In “How I Take Session Notes,” I talk about the different ways I keep track of campaign events. One of those ways is a campaign timeline, which summarizes what happened on each in-game day in the campaign. This helps us remember our character’s perspective of time passing (common example: “I’ve only known my party members for a month and a half but I Would Die For Them”).

Keeping track of time is also a valuable tool for DMs! You can use the time of year to inform your descriptions of the world around your players.

What season is it, right now, for your player characters? Does the new growth of spring encourage them as they set out on their quest? Will the heat of summer bear down on them as they make their way on the road? Or will the coolness of autumn send a pleasant breeze their way? Does winter bring snow in your world?

Does your campaign world even have all four seasons? How does the weather change as the year progresses?

Certain times of year in your world might also bring different festivals, feast days, holidays, etc. to cities and towns your adventurers will visit. Consider how clerics, warlocks, or other characters in the service of higher powers might be affected when those higher powers’ festivals roll around? Will they grow stronger around that time? Will those powers encourage them to visit towns that celebrate their presence?

What about meteor showers, eclipses, and other unusual sky-related phenomena? How do the people of your campaign world react to these things? Do they relate them to certain deities or other powers?

Various weather conditions and the seasons can ground your descriptions and remind the players that their characters exist in a world. Holidays and astronomical events can add some flair to your campaign, reminding the players that this world is different but not entirely divergent from our own.