Imagine waking up in a snow-covered village?

Winter Yonderland is a festive one-shot by JVC Parry and an electrum best seller on DM’s guild. Aimed at characters of 5th to 10th level, with approximately 2-6 hours of playtime and currently discounted by 25%, it has fairly earned the Christmas Eve review.

Disclaimer: We were provided with a free digital copy of this product.

The scenario

The adventure begins with the party waking up in a village full of snow, Snoëlbowg, which is not a typical cosy holiday settlement, as they soon realise that they didn’t end up there by accident. There are three plot hooks to choose from, but the idea is that the characters somehow angered a mage and are now trapped inside his snow globe. The only way out is to solve the mystery that surrounds the village, which involves missing children and dangers hiding beneath thick snow.

What starts as a typical investigation covered in holiday frosting quickly unfolds into something far more dangerous. As the party travels beyond the village searching for the 2 missing children, they encounter winter beasts, including the powerful Yetis, while being tested by environmental conditions. Expect extreme cold that freezes your bones, unforgivable snowstorms and watch your step as even the ice is treacherous here.

If you like to trap your players in snowglobes, ehem, I mean if you enjoy festive stories that feature snowglobes, I definitely recommend There is something wrong with Santa, which is one of our Christmas reviews this year.

Encounters

Moving on to the encounters section, this one-shot will definitely keep your players on their toes (pun intended) with a nice balance between roleplay, fighting and clever thinking. Brute force is not the expected way to run the adventure, which I’m very fond of, as some encounters can be avoided, negotiated with and even turned against each other.

So what will the party encounter? Winter beasts like mammoths, sabretooth tigers, yetis, winter wolves and frost giants, and climate hazards that make travelling a constant threat. It’s up to them to decide what way they shall take, whether through reckless fighting or creative solutions.

Hard mode notes are also present to increase difficulty and challenge your players to the fullest, serving as guidance without having to adjust everything from scratch.

Layout & Art

The supplement is organised in a clean and GM-friendly way in a two-column style. Read-aloud text is placed in dedicated boxes for smooth narration, while visual aesthetics like big headers and bold text guide the game master’s eyes effortlessly. A hyperlinked table of contents ensures that everything is a click away, and the overall structure flows logically, avoiding unnecessary page flipping.

The maps are clear and practical, providing overviews of the Snoëlbowg and the Ice Cave, without being overwhelming or giving away too much if used by the players.

The art has a charming, scrapbook-like touch, like stickers gently glued on the pages, with soft pastel colouring that enhances the festive theme. Each illustration complements the supplement, adding warmth and personality but not distracting from the content.

Extras

As for the extras, at the end of the supplement, there is an ice elemental stat block that you may use in this one-shot.

Final thoughts

Winter Yonderland is a nice holiday special one-shot that can fit many tables who enjoy festive stories. It feels like the GM wrapped you in a cosy, warm blanket only to throw you into the snow! If you are looking for another reason to make your players never trust snow globes ever again, then that’s a supplement worth buying.

Stay crafty and Merry Christmas,
Your new favourite author.

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