Dolmenwood - Starter Guide
What is Dolmenwood?
Dolmenwood is a tabletop roleplaying game set in a dark, fog-drenched forest where fairy tale logic meets folk horror. Think Brothers Grimm filtered through British and Irish folklore, with a dash of Lord Dunsany. The world feels ancient, strange, and quietly threatening - not in a dungeon-crawling action sense, but in the way a forest path that looked familiar five minutes ago suddenly doesn't anymore.
The game is published by Necrotic Gnome (Gavin Norman) and grew out of a series of articles in the Wormskin zine before becoming a fully standalone game in 2024. The setting is the wood itself: a vast, mysterious forest ruled by Fae lords, haunted by ancient cults like the Drune, and filled with creatures that don't play by the rules you think you know.
How does the system work?
Dolmenwood uses an OSR ruleset closely related to Old-School Essentials (B/X D&D). If you've played classic D&D or any OSR game, the core mechanics will feel familiar. If not, here's the short version:
Characters have six classic ability scores (Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, Charisma) generated by rolling 3d6. You roll a d20 for attacks and saving throws, add modifiers, and try to beat a target number. Combat is fast and can be lethal. The game doesn't hold your hand.
What sets Dolmenwood apart is its character classes, which are deeply tied to the setting. Alongside familiar options like Fighter, Magician, and Friar, you can play a Grimalkin (a cat-folk with uncanny senses), a Moss Dwarf (ancient, mushroom-covered forest beings), or a Woodgruel (a strange fae-touched creature). Each class has its own mechanical flavour and fits naturally into the world's tone.
The game is designed around hex-crawl exploration. There's a richly detailed campaign map of the wood with dozens of locations, factions, and secrets to uncover. The Referee (GM) has a lot of material to work with, and the system supports open-ended, player-driven play.
What do you need to get started?
Dolmenwood comes in three core books: the Player's Book, the Campaign Book, and the Monster Book. You need all three for the full experience, though the Player's Book alone is enough to get characters made and rules understood.
A free Quickstart is available from Necrotic Gnome, which includes introductory rules, pregenerated characters, and a short adventure. It's a solid way to try before you buy.
You'll also need standard polyhedral dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20) - these are available separately if you don't already have a set.
Who is this game for?
Dolmenwood is a great fit for players and groups who enjoy atmospheric, exploration-focused play. If your table likes to wander, ask questions about the world, and get tangled up in strange situations without always knowing who the villain is, this game delivers.
It's also well-suited to groups who appreciate character mortality. Death is a real possibility here, and that gives decisions weight. Players who expect a safety net may find the system frustrating.
The fairy tale tone is distinct - not whimsical or cartoonish, but genuinely strange and sometimes unsettling. Groups looking for a high-fantasy adventure in the vein of modern D&D might find the pace and tone a shift. But groups open to folk horror, weird fiction, or classic fantasy literature will likely find it resonates deeply.
It's less ideal for players who want tightly structured narrative arcs or character-focused drama mechanics. The system supports story through exploration, not through narrative tools.
How does it compare to other systems?
Compared to Dungeons & Dragons 5e, Dolmenwood is significantly lighter in rules. Character creation takes minutes rather than hours. Combat is faster and deadlier. There are no spell slots as a resource-management subsystem - magic works differently here. The overall experience is less about character builds and more about navigating a living, breathing world.
Compared to other OSR games like Cairn or Mörk Borg, Dolmenwood is more richly developed as a setting. It's not rules-light minimalism - it has a full class system and a dense, detailed world. If Cairn is a sharp knife, Dolmenwood is a whole toolkit.
Where do you start?
- Download the free Quickstart and read through it - it gives you a real feel for the system and the setting without any investment.
- If it clicks, pick up the Player's Book and read the character creation chapter first.
- Build a character or two, even just as practice. The classes are worth reading carefully for the setting detail embedded in them.
- As Referee, start with the Campaign Book's introduction before diving into the full hex map.
- Play the introductory adventure included in the Quickstart or Campaign Book for your first session.
Useful external resources: the Necrotic Gnome website has forums and creator commentary. The OSR subreddit and Discord communities have active Dolmenwood discussion. Search YouTube for actual plays or overview videos to get a feel for pacing.