Games

The Tabletop Games Thread Visits the West Marches (10/8/25)

Welcome back to the weekly Tabletop Games thread! This thread is where we can talk about all kinds of RPGs, card games, board games, etc. Whether you gather around a physical table in the real world, or use a virtual space to play with friends who may live far away from you, this is where you can discuss your favorites, ask for and/or receive recommendations, recap your recent adventures, or even find some people to play games with!

Discussion Prompt: The insanely popular actual-play Critical Role recently started up its 4th main campaign and introduced some important changes to their game. They’re playing in a brand-new campaign world, with a new DM behind the screen in Brennan Lee Mulligan, and with a total of 13 player characters. The way Brennan described it was a “West Marches” style campaign, where he’d be DMing for three different tables where stories and players will overlap and interconnect in various ways as the overarching story progresses.

Now, this isn’t quite what a traditional West Marches game is. Traditionally, a West Marches campaign has a few defining characteristics:

  • There is no set party; each game could have a different group of player characters, drawn from a pool of 10-15 people, depending on who could show up.
  • It was up to the players, not the DM, to schedule games; whenever a group of players could get together with the DM, they would go on whatever quest they wanted.
  • There is no overarching plot, just an overarching environment; players could go wherever they wanted in the world, and their actions would possibly change the game world for the next group.
  • Sessions generally started and ended in a safe location, and players would venture out in search of adventure (and of course, treasure and experience).

Matt Colville has a pretty solid video breaking down the West Marches, here. Has anyone ever participated in a traditional West Marches game? And if so, what was your experience like?

If you would like to suggest a prompt or contribute a write-up or discussion topic of your own, let me know in the comments!