What is Westmarch?

West Marches is a sandbox style of D&D campaign, created by Ben Robbins and popularized by Matt Colville, designed to facilitate player agency and reduce ‘mindless plot following’ by putting a large group of players (10+) in charge of where they go, what they do, and when they play.   10+ players sounds like allot, however not everyone will be in the same session at once. Game sessions will be limited to 4 players and 1 dungeon master. The groups will be pre determined by the players themselves and a time and place that works with all players schedules will be chosen.   This style of play is player driven, meaning the players decide when they want to play and what they want to do. When getting a game together a player will first initiate by stating that they wish to play at a desired time and place, and even come up with an adventure hook it they so choose. This player is considered the group leader for this game session. Three more players can then agree to join the leader on their quest. The players that join can be no more than one level apart from the group leader. This is to ensure game balance. Once the group is formed a dungeon master will agree to host. Now you are ready to play.   The following is an example on how this will work. Rafael would like to play a game of Dungeons & Dragons. He has a level 5 character and is looking to earn some gold. He puts out a message on the job board discord channel. "I heard some gossip that a group of bandits are hiding out in the hills. They have been robbing travelers on the road for months now. If we find their hideout we can stop them from robbing anyone else and liberate them of their loot." Along with this description of his goal Rafael states that he is level 5 and that he is available to play on Thursday nights at 7:00pm. Because of his level, other players who join the group must be between levels 4-6. Eric, Thom and Victor are all available to play at the specified time and they each meet the level requirement. Mike has agreed to host as the dungeon master and has an adventure ready that matches the description originally posted by Rafael. They agree to play through discord, and now the stage is set, they are ready to play.   In the job board discord channel there will occasionally be quests posted by NPCs. These quests will state the level of the encounter, a general description of what's required to complete the quest, and a key word that denotes how long the quest will take to complete. See the chapter on key words to find each one and their definition. Players are welcome to sign up for these quests and decide amongst themselves when they are able to get together.   In this style of play the open world is ever changing. Time will pass as days, months and even years go by in game time. As players explore the world they will find that their actions have an impact on the world around them. If Rafael and his party find the bandits and clear them out of their hideout, a new group of players could go the the same place next week and find that an entirely new adventure awaits them. Maybe a tribe of goblins has moved in, or something more dangerous like a troll or a dragon.    Sometimes players can stumble across an encounter that is beyond their level. They are encouraged to retreat, document where on the map they encountered this threat, and either return after they have gained a few levels or allow another party of heroes to take on the challenge.   Difficulty is made to scale up the farther out from the quest hub players explore. Adventures had within or near the town will be relatively safer than those taking place father away. Players can also find pockets of danger. That is to say a dangerous area in an otherwise less threatening area. If players stumble across a pocket of danger, it is their choice to explore. They will not be chased by a powerful monster if they choose to leave.   I hope that this has answered any questions that you have about this play style. For a more detailed explanation, click on the link below to watch the YouTube video by Matthew Colville.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGAC-gBoX9k