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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DeviousQuail" data-source="post: 8377439" data-attributes="member: 7025431">A different system than D&D but I played in a west marches-esque game a long time ago that had a very Stargate feel to it. We were exploring the bones of an old empire and the number one priority at all times was to find the teleportation gates and getting the "address" to allow travel deeper into the continent. Overland travel was an absolute pain due to the vastness of the land, unforgiving environment, and plethora of magical dead zones. Each adventure (1 to 2 sessions) would start with us teleporting to a region with some kind of mission. The DM, an absolute madman and inspiration, would sprinkle each mission with hidden lore and objects that tied into other missions/regions in really fun ways. They were usually bits of maps, logs and journals dropping hints about research and experiments, or "keys" that would open up new adventures. Everything was compiled upon our return for use in future sessions. I remember the map was less to scale and more of a general guideline as to what each region had going on. My takeaways for world building:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Having a method of quickly returning home is nice, but make sure that method has a real cost. Each teleportation required us to power up the gates and those power stones required a lot of money. While it doesn't have to be money, it sure does help incentivize bringing back things of value. For 5e I'd suggest an increased cost to the teleportation circle spell based on distance.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Maps are cool, make one. Just don't try to fill it all in ahead of time. You never know what you or your players might want to add down the road. A few points of interest spread out with a bunch of empty space to be filled in later works.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The home town/base/ship/etc should feel alive and grow in a way to reflect the players adventures. Not much more than a passing fancy or your players might never leave!</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">As a DM you should know exactly why this area is so devoid of civilization. The players can have an idea but not the nitty-gritty details. It gives a bit of mystery that you can choose to unfold in bits and pieces over time. False flags and multiple versions of events can muddy the waters a bit and make for interesting notes for other groups. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The DM had a list of potential missions for us that grew over time. Every time we finished one we'd have at least two new ones. I don't know what his system was but after a while he'd declare certain missions were completed by NPCs and were no longer available in order to thin things out. Looking back, I'm 99% sure he just recycled them while giving the impression of change.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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