I’d like to thank Midnight Tower for sending us a copy of the Rise of Ice Dragons Trilogy for this review. This D&D5e campaign is available under hard cover for about €50 at their official store (along with many other contents, some even free). Alternately, it is also available under soft cover for around €42, or in digital format for around €15.
First, being a trilogy, Rise of the Ice Dragons Trilogy is a collection of three adventures (The Frozen Labyrinth, The Quest for the Last Orbstone and Enter Drakenberg Castle) written for D&D5e at a scalable level. What does this mean? Simple, each adventure contains all the information needed to play it at different levels. In play, this work is suitable for parties of any level, from 1 to 20 – very useful and elegant!
The adventures are narratively linked to one another and take place in the same setting region, Eastern Farraway. This is nicely illustrated in a map at the beginning of the book, useful for all three adventures.
Dragons & Frozen Lands: The Plot
[This paragraph is the only one that contains some minor spoilers regarding the plot, as it is impossible to talk about the events making up the adventures without mentioning some details of the previous ones as one moves through them sequentially.]
The Frozen Labyrinth begins with the characters being informed by a scholar of the existence of a set of magical spheres; one is already in his possession, while another lies in a frozen labyrinth not too far away. The adventurers will try to find it, but objects of such power are coveted by many creatures. If they succeed, they report it to the scholar, but their task does not end there.
In The Quest for the Last Orbstone, the party is informed by the scholar of the presence of a mysterious cult; its members, too, are interested in these magical items and they are already in possession of one of them. Then begins the journey to reach their lair, although no road is ever really safe. The lair itself contains some really dangerous surprises, in addition to the magical sphere.
At the beginning of Enter Drakenberg Castle, however, they receive a message from an ancient entity who has kidnapped the scholar and demands the three orbs in exchange for his life. The entity plans to execute a plan involving the orbs that may have devastating consequences. The characters try to stop this entity and save the scholar, although they have to pass a number of challenges along the way. If they succeed they will be recognized as heroes across all of Eastern Farraway!
In general, the plot is simple but effective. No amazing or unexpected twists are featured, but neither does it fall into a rut, either. It does what it should, simply, while also adding a few interesting ideas. Moreover, it reminded me of the timeless Icewind Dale, official product of Wizards of the Coast, whether for the setting, perhaps for some of the enemies, or perhaps for some of the Norse details.
The Structure of Rise of the Ice Dragons Trilogy
The manual has about 160 pages and is literally three smaller books compiled into one, each part of the trilogy having its own introduction, its own index, and everything one would expect of a complete manual. I felt the lack of a general Table of Contents indicating at least where one adventure ends and the next begins, so I don’t have to flip through it every time to find the right page. I realize that following the narrative and playing it as written would probably not require it, but this additional detail would have been much appreciated.
Each of the three adventures provides a synopsis of the events first, the content material, some advice for the Dungeon Master and a very valuable link to download everything you need to play the adventure from an online platform (VTT).
This link grants access to maps and tokens, showing the great care taken in the work done by the authors. Afterwards, we find an adventure diagram, the chapters explained in detail, and an appendix with the new monsters, specific objects, maps of the most important areas, the tables to scale the adventure according to the level of the party and precious lore about the world and the characters you can meet.
After these, The Ice and Magic Compendium can be found, a supplement with new spells, creatures, magical items and other themed items to accompany and support this campaign. They are original elements, compared to those encountered previously. I really appreciated this addition, as it provides valuable insights to create themed characters and situations, both for these adventures and for any other campaign.
The Physical Aspects of the Product
I have been glad to discover that the aesthetics of Rise of the Ice Dragons Trilogy are simply gorgeous. The first thing you notice is a sturdy, hard cover protecting the volume, providing the usual and necessary basic information about the work itself. The pages inside are thick, with a pleasant feel; their color is similar to that of parchment, but without impeding legibility. Legibility is aided by the very clear, themed fonts, although the standards differ for each section (text, boxes, notes,…).
At the beginning of each chapter there is a delightful, decorated dropped capital inset, recalling the old practice seen in illuminated manuscripts. The text is then arranged in the usual two columns, very similar to the layout of the official materials of D&D5e.
The quality of the illustrations are no exception and blend perfectly with the style of this work. Some images may even make you want to reuse them for other campaigns, as well. Not all of the illustrations were executed by the same artist, however, and the difference is a little noticeable. Such slight discrepancies can also be seen in the overall style, but these certainly aren’t enough to spoil the appearance of the manual.
Final Thoughts on Rise of the Ice Dragons Trilogy
The overall impression this manual left me with is very good, indeed. Aesthetically, it easily holds up to comparison with more famous volumes, easily attracting the attention of the Dungeon Masters and players at first glance. The contents are very complete, providing not only the tools to experience a medium-length campaign, but also giving the narrator many additional ideas to include in other adventures. The plot is simple, classic, but respects also the expectations it generates. Moreover the possibility of bringing it to life for groups of any level certainly increases its value.
I therefore recommend Rise of the Ice Dragons Trilogy to anyone who wants a good story with ice and dragons and to anyone who wants to add a nice D&D5e manual to their collection.
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