DAWN

Hot Game Magnet: Board game reviews

Social deduction games are really fun. However, it's hard to find social deduction games that work with low player counts. Many of the most popular require minimum player counts of five or even more. There are some that work well at three players and very few at all that can be played with two. Additionally, it is common to run into troubles with players being knocked out of the game too early and not having fun. All this is to say that we get really excited when we find one that addresses all these issues and is still fun.

Dawn is a social deduction card game of choices. In Dawn, players come together to try to build a village in the hills of ancient northern Europe. Some players will want to cooperate to build a flourishing community, but the temptation will always be present for people to underhandedly seek glory at the expense of everyone around them by building up their own personal treasure.

Dawn works really well at three players because of its unique semi-coop mechanism that allows players to choose during the game to be a betrayer or to work as a team. Sometimes betrayal might seem like the only path to victory, but victory is not guaranteed. In fact, despite temptation, becoming the scoundrel can win the game for everyone but the betrayer.

We had fun with this crunchy game of trust with fantastic artwork and simple rules that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike.