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JNAProductions
2020-05-06, 03:03 PM
I've heard this phrase bandied about, but what exactly is it? How does one prep for it? Is it viable in all (or at least many) systems?

kyoryu
2020-05-06, 03:07 PM
http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/78/grand-experiments-west-marches/

JNAProductions
2020-05-06, 03:09 PM
http://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/78/grand-experiments-west-marches/

Thanks for the link! :)

kyoryu
2020-05-06, 03:18 PM
It should answer most of your questions.

The one thing it doesn't answer is how applicable it is to other systems. I think it'd work reasonably well for most traditional(ish) games. It's actually very similar to how the original D&D games were run (like, in Lake Geneva) except that those were more focused on a single giant dungeon that realistically you didn't "clear out".

I'd avoid that type of structure for games where there's a heavier assumption that the game is revolving around the PCs... games where, for instance, PC relationships to various NPCs are mechanized in various ways (think GURPS and Dependents, for instance) I think are less ideal, and certainly it's not a great fit for most "narrative" games.

I do think a game like this is also made better by some kind of exploration reward - this was why old school D&D awarded xp for gp found. It turns the game from "wander around and beat up stuff" to "be clever, and figure out how to get the treasure while minimizing reward". A game that did the same but was centered around finidng artifacts, etc., could be an interesting way of modernizing that. Still give exp for combat, but have the most exp given out for finding artifacts of a previous civilization or whatever.

JNAProductions
2020-05-06, 03:19 PM
Well, I've been hankering for some D&D 4E, but I figured it'd be good info for more than just that, so I asked out here.

kyoryu
2020-05-06, 03:34 PM
I think it'd be fine for D&D4e. 4e is less strict about requiring specific roles, so the ad hoc nature of party makeup would be less of an issue.

Figuring out short/long rests might be interesting.

I think I'd look at some way of bringing some kind of objective/exploration experience back in, personally, but overall I think it would be fine.

Yora
2020-05-06, 05:02 PM
It certainly isn't about the PCs and their personal stories. It's more about enjoying the moments as crazy stuff happens, and about discovering the game world. Characters come and go, often permanently. Nobody is the hero, and generally there is no goal in sight. It's really for campaigns that are about the place, not about the people.

Other than that, it basically is just an ordinary sandbox campaign, with all the stuff that comes with it.

kyoryu
2020-05-06, 05:03 PM
It certainly isn't about the PCs and their personal stories. It's more about enjoying the moments as crazy stuff happens, and about discovering the game world. Characters come and go, often permanently. Nobody is the hero, and generally there is no goal in sight. It's really for campaigns that are about the place, not about the people.

Other than that, it basically is just an ordinary sandbox campaign, with all the stuff that comes with it.

Except self-organized by the players, and without a single canonical party.

Tanarii
2020-05-06, 07:26 PM
https://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/17308/roleplaying-games/hexcrawl

It also works great for open table games

Edit: Personally wouldn't try it with 4e though. That's not what 4e is really designed for.

Democratus
2020-05-07, 01:26 PM
If had some difficulties with 5e and hex crawl / west marches. Primarily with abilities that make it impossible to get lost.

Nothing that can't be fixed with a house rule or two.

If you have a large pool of potential players, West Marches (jazz band style play) is a great solution.

Yora
2020-05-07, 01:34 PM
Yes. The ranger class in D&D 5th edition is incompatible with wilderness campaigns. It's the one class that is not playable in my campaign.

Elves
2020-05-08, 02:00 AM
Yes. The ranger class in D&D 5th edition is incompatible with wilderness campaigns. It's the one class that is not playable in my campaign.

That's kind of an interesting lesson though. If you want a class to specialize in one part of the game, having them simply trivialize that part of the game can be counterproductive.

Yora
2020-05-08, 07:04 AM
At first level the ranger gets an ability that makes all possible routes equally fast and you no longer need to bother with navigation. If you know where you want to go, you can automatically get there in a straight line. You also find more food if you look for it, so there's less chance of running out, and there's reduced chance of getting surprised.

It only applies to your favored terrain, but in most cases you know in advance if something like 90% of the wilderness in your campaign will be forest, desert, or arctic.

That is if you go by the book. The revised ranger that was supposed to "fix" the class dropped favored terrain and just gives you all those bonuses in all wilderness. It's a bit like a rogue ability that say "wherever you go, you will find all locks already unlocked and all traps already disarmed". Have fun being a master thief.