Weather in Campaigns

[Imaculata]

In my 3.5 pirate campaign I keep track of the weather very accurately. I use the weather tables from Storm Wrack, to keep track of wind strength, wind direction, temperatures and precipitation. I roll for it every day. I also keep track of the phases of the moon.



Its pretty important, because anything that approaches a storm can absolutely destroy the ship of the players. Then there's also my random encounter tables on top of that. I once rolled for a hurricane, and got an ill omen in the sky as well. That was like the worst combination possible, and it threw their ship onto the nearby rocks.

 

[howandwhy99]

I feel it's important to understand what "weather" is referring to on the game map.

In general I think folks mean: air temperature, air currents, water vapor clouds, precipitation, and (maybe) pollen, and tides. There's bound to be more, but that helps us understand what weather is and what will be related to the players when it changes.

My best advice?
--Don't tell the players the weather, tell them the climate--

Climate can be tracked and rarely changes. Changes occur when the players change climates. On the other hand, weather changes all the time. People are always talking about the weather because there's something new to talk about. And it's rarely worth noticing.

Momentous weather is really what matters. Random earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanic explosions, tidal waves, even high velocity wind storms and such are Events. They are on the DMs calendar map and arrive as determined by a climate game system and only told to the players if and when they are there (and then).

Rain, snow, cloudy, sunny, warm, hot, cold? These things do become important and should be tracked, but can be randomized just like any other abstraction (e.g. hitting). Seasonal changes are Climate Patterns always in effect and can be aggregated for easy answers. High and low tide too. Phases of the moon(s). The star field in the sky. Where the sun is. Is it light or dark? Your players want rain? Is the climate right for rain? If yes, it rains. If they need a sunny day, it's sunny. Spend the time allotment and move on.

On the other hand, magically created weather like Druid's Control Weather should be told to the players like any other magical effect. This means DMs will end up telling them those specifics they normally wouldn't. How there are no clouds in the sky. Rain hasn't let up all day. Even boring stuff like that, which is assumed under starting knowledge or long term observation (searching) of an area:

"Where you grew up has been generally warm and temperate with short winters and long summers. It rains considerably in the spring, but only occasionally snows. With all the regular weather fluctuations you'd expect. However, there is a volcano a few days walk away and it has a history of rumbling."

 

[pdzoch]

In my 3.5 pirate campaign I keep track of the weather very accurately. I use the weather tables from Storm Wrack, to keep track of wind strength, wind direction, temperatures and precipitation. I roll for it every day. I also keep track of the phases of the moon.

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Its pretty important, because anything that approaches a storm can absolutely destroy the ship of the players. Then there's also my random encounter tables on top of that. I once rolled for a hurricane, and got an ill omen in the sky as well. That was like the worst combination possible, and it threw their ship onto the nearby rocks.

I love the use of the Pirate Construction Card Game boats in this. I had not thought of that -- totally cool.

 

[Imaculata]

Thanks. We use the ships from the game Pirates of the Spanish Main. A friend of mine (and player in my group) happened to have a whole box of the things. They come in handy when illustrating naval battles.

 

[Schmoe]

Great thread. I think including weather, even mundane weather such as "slightly chilly, with a nip in the air and some high wispy clouds", can help set the mood and bring more presence to the environment. It doesn't have to be tracked extensively, and it doesn't have to be comprehensive, but just periodically acknowledged. A series of drizzly days can become a thread in the story all its own and has its own impact on a campaign, for example, by making a chase through the alley ways vastly different as the characters deal with puddles, slick cobblestones, and poor visibility. I usually avoid trying to tie weather to set-piece encounters. In fact, I usually avoid set-piece encounters entirely, as I prefer it when encounters evolve on their own from the setting, and weather is an important part of the setting.

The great thing about weather is that it doesn't take much preparation to bring it into the game, but it has a big impact on how immersive the campaign world is. As someone noted earlier, just the simple mention of falling snow when you enter a dungeon, followed by sunny skies and melting drifts when you exit the dungeon, can bring a sense of satisfaction or closure. It allows you to more easily picture your character moving through the world and being a part of the world. I recommend that DMs use it liberally with creative license for a wide variety of purposes: to set the mood, to breathe life into the world, to present environmental challenges to the party, and to pace the story.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Weather moves at the speed of plot.