It actually worked for me without any patches when I tried to run it some time ago.

Upgrading software could sometimes break things. So maybe a change in Wine's code has made the game unplayable without the patch.

I had a similar issue with Sacred 2 Gold.

Unfortunately no.
I don't upgrade to new versions as they are released, so almost always there are gaps between the versions I use.

EDIT: I think I have made a mistake in that old post. The working version should have been wine-1.9.6 (i386-wine-devel: 32-bit from ports). The same one I used for the other games on that thread.

Yes. They should have been:
mfc42
vcrun2005
d3dx9
Plus the physX version that was included with the game.

I tried it when it was released here but it didn't work then either & other reports suggest that it's been broken for a while. Anyway even if it can be made to run without it, using the patch is still a good idea just for the improvements it brings.

Game: Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition
Installer MD5s:
2b6bec0df8d2f1755876407069f6ae43 setup_nwn_diamond_2.0.0.15-1.bin
db2c1e75b087e43fa5895bcc70fca8b9 setup_nwn_diamond_2.0.0.15-2.bin
e7d063a2c892519dc431fc84c3611a65 setup_nwn_diamond_2.0.0.15.exe
WineHQ AppDB link: https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=31354
CodeWeavers link: https://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/crossover/neverwinter-nights-diamond-edition

Distro: Linux Mint 18 Cinnamon 64-bit
Kernel version: 4.4.0-34
Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 750Ti
Graphics driver & version: Proprietary 370.23
Wine version(s) tested: Wine Staging 1.9.17 via PlayOnLinux, CrossOver 15.2.0

Install notes: Install & play.
If using PlayOnLinux, run the game from/create a shortcut for "nwmain.exe"
How well does it run: Perfect
Details: Have only played through the beginning of the game but it seems to work fine. Tested with virtual desktop and CSMT enabled. If using virtual desktop and playing at your display's full resolution I find this works best if you set the initial resolution for the virtual desktop to match.

Native Linux port
A native Linux port exists for this game. ./play.it has links to the required files and a script for making it easy to install if you don't want to do it manually: http://wiki.dotslashplay.it/en/games/neverwinter-nights (I haven't tested this myself yet)

It does matter because at least I can have some clues on what I could start with to get the game running. Even if someone posted what didn't work, it would be helpful as it would help eliminate steps or dependencies that wouldn't be useful.

This may be easier to parse: How would you know it's wrong vs just incomplete? Did anyone mention where it's crashing?

Here is the dlloverrides that my prefix use: http://pastebin.com/kJcVPNeP

EDIT: tried it again, and still failing to get it to work :(

Game: Interstate '76
Installer MD5: 45c9538f262a543312625521129c821b setup_interstate76_2.1.0.17.exe
WineHQ AppDB link: GOG Version
CodeWeavers link: GOG Version

Kernel: 4.4.0-34-generic x86_64 (64 bit)
Desktop: MATE 1.14.1 Distro: Ubuntu 16.04.1 xenial
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GT215 [GeForce GT 240]
GLX Renderer: GeForce GT 240/PCIe/SSE2
GLX Version: 3.3.0 NVIDIA 304.131

Wine version(s) tested: Wine 1.9.17 via PlayOnLinux

Install notes: Install GDI+, and set windows version to Windows 98
If using PlayOnLinux, run the game from/create a shortcut for "i76.EXE"
How well does it run: ok, for the first 4 scenes
Details: runs great, finished the first mission without a problem. I have yet to install the add-on. tested with virtual desktop mode.

EDIT: Seems there is a game breaking bug, on scene 5 you can't complete the big jump :(

Did you manage to find a solution to the CPU speed detection bug? Because without it the game is unfortunately unplayable beyond the first few missions. The easiest way to test whether you have this problem is to look at the clouds. If they move unnaturally fast, then the problem is still there.