It may keep like ages ago, but it was just the early months of the summer when rumors began to swirl about a Dungeons and Dragons adventure book that would take Forgotten Realms players to the far north of Icewind Dale. A few weeks later Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden was confirmed as a new modern horror-themed campaign book that uses the classic Drizzt location, but draws more inspiration from psychological horror like The Thing. It's an interesting pitch for a DnD book and after months of waiting, it is finally time for players to head north and begin the new adventure.
Rime of the Frostmaiden released last night at midnight on DnD Beyond (hopefully everyone who wanted the DnD Beyond digital pre-order bonuses got their orders in on time) and should be available in local game shops today, as well. The new book boasts seven chapters plus a ton of extras and is full of thrilling adventures and challenges to take a party of players from level 1 all the way up to around level 12 if they take time to explore the many side quests and optional challenges available. There's a ton to dig into with this massive book, so Dungeons and Dragons DMs have some serious homework to do this week.
The new campaign book borrows some organization and structure strategies from the popular Essentials Kit, but obviously provides a ton more content. Some of the most interesting features include the character secrets which are distributed during character creation or right before the first session begins and a ton of new environmental encounters that will try to capture exactly how dangerous it is to travel around an area like Icewind Dale. The seemingly never ending winter is a deadly obstacle and the whole environment is out to get the players. It's unclear if this adventure will be as prone to total party kills as some of the other challenging 5e adventures, but players should definitely be cautious as they head out into the wild and begin uncovering dark secrets in the cold.
Shoppers interested in picking up the Icewind Dale adventure can expect to drop about $49.95 on the physical edition of the hardcover. Keep in mind that there are two covers available, so double check your local game shop to see which ones are in stock.
Now that Rime of the Frostmaiden is in the wild, players can start looking forward to the final DnD book of 2020: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. This book will be the largest optional rules expansion to 5e Dungeons and Dragons since Xanathar's Guide to Everything and is fully stocked with new subclasses, a new system for handling the controversial racial abilities in the game, and tons of DM resources like new puzzles and options for handling magical environments. Tasha's Cauldron will arrive a bit closer to the holiday season, in late November, so that gives players plenty of time to play through Rime of the Frostmaiden while they wait.
Dungeons and Dragons: Icewind Dale Rime of the Frostmaiden releases everywhere on September 15, 2020.