D&D 5E Who got their Rime today?

[Reynard]

I didn't say it's unplayable. In fact, I said it's easily fixable by just shortening the amount of time it's been going on.

But if you think any civilization would still be this intact after two years on four daily hours of twilight and temps averaging 50 below - or that there would be any significant wildlife or plant life left alive (the adventure is full of animals) - I'm not sure what to tell you. I mean, you're completely wrong, but whatever. The place would be a desert of ice. It doesn't ruin the adventure (which seems to be overall a good one) because like I said, easy to change.

I really like the 5E hardcovers - all of them, even the dodgy ones like Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Horde of the Dragon Queen. But each of them, to varying degrees, has nonsensical flaws that are exactly that: flaws. The climate here is a flaw - they went too far. Auril is a bigger one - they didn't write her any goals.

I don't understand the compulsion some fans have to deny that any flaws in these adventures are there, and to defend them against the slightest criticism.

I'm not saying it is flawless. I'm saying that you are wasting effort trying to move it into some arbitrary "believability zone." It's completely unnecessary. Granted, I don't have an ecology degree so it doesn't bother me because I don't know enough about the subject to be offended by its wrongness.

But, you do care and it is wrong of me to tell you you shouldn't. Different strokes. I'm glad you found a solution that works for you.

 

[Seramus]

5. I'm still reading, but honestly it seems like they couldn't figure out any real motivation for what Auril is doing. She doesn't seem to have any particular goal or ambition in mind. She's just upset because Umberlee bullied her, and decided to plunge Icewind Dale into permanent winter in what amounts to a fit of pique. No endgame in mind. There are two other main villains who have much more fleshed out motivations and plans, but it's kinda shocking from a design standpoint that she is a central villain with no goal.

Ironically, this is a very mythical thing that has happened more than once. Not with Auril obviously, but in the mythology of other cultures. Someone important gets tiffed, and almost wrecks the entire world in what amounts to a tantrum. That's not very fulfilling from a narrative standpoint, but there are numerous precedents.

 

[Burnside]

I'm not saying it is flawless. I'm saying that you are wasting effort trying to move it into some arbitrary "believability zone." It's completely unnecessary. Granted, I don't have an ecology degree so it doesn't bother me because I don't know enough about the subject to be offended by its wrongness.

But, you do care and it is wrong of me to tell you you shouldn't. Different strokes. I'm glad you found a solution that works for you.

Yeah, you're right; I work for a conservation NGO and write a lot about climate change, so that's probably why this stuff irked me more than it would most people.

 

[pukunui]

To be fair, when I read through the draft version, I got the sense that there was a bit of a disconnect between the overarching "plot" (including the two-year-long winter) and the campaign setting info. Like, they want people to be able to use the book just as a setting guide for Icewind Dale, so it needs to be usable without the never-ending winter aspect as well as with it. Not sure if that's still the case but has certainly been the case with some of their previous adventures as well.

 

[Demetrios1453]

Well, if you use it in the wrong time and place, the Sword Coast is boned per the Epilogue. Use it in the right place, the Sword Coast is fine and Auril is massively inconvenienced.

I like the fact that if the PCs in the end don't want to confront a goddess directly (even though she is weakened enough - especially if she travels away from her island and loses her lair actions which could very well happen in the last chapter - that a party of 11th - 12th level characters could conceivably take her down), the adventure provides what are essentially two nukes that they can use to completely disrupt her plans and likely cause her to withdraw from mortal realms...

 

[SehanineMoonbow]

I haven't bought mine yet. I'm going to wait and see more reviews.

 

[Parmandur]

I like the fact that if the PCs in the end don't want to confront a goddess directly (even though she is weakened enough - especially if she travels away from her island and loses her lair actions which could very well happen in the last chapter - that a party of 11th - 12th level characters could conceivably take her down), the adventure provides what are essentially two nukes that they can use to completely disrupt her plans and likely cause her to withdraw from mortal realms...

It's pretty open ended, really.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I got the impression that while it's been (nominally) winter for two years, it hasn't been this bad the whole time. It's been getting progressively worse. Maybe last summer the passes never quite cleared, but it still got warmer for a bit. This summer they never cleared at all, and NOW the sun's not even rising. The adventure didn't make me think that this exact situation has been going on the entire time, but I suppose you could read it that way (especially if you want to find something to complain about. I mean this lightly, I don't mean to disparage any complaints. Just a nudge.)

The -49f average temperature is listed under an "Extreme Cold" wilderness encounter. After who-knows-how-long with no sun, it's starting to get pretty cold out there. Seems fine to me.

I don't think this adventure is without flaws, but I think it's really quite good. At least what I've read so far.

 

[CubicsRube]

Just googled the coldest inhabited place on earth.

Omyakon in Russia averages below -40F for 5 months of the year and maxes out at 43.2F in summer. Record lows are -89.9F (-67.7F) Their outhousesdone have pipes because the water freezes and vodka even will freeze if left outside.

Not the kind of life I'd like, but they're making do without magic.

 

[Burnside]

Just googled the coldest inhabited place on earth.

Omyakon in Russia averages below -40F for 5 months of the year and maxes out at 43.2F in summer. Record lows are -89.9F (-67.7F) Their outhousesdone have pipes because the water freezes and vodka even will freeze if left outside.

Not the kind of life I'd like, but they're making do without magic.

Beating a dead horse, but they also do have sunlight.

If all you have is four hours of twilight per day, you don't have any photosynthesis, so you don't have plants. If you don't have any plants, you don't have any animals.

It's basically Cormac McCarthy's The Road, plus everything is frozen.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Beating a dead horse, but they also do have sunlight.

If all you have is four hours of twilight per day, you don't have any photosynthesis, so you don't have plants. If you don't have any plants, you don't have any animals.

It's basically Cormac McCarthy's The Road, plus everything is frozen.

I'm thinking about waste management, as none of that poop decomposes. Oh wait, Othyughs. Magical Otyugh's able to eat frozen poopsicles. (yup, dad had to go there )

 

[Greg Benage]

I just got it, but tying together what others have said, I think there’s a coherent narrative here that’s at least easy to imagine, even if it’s not what the authors had in mind. If they did, they certainly could have made it more explicit.

1. Auril wants to be a small god ruling over an isolated domain of endless winter where every sapient being lives or dies at her whim.

I love this and it’s a welcome change from save the world stories.

2. The sacrifices work. Everyone is suffering but your “three snowflake” towns are doing humanoid sacrifice. Those that aren’t are well on their way to dying.

I plan to play this up: people are getting hungry, getting sick and getting on each other’s nerves leading up to the monthly sacrifice, then everyone bounces back and the town enjoys (relatively) good fortune for a few weeks.

3. This also explains why that one guy is working on the towns that are doing humanoid sacrifice and not the ones that aren’t - they’re already going to die with the Frostmaiden withholding her favor.

That’s my take and I’m enjoying the setup so far.

 

[wicked cool]

i'm getting the early impressions that this module is just ok and is clearly not challenging the tops spots for best adventures such as strahd and Phandelver. More of a setting with adventures but not a clear start to end process?

Why didn't they go with a more Northern Alaska style approach instead of a frozen hell? I never got the impression in the early Drizzt novels that it was Antartica

 

[Reynard]

i'm getting the early impressions that this module is just ok and is clearly not challenging the tops spots for best adventures such as strahd and Phandelver. More of a setting with adventures but not a clear start to end process?

How would anyone know? It has been out for 2 days.

 

[Stormonu]

Why didn't they go with a more Northern Alaska style approach instead of a frozen hell? I never got the impression in the early Drizzt novels that it was Antartica

Gotta motivate the PCs to act (and quickly).

 

[Burnside]

Why didn't they go with a more Northern Alaska style approach instead of a frozen hell? I never got the impression in the early Drizzt novels that it was Antartica

Well, normally it isn't Antarctica, but right now it is because of Auril's hijinks.

 

[wicked cool]

just by reading this thread and online video reviews. Basically the narrative is lacking, few things such as weather and short memories make no sense. Its just my impression based on history of early reviews.

 

[jasper]

I got on Beyond & my hardcopy. I still wondering about the Temperature. Looking at my Army wind chill chart. -50 (they don't have -49) has danger from exposed flesh. A 5mph still in the danger zone. After that you in great danger. But they have don't nothing with it. The DC is laughable.
I do like the various sacrifices and it is know the three cities which do humanoid ones. I am making a secret of one of the pcs did escape the sacrifice.

 

[HawaiiSteveO]

(my CoS book did this eventually, after I ran it...twice!)

 

[Reynard]

just by reading this thread and online video reviews. Basically the narrative is lacking, few things such as weather and short memories make no sense. Its just my impression based on history of early reviews.

Just a pet peeve of mine but this sort of thing really bothers me. It is a big complex game book that serves as both an adventure and a campaign sourcebook. No one who hasn't run the thing can effectively "review" it as either of those things. The best they can do is summarize it and tell you if they thought it had some cool ideas in it, or not.