Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Here’s a structured review you can share with other players and Game Masters about Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, based on my understanding of the adventure. Feel free to adjust based on your own experiences: --- Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden – Review Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) Game Style: Horror, Survival, Mystery, Exploration Session Duration: Medium to Long-Term Campaign (Levels 1-12) Pros: ✅ Atmospheric and Immersive Setting – The adventure does a fantastic job of capturing the isolation, mystery, and harsh survival aspects of Icewind Dale. The frozen wastelands feel alive with danger, superstition, and secrets. ✅ Nonlinear Structure – Unlike many D&D campaigns that follow a strict path, Rime of the Frostmaiden allows for a lot of freeform exploration. Towns, wilderness, and dungeons can be tackled in different orders, making it a flexible experience for both players and DMs. ✅ Horror and Mystery Elements – This adventure leans into the horror and paranoia themes, making it stand out from standard high-fantasy campaigns. The sense of something lurking beneath the ice, the unnatural darkness, and the creeping cold all contribute to a unique atmosphere. ✅ Memorable NPCs and Encounters – From the Ten-Towns to the lost city of Ythryn, the adventure introduces a variety of interesting NPCs, terrifying monsters, and thrilling moments. The duergar threat, the Frostmaiden herself, and the ancient Netherese magic provide a great mix of foes and challenges. Cons: ❄️ Uneven Pacing – The first half of the campaign, which focuses on the Ten-Towns and their troubles, feels different from the second half, which becomes more of a high-fantasy dungeon crawl with Netherese ruins. Some players love this shift, while others feel it changes the tone too much. ❄️ Survival Mechanics Could Be More Robust – While the book introduces cold-weather survival rules, they don’t feel as impactful as they could be. Many groups house-rule additional survival mechanics to make the cold feel like a more persistent threat. ❄️ The Frostmaiden Feels Distant – Auril is presented as the major villain, but her presence is somewhat inconsistent. She’s terrifying when she shows up, but DMs may need to adjust her involvement to keep her relevant throughout the adventure. ❄️ Some Locations Need More Work – The final chapter in Ythryn is visually striking but can feel like a traditional dungeon crawl rather than a climatic, otherworldly ruin. DMs might need to add some tension and stakes to make it feel like a true conclusion to the adventure. DM Tips: Lean Into Horror and Isolation – Use sound effects, descriptions, and time pressure to make players feel the harshness of Icewind Dale. Adjust the Pacing – Some sections may need trimming or expanding based on your table’s preferences. Make Auril an Active Villain – Adding more direct encounters or cultist activity can make her presence feel more impactful. Enhance Survival Challenges – Consider adding more consequences for lack of preparation, like frostbite, blizzards, or resource scarcity. Final Thoughts: Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is a fantastic campaign for groups that enjoy survival horror, mystery, and nonlinear exploration. While it has some pacing and narrative gaps, a creative DM can make it an unforgettable experience. Would recommend for DMs who enjoy tweaking adventures to fit their table’s playstyle!

The eternal night in Icewind Dale is more than just cold—it’s isolation, paranoia, and creeping dread. Every session feels like a desperate fight for survival. The sandboxy game structure lets players shape their own story. The final act delivers something truly otherworldly. Few 5E campaigns capture bleak survival this effectively!

Rime of the Frost Maiden is truly a fun campaign, from both a DM and a Player perspective. It is a gritty thriller which can lead you to some of the darkest places in Icewind Dale. Players will find themselves thrown into mystery after mystery and the ire of the very gods themselves in a land where survival is questionable and winter is forever. Dungeon Masters will find a truly complete module that gives them options every step of the way to guide their players along a path that will be unique to each individual party that they guide along. From start to finish this campaign will keep players on the edge of their seats and give DMs a truly fun running experience!

With the exception of the very first quest not being quite clear what it's meant to achieve, the first half of this adventure is undoubtedly 5 star. Its a fantastic sand box with a great range of adventures to suit all tastes. The second half, after the players return from Auril's fortress feels disconnected from the rest of the adventures tone. That is not in anyway to take away from the actual content, this is actually still very good. It just feels very forced, anticlimactic and disjointed as presented. As a GM, I would recommend you find an excuse to run the last two chapters before you run the central chapter. If you can, this would be a five star adventure.

I've ran Curse of Strahd, Keys from the Golden Vault, Candlekeep Mysteries and Waterdeep Dragonheist. This is by far my favourite module. It has a great setting with awesome history. It has horror and isolation themes, as well as some more light hearted adventures within. From the Ten Towns to Ythryn, everything fits together well. The character secrets included in the module are also top notch, and provide excellent role play opportunities. There's also space for the DM to move things around, or alter them entirety to fit your party. 10/10, will run again.

This is a fantastic module for a thriller, isolation campaign, I run 2 concurrent campaigns in the world of Icewind Dale, and its been a really fun experience, granted, this module leaves alot for the DM to fill the gaps, and can feel abit more sandboxy for players. Other than that, it is a fantastic module that really deals with some dark themes and using the elements as a challenge for players has been a fun experience.