There are over two dozen official Dungeons and Dragons adventures available for DMs and players to delve into currently, and they're available both online and in book format through many gaming and book stores. The adventure modules differ from sourcebooks in that they walk the DM through guiding players through a specifically delineated adventure, although DMs are free to take liberties at their discretion. Dungeons and Dragons' Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is the newest of these adventures, and it takes players to the Far North explored in R. A. Salvatore's Drizzt Do'Urden books.
This Dungeons and Dragons adventure has been out for a bit less than a month, which is plenty of time for many DMs who pre-ordered the book to delve into the mystery with their players. DnD is a game that rewards long-term planning and plot development, and Icewind Dale helps DMs do that by providing tons of details and helpful info boxes. The book as a whole is incredibly streamlined, and although it may not be exactly what first-time DMs want, Dungeon Masters with a bit more experience under their belts will find that the whole adventure set-up is on their side.
The adventure is complex, and the book has plenty of twists that make it clear that players will be hard-pressed to find two identical Icewind Dale campaigns. Its character secrets feature is a great prototype for many campaigns, and DMs may find themselves inspired to write their own secrets that players can implement into homebrews or other adventures and sourcebooks. One campaign may have a cannibalistic pirate who knows the location of a particular ship that the players need to find, for example, while other parties without someone holding that secret will have to go an alternate route to find the ship.
The setting itself is very well-defined, and Icewind Dale's Ten-Towns all have their own flavor and an accompanying quest. The two starting quests, for example, can take place in any town but have very different themes. Both are designed for level one characters and are much simpler, but the Cold-Hearted Killer quest is darker in town and can involve combat, while the Nature Spirits quest is more light-hearted and focuses on creative problem-solving. It's great that DMs have the option to choose either quest to either ease their players into the upcoming horror, or to kick off the tone with combat for a group that enjoys that.
Icewind Dale is a modern horror-themed adventure, and some groups will have different tastes regarding how much suspense or gore they like or are comfortable with. The book specifically asks DMs to "handle horror responsibly," and gives pointers as to how DMs can have conversations with their players about what appeals to them in-game and what makes them feel uncomfortable roleplaying. This is part of a growing movement for official DnD materials to reflect real-world sensitive topics like race and individuals' limits. While many DMs can take an extra step in finding online resources like the X-Card to keep their games safe, it's great to see WOTC trending in this direction.
The artwork throughout the book helps set the tone and mood, by portraying twinkling Northern lights, desolate tundras, and snowy towns in a way that will help DMs and players feel more immersed in the story. There are also maps in the back that portray Icewind Dale itself, and a more detailed look at the Ten-Towns. Players have the option of getting to know all of these towns well, although they may only end up choosing some. The book provides resources for all options, creating a very customizable and detailed resource for the participants.
Some DMs and parties prefer milestone-based leveling, while others prefer gaining level-ups through experience. The Icewind Dale book trends toward the former and clearly tells players how they can level up after the starting quests. It also includes an Adventure Flowchart that provides a short blurb on each chapter and what level players can expect to be at while playing.
Like all good Dungeons and Dragons adventures, Icewind Dale has a number of appendices and references, including trinkets, character secrets, creatures, and magic in the setting. There's even an appendix for the in-universe poem entitled "The Rime of the Frostmaiden," which describes the titular big bad. There are also references for Icewind Dale's magic items, books, and wizard spells. Add to that all the stat blocks sprinkled throughout, and DMs have an easier time than ever accessing the mechanical information they need to run the campaign.
Overall, this is a very thoughtfully put-together book, and although all the detail and intricacies can seem overwhelming at first, it's actually a very streamlined adventure that is accessible to many levels of experience types for DMs. Whether DMs take the campaign as it is or move Icewind Dale into other settings, the entire adventure is designed to create complex adventures easily tailored to individual players and parties.
Some groups may lean into the horror and paranoia elements and create a truly chilling, tense experience, while other groups may go for more of a casual adventure that shies away from high suspense or graphic descriptions. The great thing about the adventure is that it makes both options very possible, and anything in between. Although video game DnD experiences like Baldur's Gate 3 may be more up some players' alley, good old-fashioned tabletop adventures (or Zoom calls) will always be accessible with adventures as intriguing as Icewind Dale.
Dungeons and Dragons: Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is available to play now.