Currently funding on Kickstarter until the 24th of March, The Captives of Dolagan is a three‑to‑four‑session Dungeons & Dragons adventure from the New Zealand–based Dice Legenz, aimed at beginner players and DMs alike. As someone who is relatively new to the world of the Dungeon Master, any resource that can streamline session prep and make the behind‑the‑screen process easier is more than welcome, and I absolutely love what the Qualls brothers have done here.

The core story is solid, leaning into familiar fantasy tropes as the players track down missing villagers who appear to have been abducted by a rampaging band of orcs. There’s nothing wildly groundbreaking at play, but the creators manage to weave in enough twists and turns to keep things feeling fresh. That said, this clearly isn’t meant to reinvent the wheel; it’s designed as a resource for brand‑new (or relatively inexperienced) DMs. And in that regard, the module is absolutely perfect—providing support and guidance throughout, and doing a fantastic job of taking the bulk of the heavy lifting out of prep.

Each scene’s purpose is broken down into clear, easy‑to‑follow bullet points. This ensures the DM knows exactly what they need to do (or have the players do) before moving on, giving direction without becoming overly structured or linear. This is invaluable as a new DM, and it’s something many of the more established WotC campaigns skip over entirely. If I know the players are meant to meet a pair of important NPCs, discover key information, and get a chance to use particular skills to lead them to the next scene, it becomes far easier to manage. Additionally, key plot notes are clearly highlighted, and tables are included for several important skill checks, breaking down outcomes based on different roll thresholds: “A fail results in this, a 10+ gets you this, a 15+ gets you this…” and so on.

There’s also an interesting timed mechanic, as the players are constantly racing against the clock to rescue the townsfolk before it’s too late, with certain actions or sections consuming chunks of the remaining time. This serves two important purposes: first, it injects extra tension into the adventure; and second, it helps keep players from straying too far from the main story – something newer players often do as they test the boundaries of the “you can do anything you want” premise of D&D. Again, it’s clear the Qualls brothers know exactly what they’re doing.

The Kickstarter campaign also offers a variety of pledge levels, including the option to grab a fully Roll20‑compatible VTT version complete with maps and tokens. You can also pay a little extra to have a photo of yourself turned into NPC art, or even book a private premium game with one of the Qualls brothers as your DM, taking you through the entire four‑session adventure!

Honestly, the world of D&D needs more adventures like this, particularly for new DMs looking to run their first game. A fun scenario packed with interesting enemies and engaging set pieces that will easily fill three or four sessions, this Kickstarter campaign is well worth a look.

---

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson-Adams (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says
You can follow Ceej on Twitter

---