh you're doing it wrong it says in the early dungeons & dragons that it's just guidelines all the books just guidelines.
@thefinalstair
@thefinalstair Жыл бұрын
Thank you so much! I’ve heard of West Marches campaigns but never seen a cohesive explanation of the idea 😁
@sharktos3218
@sharktos3218 5 ай бұрын
This sounds like the best thing ever in DnD history, but also like the DM has to be either the biggest mastermind ever, or have like 6 otger people helping them. How are they creating such an immensely huge world and keep track of everything?
@KenSexe67
@KenSexe67 Жыл бұрын
I really like this video! I am so happy that the KZbin gods pointed me in your direction. I have "tried" West Marches but in each of my two instances it ended up into a sandbox campaign with a set number of characters who became "regular" players (I should probably take that as a warning :) ). I really liked the concept of progress points. Could you use progress points as something which could be "cashed in" or is it just a tally? What are your thoughts on this? Overall, I really love West Marches and in each case I was able to use the basic concepts to allow players to customize their own campaign around what they wanted to do and allowed me to "follow them along" building the road ahead of them as they plodded forward.
@AshersAesera
@AshersAesera 8 ай бұрын
Thank you for this video, I enjoyed the tip and the density of the information! ^^
@RabidPancakeDisorder
@RabidPancakeDisorder Жыл бұрын
Hear me out: pirate/explorer/navy westmarch campaign. For so long, the starting continent had been cut off from the rest of the world. The only way they knew there was more world was because of relics, and monsters. The players start on the shore of the continent and sail to different islands and continents. The way they get past this fog is by doing the starter quests, these quests should teach them the basics, and be somewhat easy. The group should start to feel overconfident after being led on a hunt for a magical sword that acts as a compass through the fog. Once the players find the sword, and set sail into the fog, they have to battle a sea serpent. The sea serpent is designed not to be killed, yet, the player's ship is destroyed just after they land a crippling strike. One of the beast's fins are cut off, and the fog every so slightly opens up a tiny doorway. The player's ship will then be demasted by the serpent leaping out of the water and slapping the mast(s) with its tail. The players will be rescued by strangers and brought to a foreign outpost. The players soon learn that the rest of the world is beaten and battered. Only small bastions of life remain here and there. Orcs, goblins, monsters, and legions of undead control everything else. From here the players will basically play the campaign like a westmarch, slowly charting the map, with the giant sea serpent occasionally reappearing and the fog being slightly reduced around the world. Each time the players get a new area they will have a new bastion to interact with and help. Eventually discovering the lair of the sea serpent, the secret potion needed to make it fully mortal, and finally, reclaiming their lost sword from the beginning that allowed them to steer through the fog, which is the secret weapon needed to slay the serpent in addition to the potion.
@Stefannice
@Stefannice Жыл бұрын
This sound interesting and inspiring! :D
@colbyboucher6391
@colbyboucher6391 Жыл бұрын
Oh yeah, an island-hopping naval campaign could be perfect, too. It actually makes your job as a GM a bit easier because you don't need to think so much about how people can wander over every inch of ground, and just focus on the contents of little islands without it feeling weird.
@RabidPancakeDisorder
@RabidPancakeDisorder Жыл бұрын
@@colbyboucher6391 Islands, despite their size, can have just as much character and depth as entire countries/kingdoms, just how you use it.
@Blue-yk9yw
@Blue-yk9yw Жыл бұрын
this campaign style is just like how Mutant year 0 is played! Love it!
@jessec3127
@jessec3127 Жыл бұрын
I run my MYZ this way as well. Plan to do it with Forbidden Lands and Vaesen also!
@colbyboucher6391
@colbyboucher6391 Жыл бұрын
I do kinda wish there was a link to Ben Robins' blog in the description, because the whole thing is solid gold, not just the West Marches stuff. Tons of crazy insights into how TTRPG stories actually work.
@StarWarsNerd1465
@StarWarsNerd1465 Жыл бұрын
I'm running something similar atm, its a SW5e game with a bunch of players. Basically they're all mercenaries for the empire, and every 10 or so sessions, we change the planet which the sessions are based on, their home-base is a Large frigate i designed myself (and i am soon to set up ship combat for more fun stuff to do), we have 2 DMs and we both host over the weekend, we'll announce a session in the discord, first come first serve and 9/10, we get full parties. New or Experienced DMs, I HIGHLY recommend this format of hosting, as the most common downfall of games is the scheduling.
@stopsign4395
@stopsign4395 Жыл бұрын
my biggest problem with missions in the home base is that if you have 15 players, and 6 of them go to the home base mission where a giant is attacking throughout the town. it makes it hard to believe that 9 players were just chilling in a tavern while all of these problems happened
@korniestpatch
@korniestpatch Жыл бұрын
Set expectations for players is probably the most important pointer. I rolled up a Conjuration wizard for a west marches campaign. He was a noble that was sent from his home to join an academy of adventurers, I had this really fun rp with him not understanding the concept of camping hence conjuration. There he was going to meet his first dragon, the dm made this dragon a pink fluffy dragon and I was honestly just disappointed as a player and it killed any drive to continue playing and for my character it was this massive let down in every single way. For some context prior to this another DM ran a session for a party that I was in, we had a no show or two and the DM warned that we needed more people and that it’s a good chance we could wipe. It was almost a massacre, it moved along the RP with some character development but the quest was pretty much a failure, it was grim we where lucky to make it out alive either by the DMs grace or the luck of our dice rolls. The session right after this pink fluffy dragon
@Ghostwolf18
@Ghostwolf18 Жыл бұрын
They way my DM setup the balance is via a tier system for each and specific dm region. you can still go to those place but know that without preparation and proper planning you might get screw over.
@BigMackWitSauce
@BigMackWitSauce 28 күн бұрын
Have you ever run it with mulitple DMs? That is what I am trying to setup in my community rn, I'm ideally hoping to have a team of like 4 or more DMs and that way we give maximum flexibility for players and we have shared documents for our world and our notes so we can keep track of whats going on
@HamiltonIsLife
@HamiltonIsLife Жыл бұрын
That’s so sweet they all wanna play. Good morale
@bijnahonderdeuro
@bijnahonderdeuro Жыл бұрын
So here's a fun one: how do you handle clique behaviour in a West Marches campaign? There are a number of causes, so of course the answer may simply be "it depends" but this has been the #1 problem I have found.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
One solution is setting a limit on the number of times the same party can adventure in a row before the group has to be switched up. However, this admittedly does have its own set of problems. Sometimes I'll give players a custom mission that players can only go on if that player comes along. It gives an opportunity for groups to intermix more. However, part of it is an out of session thing. Usually if its a problem, I've seen DMs sit down with groups of players and talk to them about it. For me this hasn't been an issue just due to the people I invite for West Marches campaigns, the way I use the forum, and talking with players outside of the game.
@luminous3558
@luminous3558 Жыл бұрын
Why bother? Its only a problem if they cause problems and then you ask them to not cause those specific problems. Clique behaviour if harmful is just general asshole behaviour. Rules to fix those behaviours are gonna be more harmful than helpful. Some people are simply more comfortable around a recurring group, so long as they aren't actively preventing others from joining it should be fine.
@jannickdepoilly3586
@jannickdepoilly3586 Жыл бұрын
I suggest you use another system than D&D - for example Dragonbane. The reason is that in D&D a level 1 is much weaker than a level 3 not to mention a level 6 - a more flat power progression is advantageous for West Marches. D&D also have a lot of resources for each character that quickly becomes near endless in a one-shot session - west marches being basically a series of one-shots makes this a hinderance after a few levels. A system like Dragonbane can take place in any D&D setting if you want to - but as s system it just fits West Marches better.
@enterthedungeon
@enterthedungeon Жыл бұрын
I totally agree. D&D can be used for the West Marches but I think to your point, other systems do it better. For me, Band of Blades is a great system for a West Marches campaign. Of course most groups only play 5e but that's a different can of worms
@celspade
@celspade Жыл бұрын
To balance out the difference in people's opinions on maps, what about the players create a map based off of what they do and then at the start of every month a topographer npc that runs a shop "takes" their map and the dms can use the real map that they've been hiding (keeps terrains consistent between DMs) and just cut out the section that the players have discovered, and then that map gets added onto. Basically, the topographer would be using the player's map as a reference point to go map it himself which would lead to the detail accurate map and these repeats every month.
@Spacellama117
@Spacellama117 Жыл бұрын
Currently building one right now. It'll take a long time, but it'll be worth it.
@DaDunge
@DaDunge Жыл бұрын
4:45 I don't understand that how can you run sessions where you manage to get to a place do something and get back in the same seasion.
@theuedonsshow2253
@theuedonsshow2253 Жыл бұрын
I have a question, how does the DM manage levels among pc's ? if characters are always mix and mashing groups , maybe this 2 players werent able to play much , or this one group has donne a lot and this other group unfurtunatly dindt have much time to play, does everyone just level up?but wont that take the excitment of leveling up out of people that werent there? and if they dont, wont having different players at different levels become an issue ?
@Hungry_Raccoon_
@Hungry_Raccoon_ Жыл бұрын
I’d wager that you should create a few “quests” that come up for home-bases, but they should never be something that can be completed inside the home base and they should take time. For example if I were a dm I would make a quest that’s like “hey I’m a blacksmith and I’d love to take hold here, but I noticed you don’t have any materials. Can you go get these materials for me, and if you can get those optional ones and I could make much better gear. Just know they are optional for a reason as they’re kinda annoying to get.” And boom, now this advanced blacksmith can move in and create magical gear such as +1 and if you are generous +2 gear. Simple quests that will advance the home-base or bases and make them much nicer. You could also do a “Raid” quest where your players will be with their group but separated from other groups defending the base or bases. I think this could be done by breaking the base into sections, said sections will then be defended different groups and could make for a fun session, and the best thing about this as that the groups should not need to meet each other. A little complicated to get right but would be dope.
@Ozblock1
@Ozblock1 Жыл бұрын
Lots of good tips here thank you.
@jaybakata5566
@jaybakata5566 5 ай бұрын
I need to see west marches campaign videos on youtube. It seems like more and more people are talking about this style of game however, I don't see any video examples of it happening. That is what I am looking for. Anyone know of any videos showing west marches campaigns and how to run them?
@THESHADOWMASTER9
@THESHADOWMASTER9 10 ай бұрын
I can't hear "shadow government" without hearing it in an eggboy voice. 😂
@jasonnguyen350
@jasonnguyen350 Жыл бұрын
Love it about to set up a west marches campaign
@saft911
@saft911 Жыл бұрын
I could see how this could be fitted to a "Journey to the West" (re: sun wukong, Xuanzang) themed campaign too.
@martinbowman1993
@martinbowman1993 Жыл бұрын
I'm looking for some ideas for a star wars west marches campaign
@ceranko
@ceranko 9 ай бұрын
Can you put a link to your west marches map here?
@bryanrunyan2109
@bryanrunyan2109 Жыл бұрын
This style of play sounds like it is based on the attachment style theory of secure base and safe haven
@A_Surpluss_of_Stupidity
@A_Surpluss_of_Stupidity Жыл бұрын
I dobt yave this many people who want to play d&d but now i wish i did
@ElectromagNick
@ElectromagNick Жыл бұрын
Same. I've been wanting to run this West Marches, post-magical apocalypse campaign where the players piece together the otherwise shattered remains of a now wild, savage, fundamentally altered world only barely recognizable to what came before. They'd have maps of what the world _used_ to look like, but the cataclysm was so complete that even mountains have shifted, sometimes by hundreds of leagues. Think "Hyrule as compared between different Zelda games where sometimes Death Mountain is on the opposite side of the map, and wasn't there a desert were that forest is now?" Ultimately, the goal would be rebuilding towns, resolving the Arcanaclasms (localized magical maelstroms that threaten to rip apart the fabric of reality), and either unifying, conquering, or allying with the various factions that have emerged from the ashes of the old world. Along the way, they'd reestablish a portal network, secure food supplies and war material, discover the magical experiments and multunational conspiracy that ended the world in the first place, and fortify a primary headquarters before a final, climactic confrontation where their base is besieged whilst they race to prevent a second apocalypse, _a la_ the final act of Dragon Age: Awakening. It's wildly impractical and not entirely original, but it sounds like so much fun.
@rickeydeyoung9096
@rickeydeyoung9096 Жыл бұрын
Very cool
@zacharystoddard6826
@zacharystoddard6826 Жыл бұрын
My groups central conceit was the world's first adventures guild
@jannickdepoilly3586
@jannickdepoilly3586 Жыл бұрын
As Ben Robbins said: there are many ways you can travel west.
@trogdor856
@trogdor856 Жыл бұрын
oh hey literally what i fucking needed cuz its what im doing lol
@isaackarr6576
@isaackarr6576 Жыл бұрын
This is the play style to stack a civic builder.
@nicholas5554
@nicholas5554 4 ай бұрын
I completely disagree with the notion that you should remove competitive aspects. If you read the 1e dmg, that was a feature of the game. As players level and manage domains, they'll naturally come into conflict. They should have multiple characters. One night they're in a dungeon together, fighting for their lives, the next night their higher level Baron PCs are going to war over a gold mine. Good shit! Competition doesn't mean toxicity, it's a game after all.
@Bloodlit
@Bloodlit Жыл бұрын
I would love to be able to be a player in a game for a change. 😂
@coucousalut6528
@coucousalut6528 Жыл бұрын
league of legend illustation spoted
@lostlegionnaire3767
@lostlegionnaire3767 Жыл бұрын
Lol
@Delmworks
@Delmworks Жыл бұрын
To be honest I’ve never been impressed by any westmarches game I’ve played. They’ve always been too lethal to be fun, leaving players stuck around the low levels. It does sound like you were running it in person-which would probably improve the experience TBH
@DerekRawlings
@DerekRawlings Жыл бұрын
While Robbins suggests running fairly lethal games in his arsludi blog articles, I don't in any way think that that's a defining trait of West March-style games. Making a West March lethal is a choice, and you could just as easily be explicity about quest levels before a party leaves, or level scale them to fit the characters if you wanted.
@RustAches
@RustAches Жыл бұрын
Solid video but I found the repeated need to defend your position as opinion from theoretical trolls in the comments was unnecessary and distracting.
@camdonturley13
@camdonturley13 Жыл бұрын
Well… this is ironic. I hope that was intentional?😂
@johnstorm9314
@johnstorm9314 11 ай бұрын
Ah West Marches... the black mark on TTRPGs. 😒
@Halfling.Paladin
@Halfling.Paladin 3 ай бұрын
5e sucks.
How to Plan A D&D Campaign: The 3 Arc Structure - DM Academy
17:26
Enter the Dungeon
Рет қаралды 120 М.
How to Build A West Marches Campaign (Step by Step Tutorial) | DM Academy
1:54:04
Quando A Diferença De Altura É Muito Grande 😲😂
00:12
Mari Maria
Рет қаралды 45 МЛН
99.9% IMPOSSIBLE
00:24
STORROR
Рет қаралды 31 МЛН
1% vs 100% #beatbox #tiktok
01:10
BeatboxJCOP
Рет қаралды 67 МЛН
The West Marches | Running the Game
30:39
Matthew Colville
Рет қаралды 640 М.
How to Run a West Marches Sandbox
23:43
Me, Myself and Die!
Рет қаралды 52 М.
How I Ran My West Marches Game
26:37
SupergeekMike
Рет қаралды 39 М.
21 Ways Players Ruin D&D Games
23:02
the DM Lair
Рет қаралды 279 М.
How to Write CAPTIVATING Lore for Your D&D Campaign
17:00
Enter the Dungeon
Рет қаралды 26 М.
How to Start A Sandbox Campaign
12:58
Enter the Dungeon
Рет қаралды 56 М.
11 Incredible D&D Campaign Ideas
12:40
Enter the Dungeon
Рет қаралды 378 М.
Running DnD with No Plot (Emergent Storytelling)
21:20
Earthmote
Рет қаралды 99 М.
11 Places to Bring Your Fantasy Town to LIFE
8:58
The Fantasy Forge
Рет қаралды 100 М.
West Marches Campaigns, Explained
8:27
Dungeon Masterpiece
Рет қаралды 46 М.