I saw the original “Dune” movie in 1984; I didn’t know anything about “Dune” at the time, and to be honest, afterwards I didn’t really understand what I’d just seen. But it piqued my interest enough that I read the book and fell in love with Frank Herbert’s tale of grand conflict, interwoven plots and prophecies, and – of course! – massive sand worms.
Forty years later, with a new “Dune” film in theaters from Denis Villeneuve and Legendary Entertainment, tabletop strategy gamers around the world have given Dire Wolf’s board game, Dune: Imperium, a tremendous reception since its release, with numerous awards and recognitions. And now we’re expanding the conflict on Arrakis to a whole new world of gamers in a crossplay digital adaptation on Xbox.
Dune: Imperium combines deck-building and worker placement to deliver a highly thematic board game experience, where leaders plot and scheme to maneuver their pieces into appropriate positions in a complex world of intrigue. Our game welcomes each player to portray a leader of a Great House of the Landsraad, fighting over control of Arrakis and the spice trade.
Each player is not only waging a land war for precious territory and resources, however. They must also court the key pillars of the Imperium – the Emperor, the Landsraad Council, the Spacing Guild, the Bene Gesserit, CHOAM, even the Fremen – all NPC factions offering strategic advantages to any House who earns their favor. In one game, you might play as Duke Leto Atreides and befriend the Fremen and make an alliance with the Spacing Guild. In another, you might be Baron Harkonnen, exploiting your opponent’s weaknesses with the Bene Gesserit’s secrets and schemes, while tying your destiny to the Emperor.
We take a “what if?” approach to gameplay, staying true to what each faction should feel like within the context of the game, but allowing players to divert from the specific political alliances and events in the book allowing a new, yet authentic, “Dune”narrative to emerge in every playthrough.
This “what if” approach goes even further. In the book, one of the reasons that Duke Leto becomes a target is that the Atreides family has attracted some of the best allies in the Imperium. Thufir Hawat is a celebrated Mentat, Gurney Halleck is an inspirational military leader, while Duncan Idaho is an unrivaled swordsmaster. In Dune: Imperium, all of these powerful figures who loyally served House Atreides in the books are now available to any House to recruit. What if the Beast Rabban rose to power with Duncan at his side? Or if House Richese aligned with Lady Jessica? You get the idea.
Finally, the story of “Dune” is not only about politics. Why would you be recruiting swordmasters and military geniuses if there weren’t wars to be waged? So, we obviously had to inject a healthy dose of military conflict into the game. Every round, there is a conflict that players can engage with, a skirmish or battle to be won. You’ll have to decide whether to use your cards to send your agents into battle or toward other endeavors. Keeping a watchful eye on your opponents is key; if a battle is heating up between two of your rivals, perhaps it’s better to sit it out and instead muster some troops for future conflicts. Much like the films, we’ve made a game where the fate of the Imperium is determined by the choices you make. What strings will you pull? Who will you trust or betray? How much will you claim, destroy, or sacrifice? With every card comes another choice and challenge that takes the story in a new direction, making each game an epic and memorable adventure.