Appendices
Appendix A: Oracle Tables
Unified random tables drawn from all source systems, organized for quick reference during prep and play.
Oracle Tables
TODO: Terrain, weather, NPCs, motivations, complications, discoveries, dangers, treasures, names, rumors. Sources: Perilous Wilds, Ex Novo, Ex Umbra, Mythic GM Emulator
Appendix B: Solo Procedures
For when a DM wants to prep alone, or when the table experiments with DM-less play.
Solo Procedures
TODO: Oracle mechanics. Yes/No/And/But. Scene framing. When to generate vs. leave blank. DELVE/RISE solo modes. Sources: DELVE, RISE, Mythic GM Emulator, Ironsworn
Appendix C: Quick Reference
One-page summaries for use at the table: Session Zero Checklist, Settlement Quick-Gen, Wilderness Quick-Gen, Dungeon Quick-Gen, Quest Prep Checklist, Post-Session Checklist. (All pending.)
Appendix D: Source Systems
Credits and references to the games and books that make The Western Horizon possible.
Worldbuilding Systems
| System | Author | Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Microscope | Ben Robbins | History, Palette, Big Picture |
| Microscope Explorer | Ben Robbins | Chronicle (single-location history) |
| Kingdom | Ben Robbins | Community drama, Crossroads |
| Ex Novo | Shawn Tomkin (Exalted Funeral) | Settlement creation, factions |
| Ex Umbra | Shawn Tomkin (Exalted Funeral) | Dungeon creation from rumors |
| Beak, Feather & Bone | Tyler Crumrine | Building-scale locations, factions |
| Perilous Wilds | Jason Lutes | Wilderness, dangers, discoveries |
| Delve & Rise | Anna Blackwell | Solo dungeon/stronghold mapping |
| Hexmancer | Traverse Fantasy | Procedural hex terrain |
| Street Magic | Caro Asercion | Neighborhood/NPC relationships |
Play Structure & Philosophy
| Source | Author | Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Proactive Roleplaying | Jonah & Tristan Fishel | Goal-driven play, faction clocks, encounter design |
| Blades in the Dark | John Harper | Clock mechanics for faction tracking |
| West Marches | Ben Robbins (originator) | Open table structure, player-driven exploration |
Support These Creators
The Western Horizon is a framework for combining these excellent systems—it doesn’t replace them. Please purchase the original games to get the full procedures, tables, and insights.
Appendix E: Resources & Further Reading
Essential Reading
Start Here
These three resources form the conceptual foundation of The Western Horizon.
1. West Marches: The Campaign Structure
- What is West Marches? — westmarches.games/guide/what-is-west-marches
- Running West Marches — westmarches.games/guide/running-west-marches
2. Proactive Roleplaying: The Play Philosophy The Game Master’s Handbook of Proactive Roleplaying by Jonah and Tristan Fishel (Media Lab Books, 2023). Key concepts: goals over hooks, factions as opposition, clocks, encounter design.
Why This Book Matters
Traditional West Marches uses a GM-authored bulletin board of hooks. Proactive Roleplaying inverts this: players bring goals, factions provide opposition, and the GM creates obstacles rather than storylines.
3. Microscope: The Collaboration Model Microscope by Ben Robbins. Guiding principles: everyone is equal, don’t contradict established content, be specific, let others surprise you.
Collaborative Worldbuilding Games
Ben Robbins’ Games:
- Microscope — lamemage.com/microscope — Fractal history creation
- Microscope Explorer — lamemage.com/microscope-explorer — Single-location chronicles
- Kingdom — lamemage.com/kingdom — Community drama and crossroads
Shawn Tomkin’s Worldbuilding Games:
- Ex Novo — exaltedfuneral.com/products/ex-novo — Settlement creation
- Ex Umbra — exaltedfuneral.com/products/ex-umbra — Dungeon creation from rumors
Other Worldbuilding Games:
- Beak, Feather, & Bone — possible-worlds-games.itch.io/beak-feather-bone
- I’m Sorry Did You Say Street Magic — seaexcursion.itch.io/street-magic
- The Perilous Wilds — drivethrurpg.com (search: Perilous Wilds)
Solo & Hexcrawl Tools
- DELVE & RISE — blackwellwriter.com
- Mythic GME — wordmillgames.com/mythic-gme.html
- Ironsworn — ironswornrpg.com
- Hexmancer — traversefantasy.itch.io/hexmancer
- The Alexandrian Hexcrawl series — thealexandrian.net
Video Essays
Faction Design & Political Play:
- “Do You Want Political Games?” (Mystic Arts) — youtube.com/watch?v=Hnr6Mr1436M Essential video on the three-faction (good/bad/ugly) framework.
Campaign Management Tools
Wiki: Obsidian (obsidian.md), Notion (notion.so), World Anvil (worldanvil.com) Scheduling: Discord, Doodle/When2Meet, Notion/Airtable Maps: Hex Kit (cone.itch.io/hex-kit), Owlbear Rodeo (owlbear.rodeo), Dungeon Scrawl (dungeonscrawl.com)
Start Simple
You don’t need all these tools. Start with: (1) Discord for communication, (2) Obsidian for wiki, (3) The source games you’re actually using, (4) The Proactive Roleplaying book. Add tools as you discover what your table needs.