I’ve begun work on a new game, Dog Days. In it, you play a US Marine Corps Infantry Squad Leader in the days leading up to, during, and right after the infamous Battle of Hue in early 1968. Can you bring the men of 1st Squad back home in one piece, or will you lose yourself first?
This is a very Band of Brothers esque game, with minimal player stats and heavy emphasis on the relationships between you and the men under you. Success and failure is dependent on the choices you’ve made throughout and how you play to the strengths and weaknesses of the men in your squad. Every small decision can have large consequences. There’s a huge emphasis on the interpersonal relations within the squad. The end goal isn’t how many fights you can win per say, but how many men you bring back in one piece.
Currently it’s sitting at a cozy 27k words for Act 1. I don’t plan on this being as much of a behemoth as my other WIP (A Nation Divided: A Civil War Officer’s Journey), but I’m aiming for a target ~200k words by the end of the epilogue. Currently have 3 acts planned out and outlined, with Act 2 taking up Chapters 5-15, and Act 3 going from Chapter 15-20 with a final epilogue at the end. Updates will be as they come, hopefully at a decent pace, but I’m actively trying to avoid the mess I got myself into previously (by writing way too fast for myself to keep up with).
It is gender-locked to male. My reasoning for this is pretty aligned with why I made the same choice for my other WIP - It’s a game rooted deeply in historical authenticity.
To play the demo, go here: CoGDemos
Looking for any and all feedback. This started as a passion project while working on A Nation Divided and quietly blossomed into something I’m quite happy about, and excited to work on over the last two months or so. An important note, I’m an amateur writer, so be gentle haha
Enjoy!
Summary
January 1968. You are a new Sergeant, fresh in-country, assigned to lead First Squad, a unit of Marines still reeling from the recent death of their leader in the Phu Loc sector, south of Huế. The war, for the moment, is a thing of tense patrols, monotonous guard duty, and the oppressive quiet of a countryside that holds its breath.
All the while, the enemy is gathering. The Tet Offensive will soon erupt, and the ancient city of Huế will become a slaughterhouse. Soon, you will get your orders. Soon, you will cross the river. Soon, you will step into the fire.
The Squad
- 1st Lt. Jim Kelly: Your weary but professional Platoon Commander.
- Cpl. “Frenchy” DuBois: Salty, experienced fire team leader, on his second tour.
- Cpl. “Pop” Samuels: The “heart” of the squad, a fatherly figure.
- Cpl. Lew Talbot: The “brain,” a quiet tactician and chess player.
- Cpl. Jackson “Roach” Delgado: Assistant SL, adrenaline-junkie grenadier and tunnel rat.
- LCpl. Luis “Cruz” Rivera: Swaggering, competitive card sharp.
- Pvt. Kit Ramirez: Cruz’s friend and rival.
- Pvt. Jonesy: A quiet, shy, but deadly marksman.
- Pvt. Crowe: A nervous radio operator.
- Pvt. Kim: A new, by-the-book Korean-American Marine.
- HN “Doc” Nguyen: The squad’s corpsman.
- Pvt. Isaiah Washington: A calm, religious man with a powerful singing voice.
- Pvt. Erik Hanson: A large, strong, shy farm kid.
- Pvt. O’Shea: The squad’s resident poet and existentialist.
Changelog
- 06/27/25: Initial Posting. Act 1 mostly complete. ~27k words.
