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The last component from the top tray, this bas-relief metal coin replace a cardboard token as the First Player marker. The bottom level of trays. Image by Paul Benson. Costing 6 spice, this is the most expensive action space on the board but it is almost always worth it as it immediately allows you to place five troops into the combat, establishing you as a major contender for that round, and you can also add two from your garrison. The space also gives you two water, which will come in very useful in gathering more spice to take the action again as soon as possible. Alongside this, the Carryall is a very powerful card, as it can provide you with up to six spice, allowing you to do the action again as soon as it is free. The Kwizatz Haderach is also a very useful card to have in this situation, as it enables you to gain access to the Heighliner even if another player has taken the action. Tip 12 (Medium) – Use Of Intrigue Cards In Conflict
Maybe it’s down to my explanation, but it does sound complicated on the surface. However, even my son loves the game. Once you know the basics, everything fits together like a well-constructed sci-fi jigsaw. All the symbols are easy to recognise, the board is laid out well and the cards all make sense. It is an easy-to-play game, full of options and rewards for you to manage. I love the game arc too. It starts out slow to earn victory points but, as the battle rewards ramp up towards the end, it really ends in a nice crescendo of players trying to wring out every victory point they can. Dune Imperium: Final Thoughts
Despite all the hold ups, cancellations and delays that have been the underlying theme of 2020, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune has been a beacon, something to… oh wait, that’s been delayed too. Well, that really is a mind-killer. I split the game up into 3 main phases; the opening (first two rounds), mid-game (all subsequent rounds up to the Conflict III rounds), and the endgame (the Conflict III rounds). This is largely due to the acceleration of victory points after the first few rounds, once you start to consistently draw the new cards you have bought, and the 2VP rewards in most of the Conflict III cards. The Opening
You can optimise your hand by sending an agent to Selective Breeding or with Fedaykin Death Commando, Gene Manipulation, Guild Administrator, Seitch Reverend Mother Tip 7 (Easy) – Acquiring Your High Council Seat If played successfully, the interdependencies of Bene Gesserit cards such as Missionaria Protectiva and Reverend Mother Mohiam can make them incredibly powerful. However they don’t always appear regularly in games. Consequently, they are only worth the investment if you are able to acquire lots of Bene Gesserit cards to increase the likelihood of drawing multiples in one hand. Tip 9 (Moderate) – Utilising Fremen Bond To get you started, here is the movement of the Dune Imperium starting cards: 2xNone, 2xYellow, 2xGreen, 1xBlue, 1xYellow/Green/Blue, and 2xFremen/Bene Gesserit/Space Guild/Emperor Tip 3 (Medium) – The Third Agent With the trailer dropping for the second instalment of the new Dune films I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to revisit one of the best games of the past couple of years to see if it has stood up to the sands of time. Yes, I know this is not required to enjoy Dune Imperium and its price point may be very high, but I really enjoy what it brings to my copy of Dune Imperium. The box is a beautiful storage solution for both the game and the first expansion and doubles up as a resource tray.The top level is a single tray that contains all of the new miniatures and the metal First Player coin. It’s also where you’ll store the components for each of the players. The clear plastic lid for this tray is molded to securely hold not just the game board, but also the 2 new, smaller boards from the Rise of Ix expansion. The four different styles of Agent miniatures. Image by Paul Benson. Four detailed miniatures replace the cardboard Faction Alliance tokens. Three combat-ready Sardaukar represent the Emperor, a Guild Heighliner represents the Spacing Guild, and a Bene Gesserit and a Fremen represent their respective factions. Each of the models has sculpted onto their bases the symbol for their factions. The First Player coin. Image by Paul Benson. In December 2020, Dire Wolf Digital released Paul Dennen’s Dune: Imperium, which I reviewed on GeekDad. I awarded it with a GeekDad Approved badge, and it went on to be my favorite game of 2021. I wasn’t alone in my enjoyment of the game; it went on to win several awards, including our own GeekDad Game of the Year. You should also focus on getting at least two spaces ahead or to the top of any factions you have an alliance with, as this VP can be vital in securing victory. Tip 15 (Moderate/Hard) – Acquiring The Right Cards For Your Strategy They have also made the Emperor, the Spacing Guild, the Fremen and the Bene Gesserit elements something that all players can have access to, rather than separate players. Player characters are based around four houses of the Landsraad – so far we know that House Atreides and House Harkonnen will be present, and a third ‘automated’ house, House Hagal, has been mentioned, but whether House Ix or House Tleilaxu appear remains to be seen.
The box itself(as pictured above) is much deeper than the box for Dune: Imperium. This is because it can store both the old components and new ones from the base game, as well as all of the components from the Rise of Ix expansion. When you open the box, you’ll find two layers of component trays. The top component tray. Image by Paul Benson.Protect your game with 75 gorgeous full-art sleeves for use with Dune: Imperium or other card games. Arrakis sleeves featuring the iconic desert planet. The deluxe upgrade looks fantastic (shown below) replacing everything with miniatures and giving players a new box to keep it all in, but when you have forked out for an already quite expensive game, you should not have to hand over another bag of coin for ‘better’ components. That being said, I cannot wait for mine to turn up; they are arriving in March apparently. So, overall, the components are serviceable but nothing to write home about. The cards are nice though, using art from the upcoming Dune film, due this year. You may even recognize some of the people on the cards. My son said, “Isn’t that Drax, dad, from Guardians of the Galaxy?” Yes, son, yes it is. Everything in this deluxe upgrade screams quality. From the detailed miniatures to the branded card sleeves. The storage solution and box are much improved over the base game and boy does it give the game a much better look on the table.
Certainly, if a game has cards that see a lot of use, like in Dune: Imperium, then card sleeves will extend the lifespan of your game. I have played Dune Imperium numerous times and it has become one of my favourite games. Throughout many hours of gameplay, I have found myself repeatedly utilising a few key strategies to try and get the edge over my opponents. This blog will provide my own rating of how easy each strategy is to pull off in the game, though note that this is only a rough guide as the many combinations of cards and variable availability of resources can result in widely different games. Dispatch cunning agents to further your plans. Send loyal troops into battle on Arrakis. Employ the Mentat to outsmart your rivals. Claim the Alliances of the most powerful factions in the Imperium. With 65 beautifully sculpted miniatures figures and a hefty coin to bestow upon the first player, your game will be fit for an Emperor. Sleeving game cards is a surprisingly divisive practice in the board gaming hobby. There are some people that sleeve their cards religiously, and others that absolutely hate the feel of holding those plastic sleeves in your hands.
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Instead of colored wooden meeples, each player will now get 3 miniatures for their Agents, marked with plastic rings in the 4 player colors. The miniatures are all nicely sculpted, and faithful to the designs from the recent Denis Villeneuve film adaptation of Dune. The tiny Troop miniatures. Image by Paul Benson. The fastest way to use this action is through the placement of your first agent on Stillsuits (requires Diplomacy or Seek Allies), then your second agent on Research Station (requires Signet Ring or Reconnaissance) The Mid-Game It’s very helpful to be able to pull out some of the trays from the game and put them on the table for use during play. In my last game, we simply drew cards directly from the card tray, and resources from the token tray.
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