[RPG] How to make weather an important part of the game

gm-techniquessystem-agnosticweather

We're starting up a dark ages fantasy game, using some homebrew rules similar to D&D.

As the GM, how can I make weather an important part of the game?

To be clear, I'm not trying to just toss in random weather details that the players will ignore. If I say at the start of each game day that it's "partly cloudy" or "lightly raining", they'll all just ignore it, because it doesn't matter to them. What can I do to make weather really make a difference?

Best Answer

Weather affects the overall atmosphere in the game. To make it relevant, work it into the descriptions of places the PCs visit, people they meet, and challenges they face. Here are just some examples:

Rain

  • A street peddler offers them umbrellas
  • Flash-flooding forces a detour, or makes the party wagon get stuck
  • Most flying and land-dwelling animals seek shelter. Random encounters are more likely to come from swimming creatures that dwell in swamps or shallow water
  • Tracking is easier in muddy terrain
  • A dam bursts, and the villagers need the party's help mending it
  • People in the city are grumpier, and tend to stay indoors
  • Travel is more difficult

Snow

  • A blizzard causes the mountain pass to close, forcing the party to wait or detour
  • Snow and wind conditions limit visibility, affecting the PCs' perception, and make it harder for them to shoot arrows
  • Tracking is easier initially, but tracks are covered up after a while
  • Houses have angled rooftops, to limit snow accumulation and prevent collapse
  • The roof of an abandoned building caves in from the weight of snow on top of it
  • Magical creatures that resist cold use the storm as cover to hunt the party
  • Party members might be in danger of freezing, if they stay out too long
  • It's tough to start a fire, hunt game, or catch fish
  • People in the city are grumpier, and tend to stay indoors
  • Travel is more difficult
  • Travelers in sunny arctic terrain who aren't wearing protective gear can be afflicted with snow blindness.

Drought

  • There's been a long dry spell, so water is rationed. The party has to pay a fee to the township if they want to refill their waterskins here.
  • Crops are suffering. People are hungry, and banditry is on the rise
  • An errant fireball causes fire to spread quickly through the forest

...you get the idea. Weather can be used as a random encounter modifier, dice modifier, atmospheric flavor bit, or even a plot hook.

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