Rules

What is the West Marches?
The West Marches is a "common oneshot setting" – many diverse groups can play sessions in the same shared world. Since we can't seem to run a regularly scheduled game, The West Marches gives us a game we can fall back to.

Here are the rules for The West Marches:

Rule One: The Rest:
 * You are an adventurer because you feel a strong call in your bones to adventure. The boredom of a calm life doesn't appeal to you – you are driven to leave behind the safety of civilization and explore the wilds to make your name. Regardless of what drives you, you are driven. You choose where to go and what to do. There will be a handful of obvious choices, but you don't by any means need to take them. The adventure is in your hands.
 * Players can suggest or join sessions on an at-will basis. There is no assumed set party – characters can adventure in many different groups.
 * Each session is presumed to be self-contained. Players venture into the wild, find or are found by adventure, and return home each session.
 * New characters start at level 1. Characters keep whatever gold and XP they earn from session to session, and characters may (until further notice) group with other characters of any level.
 * Every character starts each session in Mastow. If characters have not returned home by the end of the session, they automatically return after play has ended.
 * Players are penalized a cost of 1GP/Lvl per mile they must travel back home after the end of a session.
 * The world of the West Marches persists beyond each session. If players have made a change in one session, other players will see that change if they follow the same path in a later session.
 * The town of Mastow is, for whatever reason, safe. Adventure is found beyond civilization's edge. Characters can rest here between sessions and come to no harm. Likewise, there is nothing of interest for you back in the Kingdom you came from. Adventure is found, here, in the wilds beyond.

Watches of the Day
The day is divided into 6 watches, each 4 hours long. They are:
 * Trence (2:00-6:00)
 * Etude (6:00-10:00)
 * Prime (10:00-14:00)
 * Second (14:00-18:00)
 * Tone (18:00-22:00)
 * Fete (22:00-2:00)

Travel
Traveling along roads is generally safer, and you'll be more likely to run into other travelers as well.

Tracks or trails tend to follow major features of the land, or use landmarks as guideposts. They're safer than the wilds, but not by much.

Traveling through the wilderness is often secluded, but can also be dangerous. You can also discover dramatic and exotic features of the wilderness by heading off the beaten path.

Speed of Travel
A character's speed describes movement in short-duration, life threatening situations. Here's how far characters can move over an extended period of time.

A standard travel day is 8 hours. Characters may engage in a Forced March to travel for longer, but at the end of each hour they must make a Constitution saving throw against exhaustion. Horses can only travel at a Fast pace on a road or trail. They can only sustain a Fast pace for a single watch before suffering a level of exhaustion. If they move at a Fast pace for a day, they must make a Constitution saving throw or die.

Navigation
Characters are capable of finding their way in the wilderness through features like the positioning of the sun, direction of the wind, flight patterns of birds, and other natural phenomena. They may also use local landmarks to guide themselves.

If the characters are traveling off of a road, track, or trail and they lack clear directions for where they're going, they must make a Survival check each watch to see if they head in the right direction. The odds can be modified in a few ways:

Searching for a Location
When characters have traveled to the approximate location of their destination but haven't found it yet, they must make a Perception check to locate it. This search takes 1 hour, and represents finding vantage points, scouting, looking for fine details mentioned, and other similar tactics.

Searching the Wilderness
The West Marches are a wild place, filled with danger and adventure. The wilderness hides its treasures well, but they are densely packed for those who know how to look.

Characters who choose to search the wilderness can stop making progress in order to explore nearby landmarks, tracks, trails, and other interesting features. For every watch spent this way, the players make an additional roll on the Discovery Chart to find what's hidden in the wilderness.

How far can I see?
Distance to the horizon is governed by your height, as follows.
 * * Mountains can be seen from 70 miles away