Winter Solstice 2011 at Stonehenge

Does the calendar in your game year mean anything?  It should.  In pre-industrial societies, the cycle of the seasons and the turn of the year were important in the lives of everyone.  In our “disenchanted” modern world, we pay little attention to the seasons for their own sake, but more as markers of other events and matters of concern.  So there’s an opportunity in fantasy roleplaying to re-enchant our world – just a little – not for the sake of superstition, but to reconnect with the world around us.  So add some awareness of time into your game – make that calendar matter for holidays, for the waxing and waning of magical, mysterious and divine forces.  At the same time, go outside and see the daylight begin to lengthen once again, and marvel at the amazing thing that is our world.

Happy Solstice!