Tracking Player Impact: Tools for Managing a West Marches Campaign in Greyhawk
Running a West Marches campaign comes with an exciting challenge: keeping track of player actions and how they shape the world. In the Common Ground Guild of Greyhawk, where multiple adventuring groups explore the same shared setting, maintaining a dynamic and evolving campaign is crucial.
To ensure consistency, we use Obsidian Portal for world-building and adventure logs and Discord for ongoing discussions, scheduling, and player coordination. Below, we’ll explore the tools and strategies we use to track player impact in a West Marches Greyhawk campaign, making it feel alive and responsive.
Why Tracking Matters in a West Marches Campaign
Unlike a traditional campaign where a single party follows a linear storyline, a West Marches campaign is an open-world sandbox where players choose their own adventures. This means:
- Player actions alter the world for future adventurers.
- Information gathered by one group can benefit (or hinder) another.
- The world must remain consistent, even with different Dungeon Masters running games.
If one group clears out a dungeon, it shouldn’t be full of monsters again next week—unless, of course, something reclaimed it in their absence.
The Tools We Use for Tracking
1. Obsidian Portal: The Living Campaign Log
Obsidian Portal is our primary campaign tracking tool. It serves as a persistent world database, allowing players and DMs to log important events, locations, and NPCs.
How We Use It:
- Adventure Logs: Each session gets a write-up, detailing major discoveries, battles, and consequences.
- World Encyclopedia: A growing reference for factions, locations, and key NPCs.
- Player Contributions: Players are encouraged to add journal entries, recording rumors or discoveries their characters made.
Example Entry:
Session 3: The Ruins of Castle Greyhawk
- Party discovered ancient teleportation glyphs in the lower levels.
- Left half of the dungeon unexplored—potential danger for future adventurers.
- *The Scarlet Brotherhood is rumored to be watching the ruins. Proceed with caution!
DMs running future sessions can reference this entry to ensure continuity.
2. Discord: The Campaign’s Living History
Our Discord server is the real-time hub for campaign discussion. Players use it to:
- Coordinate upcoming games and form adventuring parties.
- Debrief after sessions—sharing information, theories, and discoveries.
- Roleplay between sessions, keeping the world active even when we’re not at the table.
Example of Impact Tracking on Discord:
- A player posts a map update showing explored areas and discovered ruins.
- A DM announces rumors spreading in Greyhawk City about the party’s actions.
- A cleric roleplays with a temple NPC, gaining divine guidance for the next quest.
By keeping discussions active between sessions, players remain invested in the campaign world.
3. The Guild Log: A Shared World Ledger
To manage a West Marches campaign, we maintain a Guild Log—a master document where major world changes are recorded.
What Goes in the Guild Log?
- Faction Changes: If a group angers the thieves' guild, future players may be marked for retaliation.
- Dungeon Status Updates: If the Temple of Elemental Evil is raided, how does that affect the cults inside?
- Major NPC Developments: If a powerful wizard hires adventurers, does he rise in power or meet an untimely end?
We update this log weekly, ensuring every session’s impact is recorded for future adventurers.
Handling Player-Driven World Events
One of the biggest advantages of a West Marches campaign is the ability to let player actions change the world. Here’s how we track and implement lasting consequences:
1. Evolving Threat Levels
If a group fails to stop a growing orc warband, the next adventurers might find them stronger and more organized.
Example:
- Session 5: A party raids an orc hideout but retreats before eliminating the leader.
- Session 7: The orcs strike back, raiding a nearby village. The Guild must respond!
By escalating world events, we keep the setting dynamic and player-driven.
2. Persistent Player Influence
A hero’s reputation should matter. If a group steals from a noble, they might face bounty hunters later.
Example:
- A rogue named Darius betrays a merchant’s trust.
- The merchant places a Guild-wide bounty on him.
- Any player in the campaign can choose to hunt down Darius—or help him escape!
Resources for Tracking a West Marches Campaign
For DMs looking to run their own persistent-world campaign, here are some great resources:
- Obsidian Portal – Best for tracking campaign lore, NPCs, and player logs.
- Discord – Essential for real-time campaign updates and player coordination.
- Notion – A flexible alternative for organizing session notes and player contributions.
- World Anvil – Ideal for in-depth world-building and lore tracking.
- The Lazy Dungeon Master by Sly Flourish – Great advice on running flexible, player-driven campaigns.
Join the Adventure in the Common Ground Guild of Greyhawk!
With over 30 adventurers signed up, our West Marches campaign is shaping up to be an incredible player-driven experience. If you’re joining us for a scheduled Guild Day , you’ll be stepping into a world that reacts to your choices.
Make your mark on Greyhawk’s history—and don’t forget to log your adventures!
👉 Join the discussion on the Common Ground Games Discord and check out our Obsidian Portal page!