This was such a good re-organization of the Rime of the Frostmaiden campaign! I definately recommend this!

Super detailed, I'll use the starting quest as a "enjoy the South while you can" and Auril's motivations are perfect to rethink the overall campaign and give it more depth. Great great read.

Bought this on the recommendation from the Icewind Dale FB group and must say it was a brilliant choice.

While I'm unlikely to run the adventure part, all the extra rules and possible encounters in and around the Ten Towns are fantastic and can be used/adapted in any icy campaign.

Perfect timing too as my groups have just finished their Avernus campaigns and we shall be heading north next.

I really wish I had this supplement before I began my Frostmaiden campaigns! I'm glad to see that I arrived at some of the same ideas as the author about the necessary changes and additions to the modules - great minds think alike and all that. :) The adventure in the book is well-written and seems like it would be easy to run and would be quite a good introduction to Icewind Dale and the overarching story of the campaign. I mostly got this product for the non-adventure parts and was not disappointed. The map with travel distances and the map with the summary of the Ten Towns alone would make this product worth it! Excellent work!

What a fabulous supplement! The alternate introduction to the Rime of the Frostmaiden storyline draws characters in and offers compelling motivation for them to become truly invested in Auril's plight. The development of the character of Faith as an NPC (or even potentially as a PC) provides a new depth to the story that allows the party a deeper insight into the reasons behind Auril's curse on Icewind Dale, and the variety of options provided as background to explain Auril's motivations allows the DM to easily tailor to story to the flavor of their specific campgaign.

This supplement hits the perfect balance between providing me enough structure to plan my campaign without railroading the players into too linnear of a plot. It provides substantial guidance in helping me organize the sequence of the story hooks I offer players, but also creates moments of genuine sandbox gameplay in which the PCs decide which path to follow and their decisions have meaningful consequences on the world and the plot.

But I think my favorite thing about this supplement is how it encourages parties to explore the grey areas of morality. Instead of being a more clear cut villian, Auril becomes a complex and even relatable character. This story blurs the lines of the alignment system as a party full of heroes must decide whether or how to help an evil Goddes, instead of simply seeking to defeat her.

Absolutely loved this module! Our DM ran us through this a couple weeks ago and our party put a halt to our main campaign so we could continue along this storyline with this party. This was such an engaging into that I have become more attached to this character/party than most of my other characters, and I went and got it for myself to run my other game through at some point.

I highly recommend this for folks who love a great story and enjoy roleplaying, because this will create a tightly connected party dynamic. There are scenes through this introduction that will really unify, or break, a party; So it's not all daisies and rainbows. This module will draw your players in, it's a far more refined and attention grabbing than the pre-written introduction.

The original story is pretty fantastic, but this pushes to allow the characters a bit more freedom of movement in the setting and not to feel like they're only a solely linear path. There's still some railroading as there is with all modules, but its done well.

A great effort, gorgious artwork, and enjoyably written.

Full in depth review this deserves coming when I have capacity!

MacSaylor has created something with such a vitally warm heart beneath the rime of ice, snow and sadness, has descended upon Icewind Dale and Auril that reading this has genuinely given me shivers. This is something truly special and I sincerely hope to see more of their work, and frankly wish I could commission a supplement like this for every official campaign and beyond!

I’m always hype, but this has me excited and fervently wishing to run RotF more than anything before or since its release.

“This, what you’re going through, it is your winter. It is not good, nothing can make it good, but it has happened and now it is a part of you. This pain will shape you. It will help you grow. It will give you strength in the darkness, it will help you grow, it will give you compassion for those who suffer. If you survive this, you will know you can survive anything.” This is going to be essential for anyone planning to run Rime of the Frostmaiden and if you're not already planning, reading this is going to make you fervently want to!

https://www.dmsguild.com/product/337599/Caul-of-Winter?affiliate_id=1507682

With a plot centered on an unusual character with a divine mission, Caul of Winter foreshadows Rime of the Frostmaiden, expands upon the mysteries of Auril, and sets the stage for a deeper roleplaying experience. This adventure provides an excellent hook to form an adventuring party and presents many opportunities for them to bond as a team as they make a perilous journey to the frozen north. Put together with the thoughtful skill of professionals, this publication contains rules for travel and survival, plus excellent maps and art, and is a must-have resource for any adventure set in the region.

Caul of Winter has an entirely new and compelling starting story that connects the players in a deeper way to Auril, even providing a richer backstory to the frigid goddess that carries forth all throughout the chapters. They also have new encounters, adventure hooks, revised travel times and survival mechanics and more. A great way to provide an emotional and dark undercurrent to the overall plot with fantastic accompanying art!