D&D 5E Running Rime of the Frost Maiden

[aco175]

There is already a bunch of modules and things on DMsGuild that deal with the periphery of the main book. Things like Icewind Dale itself and new creatures and new rules and such. None is really cannon, but it may work for you.

 

[Ancalagon]

That doesn't bother me. I am running Avernus now and I am so far afield from the railroad plot presented that it doesn't matter anymore. These adventures are tools -- they provide a basic framework and a mountain of resources to tell a story that sort of looks like the back of the book text if you squint really hard. It took me a long time to learn it was okay to run adventures like that -- beinga homebrew DM for like 30 years -- but now that I have I can use the adventures as a foundation for a better game.

In that case, the more power to you! (but you might still find The Alexandrian's writing on it to be of use to you )

 

[Ringtail]

Not a podcast but the adventure Legacy of the Crystal Shard may be a good resource for this. Perhaps even the 4E Neverwinter campaign book too?

I second this, its a D&D Next Playtest adventure, that comes with a sizable gazetteer style book for Icewind Dale. I purchased the PDF on DriveThru before running Storm King's Thunder. Some of this information might well be reprinted or rewritten in the Frostmaiden book though. You can get the Icewind Dale maps from Mike Schley's Website.

I also like to point out that many books, artwork, etc depict Icewind Dale as just frozen ice all the time, but it's not. I'm not sure what time of year the new book will be set, it very well could be in the winter. But if you want to describe things differently, you can always present as a frigid tundra. Imagine the area around Whiterun in Skyrim or Boorean Tundra in World of Warcraft.

 

[Reynard]

There is already a bunch of modules and things on DMsGuild that deal with the periphery of the main book. Things like Icewind Dale itself and new creatures and new rules and such. None is really cannon, but it may work for you.

I picked up the Player's Primer and Encounters so far, just to get in the mood as it were.

 

[MarkB]

I decided I was definitely going to be running Rime of the Frostmaiden for my next campaign. I am running it biweekly via Fantasy grounds, for reference.

Anyway, i thought we could start a thread ahead of its release to talk about prepping for running Rime (RotFM? What are we going with here?) and then keep it going as we run it. Obviously, this will be a spoilery thread.

So, initially, i am wondering what resources i should look at for both the setting -- Icewind Dale -- and the titular Frostmaiden. I am primarily familiar with Icewind Dale by way of the old CRPGs. I may replay at least the first one prior to release, but it depends on time. I probably won't have time to read any novels. What resources -- including good podcasts and videos -- do you recommend for starting to understand the location, lore and particulars?

Thanks for starting this thread. I'm going to be running the campaign via Roll20 from October, so I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it.

So far, I'm planning on putting together a few assets on Roll20 - mainly maps of the Ten Towns region, and any individual town maps or images I can find, plus the images from the book that have been previewed so far. I'm not too familiar with Forgotten Realms, so I'll probably read up on the region, but I'm not too worried about perfectly recapturing it.

 

[Reynard]

There's a new preview up at IGN.com focusing on the first few pages of Chapter 1.

One interesting element is that it seems 5E adventures are abandoning the idea of counting XP entirely, based on the method of advancement presentedhere. Even in what appears to be a pretty wide sandbox, they are using milestone leveling.

I won't be. I am excited to count XP again after milestoning Avernus.

 

[TheSword]

It depends a lot on how much prep you want to do and if you plan on starting as soon as the book is released. A few resources I might consider.

• The computer game Icewind Dale Enhanced Edition, it’s on iOS and a lot of fun.
• The 3e source book Frostburn is excellent.

To be honest a lot will depend on the tone of the adventure and what it features. If Ilithids have a heavy presence the Illithiad sourcebook or Lords of Madness may come in handy.

 

[TheSword]

My advice to you is wait 2 years, then run it.

Why wait 2 years? Because someone will fix it for you!

A lot of the adventure paths have significant structural problems. For example, from the excellent Alexandrian:


(skipping ahead)



Does that sound like a good adventure to you? It does not to me. However the basic adventure premise is such a cool concept! What to do? Well he fixed it

Remixing Avernus – Part 6: The Rest of the Remix

Go to Table of ContentsAs the PCs leave Elturel, I think the time has come to take a step back and look at the big picture: They’re in Avernus now. So what are they trying to do, exactly?Thi

thealexandrian.net

He's done the same for a few others of the adventure path. I know others have written guidance on how to run the other adventure paths. This is a great resource. But it won't be available immediately to you. Just be patient

I don’t need someone else to fix simple things like a plot hook. I certainly don’t need to wait 2 years to have a stab at it. There are plenty of resources in Avernus to set people off in whichever direction they want. It is as railroady as people make it.

Every published campaign needs tailoring to your own group. Paizo APs were far far more railroady than these campaigns and yet are lauded as some of the best-in-class.

I do agree there are excellent resources for the campaigns though, that add or change elements. I find DMs Guild a great resource, particularly some of the ‘approved’ writers picked by WOC. Also forums and running-X-threads like this one.

 

[Reynard]

Every published campaign needs tailoring to your own group. Paizo APs were far far more railroady than these campaigns and yet are lauded as some of the best-in-class.

I think it is a little easier to go off script in the all-in-one books because it is easier to see where the PCs are are supposed to end up, and the serial APs have artificial plot choke points built in because of the way they are published.

 

[TheSword]

I think it is a little easier to go off script in the all-in-one books because it is easier to see where the PCs are are supposed to end up, and the serial APs have artificial plot choke points built in because of the way they are published.

Absolutely!

Curse of Strahd, Out of the Abyss and Tomb of Annihilation let players go anywhere they like. I’m pretty much any order.