Wizards of the Coast just delivered another hardcover adventure to Dungeons & Dragons fans, and that means one thing: more miniature figures. Okay, technically the arrival of Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden promises a lot more than minis. The book (and its Roll20 counterpart) weaves a horror movie-inspired adventure for level 1-12 characters. It's also more of a sandbox than previous hardcovers, challenging even the most seasoned Dungeon Masters to roll with its most bizarre twists and turns. But if you want to bring Icewind Dale's greatest threats to the table, some nice minis wouldn't hurt.
That's where WizKids comes in. The company has made D&D minis for years, bringing to life everything from a first-time player's halfling rogue to the warforged automatons of Eberron. The latest WizKids line of D&D minis are inspired by Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, and bring to life the arctic monsters and villainous NPCs of the campaign.
Wizkids was kind enough to send TheGamer a collection of the Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden minis for review. Here we take a close look at some of the standouts. The full set can purchased via blind boxes at your local board game store or through Wizkids directly.
Snowy Owlbear
Why save the best for last when you can get right to it? The owlbear is one of the most famous D&D creatures, hitting that strangle middle ground between cute and deadly. That tradition continues here with its polar version, the snowy owlbear. On one hand, it is a large creature with sharp features. The black paint for the claws and beak stand out when paired with the white coat, accentuating the snowy owlbear's ability to tear prey apart. On the other hand, our fluffy friend's relaxed pose makes it hard to be scared. Overall, this is a great figure that emphasizes how a snowy owlbear encounter doesn't have to end in a fight.
Duergar, Mages, And The Frostmaiden Herself
No set of D&D minis would be complete without villains to fight, and Wizkids sent over some of Rime of the Frostmaiden's big bads. Light SPOILERS for those who want to go into the campaign blind, but here are three named NPCS from the hardcover. Starting from left to right, we have necromancer Vellynne Harpell. While not technically a villain, it's nice to see her get a battle-ready mini. She hires the players to join her on the final mission of the campaign, so she could potentially be a crucial friend or foe. A figure of her brandishing her spellbook is definitely going to see some use.
In the middle is the all-important Frostmaiden herself. Pictured here is her first form, a horned owl-inspired monstrosity wrapped in a frosty cloak. The craft skill is on full display here, as the cloak seems to shimmer and have a translucent quality. Last up is mid-campaign villain Xardorok Sunblight. The duergar is a fine example of the texture work at play with Wizkids minis. Despite being dwarf-sized, great care went into rendering his lengthy beard and the fur lining of his coat.
The White Dragon
This young adult white dragon isn't an important named figure, but it's still a great get if you're taking chances on random blind boxes. Dungeons & Dragons campaigns need to have a dragon encounter at some point. It is in the name, after all. So even if this beast doesn't play a big role in your Frostmaiden campaign, you'll probably break it out many times in future adventures.
Call In The Big Boys
Lastly, let's highlight some of the larger monsters available through the Frostmaiden Wizkids line. Here's a tomb tapper and frost giant skeleton, with a human mage for scale. I haven't collected Wizkids minis for long, but I believe these two mark a milestone in the brand. The Eberron, Avernus, and Theros boxes, at least, aren't as big as the Frostmaiden boxes. This leads me to believe that the sets were lacking in larger figures like these two or the dragon above. If so, then this alone feels like a reason to recommend the Frostmaiden line. Bigger monster figures are always great to have for set piece battles, and getting one (along with several other random picks) from a $17 blind box is a pretty good deal.