When September rolls around, Dungeons and Dragons players are going to have a brand new adventure setting to play through. That means that a lot of DMs with be doing everything they can to prep for Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (which was revealed during today's DnD Live event) in the months that lead up to the hardcover's official launch.
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden takes players to the frigid north of the Forgotten Realms to explore the iconic setting made famous by Drizzt and the Drow's party of companions. Despite the shared setting, this Dungeons and Dragons adventure, which takes place roughly 100 years after the events of the Icewind Dale trilogy, is very different and leans into a modern horror aesthetic and themes.
Unlike 5e's other incredibly popular horror-themed adventure, Curse of Strahd, this adventure leans into modern-horror tropes instead of gothic horror. That means that a lot of the inspiration behind the themes and the plot hooks may be a a lot more familiar to some players than those found in Curse - and they'll be a little easier to research as well.
As the team behind Rime of the Frostmaiden was writing the adventure, they turned to many classic horror stories that focus on a brutal environment, isolation, and paranoia to find inspiration. During a recent press event that Game Rant attended, some of the creators behind the upcoming book listed off a few of the movies, TV shows, and books that they turned to while writing this massive adventure. For DMs who want to get a jumpstart on the general feel of Icewind Dale and begin getting in the right mindset for running this sort of adventure, it might be a good idea to revisit these movies, episodes, and stories while waiting for the book to release.
What is Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden?
"Adventure to Icewind Dale, the beloved setting made famous by Drizzt Do’Urden and the Companions of the Hall and experience D&D in a way that you’ve never seen before.
This tale of dark terror revisits the forlorn, flickering candlelights of civilization known as Ten-Towns and sheds light on the many bone-chilling locations that surround these frontier settlements. A thrilling Dungeons & Dragons adventure for characters of levels 1–12."
In short, Icewind Dale is an upcoming adventure for D&D that takes players to the iconic Icewind Dale location made famous years ago by Drizzt and the R.A. Salvatore series of novels. This adventure takes place 100 years after Drizzt and his party became legends, but there will likely be some fun nods and easter eggs for fans of the original novels and adventures.
Before diving into the recommendations, let's just give a quick overview of the new adventure before going much further.
John Carpenter's The Thing
When it comes to paranoia-filled wintery horror stories, John Carpenter's The Thing pretty much sets the standard. This film does a great job examining how secrets can tear a group apart and destroy trust and also helps shine a spotlight on how dangerous things can feel when a group is cut off from big cities or the rest of their society. The Thing came up multiple times while the DnD team was explaining Rime of the Frostmaiden, so it seems like it was clearly a pretty big thematic influence.
At the Mountains of Madness
For those who have never read the frozen horror-themed Lovecraft novella, now may be the perfect time. This is another title that came up during conversations with the D&D team about inspirations for Rime of the Frostmaiden and the connections seem very obvious. We won't get into spoiler territory, but there's some fantastic inspiration that DMs can pull from this classic.
X-Files: Ice
Although D&D is fantasty-based, there is definitely a lot of isolation horror inspiration that can be drawn from science-fiction. The first season of X-Files contains a fantastic episode, titled "Ice", that sends the pair of investigators and their team to a research facility in Alaska. Things quickly start to go wrong and some familiar tropes are introduced in very unique ways. Definitely check out this standalone episode to get some additional ideas for setting the right tone for your Icewind Dale adventure.
Alien
Another example from the science-fiction genre, Alien introduces many of the same themes that each of the previous examples does. The isolation and paranoia are definitely constant points of tension throughout the horror film and the looming threat of a powerful monster lurking in the shadows is a fantastic parallel to a DnD encounter.
The Crystal Shard
Although this final example doesn't quite play around with the same themes that Rime of the Frostmaiden is going to, there is definitely a benefit to understanding the history of Icewind Dale. DMs who want to do a serious amount of homework can read the full Icewind Dale trilogy to learn everything about the adventures that Drizzt and the Drow's companions experienced in that location 100 years before Rime of the Frostmaiden takes place.
There are going to be a lot of other details about Icewind Dale and other upcoming D&D products dropping throughout the rest of the DnD Live 2020 event, so be sure to stay tuned and check back for additional news. Be sure to check back in the near future for more Dungeons and Dragons news, updates, and strategy guides. Until then, roll well, adventurers!
Dungeons and Dragons: Icewind Dale Rime of the Frostmaiden releases everywhere on September 15, 2020.