Barking Alien's RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE! Day 7

Day 7 - Weather

Day 7-What's the weather like today?
Is there a particular climate or weather that's prominent in the region of the campaign? Does it vary? What is it like and how bad does it get?

Photo by Péter Kövesi

Elowen's Journal

"I have learned that the weather in West Haven is not something you check. It is something you listen to.

I feel the seasons in my bones now. Autumn hums, like the air itself is quietly singing. Spells settle more easily then, and even the ghosts seem more alert, as if they are paying attention again. Winter presses inward. Snow piles high against doors and windows, and everything turns quiet and close. Summer storms tear through the sky with no warning, stripping away weak wards and careless protections as if the land itself is reminding us not to be lazy. The weather here is never just background. It participates.

I love the storms best. Doireann always tries to drag me outside to dance barefoot in the rain, laughing like she is daring the sky to strike her. Most of the time, she can only convince Aisling to join her. I usually watch them laughing outside, from under the eaves, feeling the thunder roll through me anyway. Amaranth complains about the cold from Samhain until nearly Midsummer, while Grýlka thrives in it, claiming the snow makes everything honest. You can barely get Esmé away from her garden in the spring. I think she missed her calling as a druid. Larina is...radiant, resplendent in the autumn. Everyone has a season they belong to. I am still figuring out which one is mine."

Designer's Notes

I never wanted West Haven to exist in a single mood. A place that is always sunny or always bleak becomes flat very quickly, both in fiction and at the table. West Haven needed seasons that mattered. Winters that isolate. Springs that promise too much. Summers that remind you how fragile your preparations are. Autumns that feel heavy with magic and consequence.

From a practical standpoint, I draw inspiration from a mix of sources, including the Haven boxed set, various city supplements like those from RuneQuest, and real-world climate patterns. Sometimes, honestly, I just cheat and use whatever the weather is outside and let that be West Haven’s weather for the day. It keeps the setting grounded and unpredictable. Mechanically and narratively, seasonal shifts affect spellcasting, rituals, and ghost activity, reinforcing the idea that magic in West Haven responds to the world rather than ignoring it. The weather here is not favorable. It is part of play.

Join Adam Dickstein of Barking Alien, and his RPG CAMPAIGN TOUR CHALLENGE 2026!