D&D 5E Running Rime of the Frost Maiden

[pukunui]

Just a random thought, but whoever thought players were mature enough to have a BBEG called Auril (AW-Rill) and not have 'oral' jokes bog down the game has not met many players.

According to the book, it's meant to be pronounced "oh-REEL" ... but I've never heard anyone say it that way.

 

[Burnside]

According to the book, it's meant to be pronounced "oh-REEL" ... but I've never heard anyone say it that way.

Yeah. The book also suggests that DWER-gar is an acceptable alternate pronunciation of duergar, but as all good people know, that is unacceptable.

Characters in the first Icewind Dale game say "Auril" many, many times and I played that game many, many times and they pronounced it "AWE-rill. I would have a hard time forcing myself to say "oh-REEL".

 

[Azzy]

Just a random thought, but whoever thought players were mature enough to have a BBEG called Auril (AW-Rill) and not have 'oral' jokes bog down the game has not met many players.

You'll have to blame Ed Greenwood on this, though the damage was done by at least 1981 (see Dragon magazine, issue 54).

 

[Azzy]

Yeah. The book also suggested that DWER-gar is an acceptable alternate pronunciation of duergar, but as all good people know, that is unacceptable.

Actually, it's DWAIR-gar that's offered as an alternate pronunciation. Which is how I've pronounced it for just about forever.

 

[Burnside]

Actually, it's DWAIR-gar that's offered as an alternate pronunciation. Which is how I've pronounced it for just about forever.

SO YOU ADMIT IT

 

[pukunui]

Actually, it's DWAIR-gar that's offered as an alternate pronunciation. Which is how I've pronounced it for just about forever.

I'll admit that's how I pronounce it too, because it's closer to how the real world words from which it is derived ("dværg" and "dvergr") are pronounced.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The Easthaven quest is one of the moderately-harder ones - 2nd level at least, I'd say - so I'm not sure you'd want to steer them there first. I was thinking Bryn Shander and then Easthaven?

The Bryn Shander quest has the problem I highlighted earlier - it assumes the party are already a team. It's also one of the more skippable quests.

Easthaven has events that can bring the PCs together, and it has stuff to do (e.g. kill dvergr) that isn't on it's main quest. I would offer the PCs "Cold Hearted Killer" after the séance and execution, then "Toil and Trouble" when they came back for their reward.

The Good Mead quest is dramatic enough to bring together a group of people who have every reason not to seek company (because of the secrets) - a terrified trapper staggers into town with news of a massacre - but is also too challenging for most groups at first level.

The Lonelywood quest also has potential to "create" the team, as Nimsy Huddle invites the PCs round individually for cookies. But as written, I suspect "The White Moose" quest might drag on a bit, especially if no one has a high level of survival skill. If someone had gone to the trouble of creating an ace hunter type character I would start with this one though. Or had the "parents killed by an evil moose" secret.

 

[TheBoredGM]

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?

Wizards .ight be on a trend in terms of monster challenge. In July they released the most objectively powerful monster officially in 5e. Hopefully the Frostmaiden who is supposed to be a lesser god surpasses that. Unless the Frostmaiden is just an aspect of Auril and not the real deal.

 

[Reynard]

Wizards .ight be on a trend in terms of monster challenge. In July they released the most objectively powerful monster officially in 5e. Hopefully the Frostmaiden who is supposed to be a lesser god surpasses that. Unless the Frostmaiden is just an aspect of Auril and not the real deal.

The aspects of Auril the PCs face in the adventure are weaker because she has invested so much energy in the Unending Winter.

 

[jasper]

gRR Hello dark maps again. Page 128,135,147, and 247 barf