Game Play Review - Dune: Imperium

Dune: Imperium is a game published by Dire Wolf Digital. The premise of the game is for players to take on the role of a leader of one of the four Great Houses from the Dune franchise. Over a series of rounds, players collect resources, fight rivals and form alliances in an effort to gain victory points. The game end is triggered after any player reaches 10 victory points, or after 10 rounds, whichever comes first. The player with the most victory points is declared the winner.

This post is broken into the following 3 sections, feel free to jump directly to one:

1. General summary - consisting of information about overall enjoyment, theme, replayability, and upgrades
2. Complexity - consisting of information about the rulebook, setup, player turns, and overall learning curve
3. Player turns - consisting of game type, game flow, rule you are likely to miss, and favorite aspect

Number of players we had: 3
Our play time (not including setup): 2 hours 20 minutes

Overall enjoyment

Our group enjoyed playing this game for many reasons. First, we love the artwork and layout of the board which is consistent with the franchise theme. Second, we like that there are several facets to this game: there is a deck-building component even though it is at heart a worker placement game, and don't forget, it includes a great deal of strategy as well.

Additionally, we like this game because there are plenty of ways to organize your game and gain victory points. This means each player is likely playing a slightly different way which keeps it very interesting. Some players will focus on gaining their third agent, others will be sure to supply their garrison with troops so they can win conflicts and the benefit of the current round conflict card. Increasing your influence with factions by playing their locations can help players acquire victory points as well as other benefits. Last but not least, building your player deck with better cards and trashing weak cards helps when placing agents as well as during the reveal phase.

If we had to pick something that was frustrating about this game it would be that sometimes, especially in the beginning, players can get blocked from the more common and free-to-visit locations because another player placed an agent there before they could. This slows your progress and adds to the strategy required to advance your game, but has an equal possibility of happening to each player.

Theme

The theme of the game is consistent across all of the components. The board is very thematic and well organized, making game play easy to follow as well as strategizing about your next move. The artwork on the Imperium cards and player starting deck, reserve and conflict cards, as well as the board, is consistent with the theme. We also like that the unique leader cards are oversized which makes them easier to read and to remember to use their special abilities.

Replayability

Several things increase the replayability of this game including:

1. There are eight different leader cards, in three levels of strategic complexity, each with two unique abilities.
2. The Imperium deck has more cards than you will probably use in a single game so players never quite know which cards they will be able to add to their deck.
3. There are more conflict cards than will get used in a single game.
4. The competitiveness changes with your player group and will definitely vary based on this.

Upgrades

There is a deluxe upgrade pack of miniatures including troops and agents, the Mentat and Faction Alliances. While we do not have this upgrade pack, we do plan to purchase the newly announced expansion, Rise of Ix. This expansion includes new leaders, conflict cards, Imperium cards, and location spaces and abilities.

Rule book

The rule book is full of images with examples of play and explanations of rules and setting up the game. The rule book is not very long or overly complex, and though this is a very strategic game, the rule book provides plenty of information to learn the game without being overly confusing. There is also a link to a Watch it Played overview - which I recommend as it definitely makes your first game easier to set up and play!

Lastly, there is a double-sided sheet describing in detail how each board location works to help answer any questions about playing an agent there.

Setup

While this game is very strategic, it can be set up in about 15 minutes, especially after playing it once or twice. The setup is very well explained in the rule book across a two-page spread using images and numbers which make it easy to identify all the components and decks of cards.

Turns

Every round players start with a hand of five cards. Each card has a symbol or symbols relating to the locations a player can deploy an agent to on the board that corresponds with the symbol on the card. Cards also have two sections of benefits. One section is used if the player uses the card to deploy an agent. The second section is utilized if the player uses the card during the reveal phase. This means players need to be very strategic about how they use their cards and this can often change based on where other players deploy agents and if they deploy troops to their garrison or the conflict.

Turns go quickly as players first deploy agents to locations on the board to gain supplies and influence and then carry out their reveal phase. Once a player has used all their agents in a round, they enter their reveal phase which uses the remainder of their cards to acquire cards or increase their conflict strength. Players begin each round with the same number of cards, though these vary greatly over time, and follow the same sequence of deploying agents before entering the reveal phase.

NOTE: An overview of the player turn sequence is on the back of each leader card so it can be helpful to keep the unused leaders out as a player aide.

Overall learning curve

The learning curve for this game is not as high as it might seem. This is a game that is not difficult to learn, but there is a lot to consider. Over time it gets easier to consider all the things going on and with everyone utilizing the same locations and starting with the same cards, it is easy to catch on. Also, there are symbols on the cards that match the locations on the board so players remember what the symbols mean and how they work fairly quickly.

Play type

Dune Imperium is a symmetrical, worker placement and deck-building strategy game. Each leader has slightly different abilities that are helpful at different times. All players need to maximize their abilities to succeed, but anyone can win.

Game Flow

The flow of this game is fairly fluid. Most players are thinking about their next few moves as other players take their turns. If someone plays where you intended, you must quickly think of what to do to maximize your turn.

The end of the game is triggered at the end of any round where a player has reached 10 victory points, or after 10 rounds, which means it moves fast and players need to be strategic about their actions. Players start with two agents, but over time can acquire a third. However, they still begin each round with only five cards so the third agent is most useful once players have acquired stronger cards to support the reveal phase.

One thing that also leads this game to move more quickly is the different levels of complexity the leaders have. There are three different complexity levels printed on the leader cards. This means no matter who is in your player group, you can find a leader that matches each player's game style and level. This allows players to focus on enjoying the game and the strategy instead of being overwhelmed by the rules and choices.

Rule you are likely to forget/miss

When you send an agent to one of the four factions, be sure you move your influence cube accordingly. This can be easy to forget, especially when you are activating the more complex locations of the factions later in the game. However, it is important to remember to move your influence because this can provide players with victory points as well as other benefits.

Favorite aspect

The thing we most love about this game is how many different ways there are to gain supplies and victory points. There are lots of different strategies that players can use to advance their game. Also, because it is a low scoring game, it feels so satisfying each time you gain a victory point.

Dune Imperium is a fun game that incorporates deck-building, worker placement and a great deal of strategy into a theme that is part of a franchise most people will recognize. There are lots of ways this game plays differently each time, making it a game that you will want to play again and again. While it may seem a little overwhelming, the rules are not overly complicated and as players become more familiar with the game, they will begin to incorporate more strategies!