In West Marches style games, the campaign stretches across multiple sessions and rotating players, so how do you keep up with it all?
For a persistent world, we need a simple way to keep up with the hexs. I do not have a complete list of all 6,000 hexes. They are broken up by geographic regions and a faction-based populace. When the heroes travel to a hex, I simply list the geography and the main populace. Other features and sites are listed as they are discovered.
Starting Hex Description:
4224
- Swamp
- Undead
Fully surveyed Hex Description:
4224
- Swamp
- Undead
- Resource: Gold: 10k gp
- Resource: Coal/Peat
- Resource: Good wood
- Standard Terrain Path
- Site: Creek
- Site: Valantian Road
These six features were randomly generated during their survey. Their expedition report should be more detailed, but this is enough for you to run with an adventure if they return (which doesn’t often happen unless someone builds a stronghold or an interesting NPC is discovered).
Remember as well that each session is self-contained, so when they are finished for the night, they all travel back to Elmhearth or their own strongholds. This allows for a rotating cast of characters in each party.
While there are consequences to choices made in the game, the most important information is often kept up to date by the players. In a sprawling campaign such as this, the SG shouldn’t be overwhelmed. If you forget and the players don’t remind you, is it really that important?
Time
For this style of game, it is best not to be strict about time. I often quote Doctor Who and say that everything is a little timey-wimey. Downtime is not based on the actual passage of time; instead, it is based on the number of sessions. If a player plays two times in one real-life week, but in two different groups, how can that happen? I shrug and say, time is strange in the wilderness.
The only campaign structure that abides by a stricter time frame is strongholds. Stronghold bonuses, costs, income, and crafting go by real-world time. If a stronghold makes 300 gp worth of income per month, the player should collect that income based on the real world. I have found this is the easiest way to keep up with the multitude of strongholds players can build. I have found the best way to maintain a stronghold is to use a digital spreadsheet. A link to the Stronghold Template Sheet is available at https://www.darkreturn.com/encyclopedia/the-road-west/