Dune: Imperium

Dune: Imperium is a turn-based strategy game with elements of board games and card games. It was developed by Dire Wolf and is an adaptation of a board game under the same name, Dune: Imperium.

Plot

Dune: Imperium is set in a sci-fi world created by Frank Herbert, featured in his Dune novels. The main setting is the desert planet of Arrakis. The globe is the only source of Melange, known as the spice, the most valuable substance in the universe, thus being constantly fought over. There are four main factions competing for influence: the mysterious Bene Gesserit, the Spacing Guild, Arrakis' native Fremen and the Emperor himself.

Mechanics

Dune: Imperium plays similarly to the original board game. Each playthrough lasts ten rounds, each of which represents a new conflict on Arrakis. Some battles bring valuable resources, other provide victory points needed to dominate other players.

The player must build a deck of cards, using them to deploy our agents on the planet. Where exactly we send them determines how we build our power. Though we can focus on military strength, we can also devote ourselves to diplomacy or focus on the economy.

Cards can be played in two ways: immediately, deploying agents to gather resources, or revealed at the end of the round, which lets us purchase new cards. Individual cards become more powerful as we expand our deck.

Game modes

Dune: Imperium is playable in singleplayer against the AI, or in online multiplayer. It features numerous pre-made challenges and skirmish mode, each playthrough of which is different.

Technical aspects

The visuals of Dune: Imperium mostly consist of the interface and 2D illustrations depicting places and characters. The latter are inspired by Frank Herbert's novels and the Dune movie from 2021.