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I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. At least that’s how I feel when I’m sitting on nine victory points in Dune Imperium, knowing that getting one more should and could bring me the victory I covet. A metaphorical sandstorm is coming though, and one I hadn’t anticipated as my opponent wins the final combat round, advancing up tracks I thought I held and snatching allegiances away from me that I thought I had secured. From victory to defeat, but what a game!
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.
Dune Imperium, is based on both a combination of the old book and the new film. Not to be confused with the other Dune game based on the old book but not the new film. This game combines some of my favourite mechanisms in games, deck building and worker placement with a side serving of combat to boot, as you control a leader from one of the great houses seeking to control the desert planet.
Each player begins with the same deck of cards and a unique leader card. The cards that start in your deck and those you add to it have two uses, either taking actions or revealing at the end of their turn to various effects but predominantly can be used to purchase new cards and upgrade your deck. Each card has a symbol denoting where you can send your limited number of workers, and if you don’t have the right cards or if those spaces are taken, you will have to take a different path. You also begin with only a couple of workers to place each round, meaning you have to think very carefully about what you’re trying to achieve that round and what goals you are working towards.
Despite the mix of mechanisms and game types that can be found elsewhere, each time I play Dune Imperium it feels fresh and new, with each game presenting a new challenge to face with multiple routes to victory. Do you focus on combat, advancing up a certain track, or seeking synergy in the cards you purchase at the end of the round. Even with the limited number of workers you have to place each round, there always seems to be a wealth of options open to you with difficult decisions to be made each turn.
Once all players have completed their available actions and purchased cards to add to their deck, a combat phase occurs where troops you have amassed, or decided to hold back, are counted and given an attack value, with the additional opportunity to play intrigue cards affecting the outcome. The rewards for the combat round vary depending on the deck and therefore knowing when to push for an ‘all in’ offensive and when to hold back, or put just enough in to claim second place is a delicate balance that adds to the tension of the game.
Final Thoughts
If I have a couple of criticisms of the game, they are small, firstly the graphic design of the board and the quality of the components could be better, although a deluxe upgrade pack is available should you wish to invest in it. Secondly if playing with just the base game, the deck building doesn’t feel as strong as it could be, although having played the game with the excellent Rise of Ix expansion, I feel the expansion cards resolve that specific problem for me.
The multiple leader cards, not knowing what will come up for purchase each round to add to your deck and knowing when to make that push for the end of round combat goals means that this is a game that shifts and changes each time you play it, like the sands of the desert planet. Dune Imperium is a game where each time I play it, it feels better than the last as if you’re learning a little more each time on how to negotiate the game that lies ahead of you knowing that for you to achieve victory the spice must flow.