Dawn's Early Light: The War of 1812

Dawn’s Early Light: The War of 1812 is a two-player card-driven grand strategy game from Compass Games, covering the full sweep of the War of 1812 and its prelude. One player controls the United States, while the other commands Great Britain in a conflict fought across borders, lakes, coastlines and political fault lines.

The game abstracts the war at a high strategic level, letting players compete for territory, naval advantage, political momentum and public support. Cards can be used for historical events or operations such as recruiting, campaigning, privateering, raiding and shipbuilding, giving each side room to follow history or push the war in a different direction.

Events such as Andrew Jackson, Old Ironsides, Laura Secord, Tippecanoe and Dinner at the White House bring key figures and moments into play. With a mounted map, large counters and a playing time of around two hours, Dawn’s Early Light offers an accessible way to explore the War of 1812 without turning it into a full-day campaign.

Contents include: one 22″ x 34″ mounted game map, two sheets of 5/8″ punch-out counters, 86 game cards, two player aid cards, one rules booklet, four 6-sided dice, and a box with lid.