The Dune universe has been around since the novel’s release in the 1960’s. A tabletop adaptation was later released to much fanfare in 1979, designed by the beloved team who brought us Cosmic Encounter. The game was later revived under a fresh new coat of paint in 2019. And now with a Hollywood blockbuster nearing release, Dune: Imperium looks to capitalize on the recent resurgence of this sci-fi favourite.

The card art in Dune Imperium is fantastic. Character designs are clearly based on the upcoming movie, but the stylized aesthetic is a really nice touch instead of just taking live-action screenshots. The components are solid and built to last. The board is minimal and clean. The only nitpick is the in-box organization is virtually non-existent. For a game revolving heavily around cards and individual player setups, you’ll need to find your own solutions for reducing game setup and tear down.

In Dune: Imperium, players take on the role of a unique leader of a great house. Each player is given the same deck of cards to begin. The game board contains locations for players to send Agents for resources or to gain influence. There is also a garrison for each player to house troops for conflict. Imperium has 4 separate factions that players can eventually forge alliances with. Beside the board, a row of cards are available for purchase by using Persuasion points from the cards in players’ hands.

Each round begins with the reveal of a Conflict card, which lists the perks for winning combat for the round. During the Player Turns phase, players play cards to move their Agents to locations on the board. Once all Agents have been moved (or all players pass), the remainder of cards in each players’ hands are revealed. Players can then use Persuasion points to purchase cards, and add additional combat strength to the conflict. Combat is resolved and then Agents are recalled to refresh the board for the next round. The game concludes when one player has reached 10 victory points or the Conflict deck has run out. The player with the most victory points is declared the winner of the game!

Initially, I went into Dune: Imperium anticipating a deck-building game with light worker placement elements. But after playing it’s clear there’s more of a balance of several different mechanics. The deck-building, the worker placement, the combat and intrigue all provide layers of strategy that don’t pin Imperium into one specific genre. Hand-management is crucial, and cards having two functions (Agent & Reveal) means there are always options to consider. The combat becomes more and more rewarding as the game progresses, forcing players to constantly interact with each other. You will always feel your opponents’ presence in this game.

Dune: Imperium is surprisingly not as hard to pickup as anticipated. The rules are straight-forward and rarely ever conflict. The games do tend to run long, which may be a detractor for groups of 4. I would recommend Imperium for any group that loves games that mashup mechanics. Some games feel like a deck-builder with small additions such as player movement or worker placement, with a bit of role selection. But Dune Imperium always feels like a perfect sum of its parts.