🔗 Share this article

Having watched the premiere of Critical Role Campaign 4, it is clear that describing this new venture as "rotating-player format" was somewhat inaccurate. The fresh Dungeons & Dragons narrative set in the realm of Aramán, designed by Brennan Lee Mulligan, promises to be an grand and entertaining journey, yet the opening episode demonstrates it will not follow the West Marches model.

What Defines a Rotating-Player Campaign

The new season boasts an large cast of thirteen players who will take turns at the session by dividing into multiple rotating groups. Although rotating players is a core premise of a West Marches campaign—first developed by game designer Ben Robbins—the real gameplay and format are quite distinct from what the show is presenting in this latest season. But, if you are intrigued about West Marches and want to know why it might be a good choice for your own game, read on.

The Origins of the Player-Rotating Format

West Marches started as the backdrop for a campaign run by Ben Robbins, who also created the games Microscope and Kingdom. To address the common problem of inconsistent player availability, Robbins came up with the idea of not having a set group. Since he could select from a large pool of players, he allowed them to schedule sessions freely. When a sufficient number of players settled on a date, the game would proceed as needed.

Having a changing "group" is great for players: It doesn't matter if you can participate once a week or monthly, you will consistently have a place at the table.

As a Dungeon Master, though, it demands a specific mindset when building the campaign. West Marches is, at its core, a sandbox campaign where players explore the world without being tied to an main plot. At the end of each session, they go back to town to rest and organize their next expedition. This is necessary to allow DMs to run a game with changing players and flexible scheduling. Consider designing a large, sweeping narrative, filled with villains, factions, and plot key points, but without being sure who the main characters will be at any given time.

Why This Style Prevents Plot Cliffhangers

I'm sure every DM has experienced a session conclude on a huge cliffhanger featuring a particular character, only to find out that the participant was unable to make the following session. It's similar to if Frodo had to step away from Mount Doom briefly before tossing the Ring. West Marches avoids this by effectively removing the main plot. But, that isn't to say a West Marches-style campaign has zero narrative.

As stated by Robbins: "There was background and linked details. Clues discovered in one place could provide insight elsewhere. Instead of just being an interesting detail, these clues result in tangible discoveries."

The Way Critical Role Differs from the West Marches Model

Initially, I thought something similar would happen with Critical Role Campaign 4, with the mythology of the world developing organically and slowly through players’ decisions in each episode, but I was mistaken. Episode 1 is heavily filled with established lore, and there is a strong, dominant plot that guides the characters. No issue with that, of certainly, but West Marches provides a pretty different experience from many D&D campaigns, one that is worth trying at least once.

Tips for Managing Your Personal West Marches Campaign

In my initial, extended custom D&D campaign, I started from a concept similar to the classic The Keep on the Borderlands D&D module, which subsequently influenced Robbins’ original West Marches. After an intro, the players found themselves in a frontier town, a traditional "final bastion of civilization" environment. From there, they have the opportunity to venture into the nearby wilderness, either prompted by quests found in town or by their own curiosity. This style of play is heavily focused on places, so if you're planning to attempt it, make sure to stock up your wilderness with engaging places to discover. The last thing you want is your players saying, "Today we want to check out the enigmatic ruins in the Swamp of the Dead," and having nothing prepared.

• For me, I like having a defined plot in my campaigns, so I also scattered several hooks for an overall narrative, both in town and in the wilderness.
• I think that pure sandboxing and purposeless dungeon crawling can become boring after a while, but Robbins raised an key point in this regard when he described the origin of West Marches.
• "My motivation in designing it this way was to overcome player disinterest and mindless 'plot following' by putting the players in charge of both scheduling and what they did in-game."

Finding Equilibrium in Every Game Style

The takeaway here is that regardless of the style of campaign you're running, it's important to strike a balance between your responsibility as a DM in guiding the narrative and players’ freedom. Whether you're creating a intricate death maze for a classic dungeon crawl or determining the fate of the world in a Critical Role-style campaign, always consider what your players may want to do. You set up the table, but they choose what to eat.

The Present Is a Perfect Moment to Start a Sandbox Adventure

It might be the ideal time to date to launch a West Marches-style campaign. D&D’s newest starter set, Heroes of the Borderlands, is a comeback to the Keep on the Borderlands, offering the ideal foundation to draw new players into this format. An add-on recommends how to more effectively link the different quests in the set, but you can also run this as the core of a sandbox campaign and develop it as it continues.

Actually, the most interesting aspect of the original West Marches is the interaction between the changing players. The town tavern had a map of the nearby areas etched into a table, where adventuring parties included information and drew new areas as they discovered them. This not only meant that players could help each other even while not being at the table at the same session, but also that the world of West Marches grew organically as the players explored it. If you're a DM who is attempting to build a custom campaign or world for the first time, West Marches could be just what you need.