Icewind Dale is back! Wizards of the Coast and Wizkids have just announced a range of blind bag minis to accompany their upcoming release Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden.
Icewind Dale is one of the more popular settings found with the D&D universe and was the subject of the Icewind Dale video game in 2000. The success led to the expansion Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter released in 2001, and a sequel Icewind Dale II in 2002. The game also saw a revival in 2014 as a remake of the game was released, Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition. The games are similar in play-style to Baldur’s Gate and use a modified version of the 2nd edition rules.
Wizards are pulling out all the stops this time with a multi-product Icewind Dale launch in September 2020. In addition to the Adventure book of the same name and set of minis, players will be able to buy a matching set of dice; there will be an accompanying comic book, At the Spine of the World, set for release in October 2020. There will also be a pricey limited platinum edition, the third such premium offering from Beadle and Grimms.
The blind bag minis feature a set of 45 separate figurines based upon the Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden setting. It will include a denizen of the inhabitants of the region, including those from the Ten-Towns, monsters such as the Tomb Tapper and Abominable Yeti – not to mention the Frostmaiden herself. And who could forgot the hulking Snowy Owlbear? All are sure to be welcome additions to the Wizkids line of D&D Miniatures, Icons of the Realms.
Oh, and did I forget to mention the upcoming video game Dark Alliance? In an interview with Venture Beat, Wizards writer Chris Perkins let slip, “We weren’t planning to return to Icewind Dale so soon, but as Dark Alliance began to crystallize, we realized that there were interesting new stories we could tell in this setting. We wouldn’t have returned to Icewind Dale if we didn’t have what we thought was an exciting story to tell.” All I can say is thank Dark Alliance, thank you!
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden blind bag minis are set for release later this year.
Sources: D&D Icewind Dale Product Overview, Venture Beat, Wikipedia