Dawn Village
A Joseon-era survival strategy game where even goodwill becomes a resource in the face of starvation
A great famine in the Joseon Dynasty. There are no perfect choices. You simply endure today and prepare for tomorrow.
What This Game Is
Dawn Village is a survival strategy game set during a great famine in the Joseon era, where you assign companions, manage resources, and bear the consequences of your decisions.
You are neither a hero nor a commander. You are simply someone trying to keep people from completely falling apart amid hunger and disease.
Dice Decide Fate
All major decisions are resolved by dice—just like in a TRPG.
Even the same choice can lead to different outcomes every time. Who steps forward, what condition they are in, and what the current situation is all change the result.
Succeed, and you overcome the crisis. Fail, and you lose resources—or face even greater danger.
Success and failure affect not only immediate outcomes, but also resources and companion conditions days later.
You cannot control the dice. You can only choose what you are willing to endure.
Managing People
It’s not just about resources. You must watch over your companions as well.
Each person has a different disposition and physical condition. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.
Hunger makes them weaker. Continuous danger erodes their minds. Sometimes they grow stronger by overcoming crises—but growth always comes with anxiety.
You must decide where to assign each companion, when to let them rest, and who to send into danger.
You cannot protect everyone forever. Sometimes, you must let someone go. That choice is yours.
A Day Shaken Six Times
One turn unfolds across six phases.
Roll Call
Morning. You distribute food and steady your companions’ morale. If necessary, this is also when you send someone away.
First Incident
Something happens inside the village. Companions assigned to security respond. A fight may break out, resources may be gained, or a new companion may appear.
Journey
Companions assigned to a journey leave the village. They gather resources, fight, or get caught in unexpected events.
Environmental Incident
An unavoidable background event occurs.
Maintenance
Companions assigned to maintenance work. They craft items, care for the wounded, or prepare for tomorrow. You may also develop the village.
Final Incident
The end of the day. Another incident strikes the village. Some days pass quietly; on others, the group’s survival is decided.
Move cautiously, and you may last longer. Act boldly, and you may gain much—but you may also suffer irreversible losses.
There Is No Good or Evil Choice
There are no clearly right choices, no unquestionably wrong ones.
You may have to abandon someone to save another. You may choose short-term stability at the cost of future possibilities.
Some decisions seem to do nothing at first—only to return days later in unexpected ways.
What matters here is not making the right choice, but taking responsibility for the choice you made.
A Different Record of Survival Every Time
There is no fixed strategy. No correct answer.
What events occur, how the dice roll, and what condition your companions are in—all of it changes every run.
Even the same choices can lead to different outcomes. The same approach never works forever.
What remains is not victory.
It is a record of what you sacrificed to make it this far.
