Francesca Viganò
With this review of Micro Dungeons – Winter Edition, our analysis of this pleasant editorial line of ND Hobbies entirely dedicated to small dungeons continues. In the past, we have already had the pleasure of covering Micro Dungeons for D&D5e and Micro Dungeons – Halloween Edition.
As always, we thank the publisher who wanted to send us this collection of 5 dungeons for D&D5e in an old-school key; we invite you to go and find out what other products are available in their store. We remind you that the cost of this collection, available only in digital format, is $4.99, about 5 euros.
A Winning Formula
We have already seen how this type of product perfectly complements any campaign; likewise, it works well as an entry-level for anyone who wants to approach the world’s most famous RPG.
As with the previous collections, the volume consists of about twenty pages and contains 5 dungeons; they can be included in a more extensive campaign or played individually in an evening. The topics’ peculiarity makes this product perfect for any playgroup that wants to spend long winter evenings dedicated to adventure and exploration.
The imagination of the authors, once again, comes to the rescue of those wishing to organize a demonstration session; or also for those who simply want to add a dungeon without having to prepare anything.
Winter Inspirations in Micro Dungeons – Winter Edition
This collection dedicated to the coldest months of the year sees the pens of Daniela Olivare Arteaga, Roberto Pech and Xacur at work; the latter also took care of the additional game content following the OGL of Wizard of the Coast. These are collaborators of the publishing house who know perfectly well how to immerse players in the atmosphere of each dungeon.
The titles presented in Micro Dungeons – Winter Edition, as we will see in this review, are evocative.
Our players will be able to face these very cold adventures: Cold Blooded Dragon, Elves of the White Mountain, Frost Stronghold, Ice Queen e Spirits of Winter.
For each one-page dungeon, we can find a map, an introduction to the adventure and all the encounters. Of course, traps or puzzles for the different rooms cannot be missing. As usual, each dungeon includes at least one new monster specific to that particular adventure.
I must admit that in this case, the references to literary works are very evident. Indeed, among the spirits of winter, we can also find the Spirit of the Past and the Spirit of the Future and, in the frozen fortress, we will meet Jack Frost himself.
However, I don’t want to anticipate anything else or I would take away your taste for exploration.
The Right Mood for Evenings in Front of the Fireplace
As I hope this review shows, Micro Dungeons – Winter Edition is a “passe-partout” product; it allows you to approach the old-school style quickly and effectively.
The care of the product is very high even though it is a decidedly cheap and easily consultable product. As for the other volumes, here too in the appendices, we find the monster conversion tables to be able to adapt the degree of challenge to a group of any level.
There are even hypertext links to the publisher’s site (for details of the proposed spells) and to the appendix (for the description of the monsters).
Micro Dungeons – Winter Edition Aesthetics Review
The decision to include every single dungeon on a single page is a winning one. Each map can be easily described and transcribed on any squared support leaving the master aware of the location of the treasures and traps.
The colours maintain uniformity with the rest of the editorial line, making them perfect for a product of this type. The choice of framing the description of the rooms with what they contain in the boxes surrounding the map makes everything pleasantly organic; even the typeface is easy to read and the descriptions, in pure old-school style, leave the DM all the space to modulate the narrative to his taste.
All the illustrations never overwhelm the text but integrate perfectly, providing the right note of colour to a fairly schematic construction.
Micro Dungeons – Winter Edition Review Conclusions
There is no doubt that ND Hobbies knows exactly how to effectively offer this type of product. As with the other collections in the necklace, Micro Dungeons – Winter Edition is also essential, practical to carry and versatile.
Once again I can recommend this product to all those who want to approach D&D; it is also suitable for those who want to add a thematic episode to their campaign.
