Realism? Are you sure?

   We're going to swap out duties this weekend and I'm going to do an extra installment of the game, I think. The GM that I swap out with, who has a Deadlands game, is going to be gone on Sunday. Ah when Life intrudes,,
But I'm thinking I add a bit of realism to the campaign. Last time, the crew started a big bonfire to distract a large work crew of Orcs, Ogres and Worgs. The question was, how dense was the undergrowth and was it green enough to start a fire. I really only made a wire-frame of the world and filled in more and more as I localized where the characters are at. So deciding about the foliage in that area was left off my to-do list.
     Now you may think, Dude, that is a bit too nitpicky! But I think weather is pretty crucial in a campaign. Don't you in real life have blah days, where the clouds are everywhere and there is a cold drizzle. Then you think, I would rather stay in bed or go to a coffee shop and read a book or something diverting. What would characters do if they encountered blah days? A big part of the flavor in this world is that an Ice age is coming and the characters are in the "North".  When I think of Norse I think of bitterly cold, wet weather, and blazing fires in halls with warm drinks and barmaids.
     So I've decided to "cheat" once again and found a website that has weather history called the Weather Underground. You pick the location, year and month and it tells you temp, winds, precipitation, wind direction, etc. Everything you need to know. Best thing is that you can download it to a CSV and put in a spreadsheet. Now I just have to read off the spreadsheet what the weather is like for that day!
     I've also used Google earth to find the topographical layout of the area they are in. They are going to assault a fort of Orcs, but I couldn't find the perfect fort location. So I found my own area. It maybe nitpicky but I think it will add a Great deal to the game's realism on Sunday.
Wish me Luck!