Review of Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy

 Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy (2021) by Gale Force Nine is a simplified and remastered version of Dune: A Game of Conquest, Diplomacy, and Betrayal (2019), which, in turn, is an update of 1979's Dune.

 Unlike the 2019 "classic" version, this new version is clearly based on characters and scenes from Denis Villeneuve's Dune. The cover features the actors' faces, as well as the signature ornithopters and a worm hovering over people running through the desert.

 Gameplay and rules are licked off compared to past versions of Dunes. There are fewer ambiguous moments, and the game time has also been significantly reduced. Dynamic fast games last 30-60 minutes. The feeling of the game is familiar and at the same time different. These innovations are just for busy people: they allow you to play a Dunes-themed game in just 5 turns.

 The developers have also tried to make the dueling version more relevant, which again is good news for those who don't have a large company of Dunes/board fans. Hooray, they didn't forget about us!

 My review is based on several batches of two players.

RULE BOOK AND COMPONENTS

 The first two pages of the rulebook introduce the Dune universe, describing the four playable factions: the Atreides, the Fremen, the Harkonnens, and the Emperor. Unfortunately, the Bene Gesserit are no longer a full-fledged faction, although Lady Jessica and Reverend Mother Mohiam are playable characters that fell into the Atreides and Emperor factions, respectively.

 The field is thought out; what is where is intuitively clear. In the upper corners are counters of moves and phases, in the lower - vats of tleilax and a bank of sais. A sandstorm token is placed on the edge of the planet. During the course of the game, he can move to any of the eighteen sectors indicated by dotted lines. The map itself consists of four types of locations: Sand, Rocks, Citadel and Polar Hollow.

 Compared to the 2019 version, the field has become much darker, which makes up for the gloomy atmosphere. According to feelings, some pieces of the area below are painted in too dark tones, which makes it difficult to see their boundaries and symbols. Instead, the location names are highlighted in white and are completely readable.

 There are 4 types of decks in the game: Spice, Combat, Traitors and Goods. As well as 4 sets of faction-specific components: a sheet describing its advantages, leader disks and troop tokens - with the corresponding colors and icons. In addition, there is also a first player token, spice tokens (local currency), phase and turn counter tokens, and two battle wheels. There are also two faction alliance sheets and citadel block tokens for two-player games.

 The layout takes only a few minutes, since the fairly short process is described on the faction sheet. Only the deck of traitors requires special training — to remove faction cards from it that are not present in the game. Also, if Harkonnen is in the game, they have a choice advantage.

GAME PROCESS

 Each player's goal is to control at least 3 citadels by the end of the 3rd, 4th or 5th turn. The player who did it wins. The game lasts five moves in total; it is impossible to win in the first two moves. If by the end of the 5th turn no one fulfills the victory condition, then the players receive 5 points for each citadel under control and 1 for each spice in reserve. Whoever has the most points becomes the winner.

 The game is divided into seven phases, which are marked on the playing field with icons and inscriptions: the phases of storm, influx of spice, receiving cards, revival, landing and moving troops, battle and collecting spice. As soon as you remember what happens in each phase, you will get involved in the gameplay, and there is no need to constantly check the rules.

1. SAND STORM

 You roll an eight-sided die to see if the sandstorm has moved, and if so, by how many 1 to 6 cells. Unless you're a Freemen whose troops don't die in a sandstorm, you should be wary of his approach.

2. INFLOW OF SPICE

 You turn over the top card from the spice deck, hoping it's not a sandworm. If a location card is dropped, you place spice in the two locations indicated on it and start planning how your troops will get there if you need spice (and who doesn't?). If a sandworm, the worm destroys all spice supplies and troops in the two locations indicated on the previous card drawn. Unless you're a Freeman who can climb a sandworm and come out of the water dry.

3. RECEIVING CARDS

 You can take up to four battle cards and three goods, but the latter cost two spices each. Also, if there is an Emperor in play, he gets this charge, so you should think twice before refilling his bins.

4. REVIVAL

 If you have lost parts of your troops, you can respawn two squads in Tleilax vats for free, as well as additional squads and leaders, for two spices each. Yes, reviving people is not cheap.

5. LANDING AND MOVEMENT OF TROOPS

 Troops on the faction sheet can be landed at any location or citadel on the planet by paying one unit of spice per troop. After disembarking, you can move any number of units in one location to another location up to 3 cells away. The mechanics of the Freemen are different: they can land troops only in the Polar Depression, but for free and five units at a time. They can also move troops twice per 3 cells or once per 6 cells. As you can see, Freeman has serious advantages.

6. BATTLE

 Battles are the most difficult aspect of the game. A battle begins when two or more factions are in the same location. Each player secretly forms their battle plan from selected units, leaders, and weapon/defense battle cards. The Emperor faction has an advantage in the form of the Voice ability, which forces the opponent to play certain cards. The Atreides faction has an advantage in the form of foresight, which allows you to force the enemy to reveal one of the four parts of their battle plan. After both players reveal their battle plans at the same time, they can play additional cards that can affect the outcome of the battle. Players can also reveal a traitor if they have a traitor card that matches the enemy leader. The goal is not just to win by gaining the highest combined strength, but to kill the enemy leader, since you get spice for killing leaders in battle, including your own.

7. COLLECTION OF SPICE

 If you have units in the sector where the location with the spice is located, then each unit can collect 2 spices. If you have less than 3 spices at the end of this phase, you can get up to 3 with a spice bank. After collecting the spice, the victory condition is checked. If it is not fulfilled, then the game continues until the end of the 5th round.

HOW OUR PARTIES WERE

 In one game night, I played three games against two, winning all three times. The first game took 50 minutes and a full 5 moves. We played by taking one faction each: Atreides and Harkonnenov. The Harkonnens won: 41 Spices and 2 Citadels against 8 Spices and 1 Atreides Citadel.

 The second game took 70 minutes. We tried allies mode: I'm for Atreides + Freemen, the enemy is for Harkonnen + Emperor. First to win: 14 Spices and 1 Citadel vs. 8 Spices and 0 Citadels. Admittedly, I only scratched out the win thanks to a last-minute goods card that allowed me to move the squads into the spice collection phase and collect some spice in the final phase of round 5. I really liked such a victory, but my opponent did not.

 We liked the mode with allies, and in the third game we laid it out again, only changed the factions. This time the game took only 27 minutes: on turn 3 I won by holding three citadels for Harkonnens+Emperor.

IMPRESSION

 What do I like most about this game?

 First, it is based on "Dune", which is an absolute plus. Fans of the film will love the new artwork and darker tones. The rules are simple, and thanks to the instructions on the faction sheets, the layout is quick. Even if I hadn't played the original, I think it would be easy to master. Since this "Dune" can be laid out in just an hour, with a sufficient minimum of two people, I would prefer this version to other, longer ones if I had very limited free time.

 In terms of atmospherics, I really like the ability to predict, both because of its thematic nature and strategicness: it is very useful to know some of the trump cards hidden up the opponent's sleeve. The Harkonnens' ability to receive additional traitors is also thematic. I also like the "Voice" ability - it's a shame, though, that it's exclusive to the Emperor, so Jessica has nothing to do with it. But since the Atreides already have foresight, a second ability of the same plan could cause an imbalance. The Freemen's dual movement and sandstorm protection seems logical, and also makes them an interesting faction.

 Allies mode, which allows you to use the abilities of an allied faction, opens up additional options for actions and strategies in a duel, so I intend to explore it further. For example, having to pay the Emperor for purchased market cards made me wary of buying them, as it is essentially giving the enemy money to buy cards for themselves or deploy troops against me. Since this Dune has fewer turns for everything, we quickly learned not to waste money at the start, which was exactly the mistake my opponent made in the first game.

 However, this version of "Dune" is by no means perfect. There are no more screens to help you hide your battle plans from your opponents, which is a shame. This would be more convenient than holding the battle wheel and the leader and the cards in the hand. I would also recommend putting the cards in protectors, because after two games the edges are already starting to wear a little.

 Concise and shortened games mean you have less time to catch up if you fall behind. My opponent in the first game faced this problem. Citadels can change hands quickly; one player can easily lose several in one turn. If you don't have good combat or market cards, it's hard to deal with a leader that has come forward, which is problematic primarily for dueling games - it's probably not as critical in three-fourths. However, the game has enough randomness in the form of dice and several decks that even the most elaborate plans have a chance to fail.

 Compared to Dire Wolf Digital's Dune: Empire, Dune is deeper and more diverse. More strategic options, and lasts longer. Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy is faster and requires less thinking - sometimes you want to lay out just such frivolous things. The most involved phase is the combat phase, as you plan which leaders, traitors, and weapons to use, and the Foresight and Voice abilities add even more food for thought.

CONCLUSIONS

 Overall, this game successfully licked off the original, tied it to the movie, and made it accessible to a wider audience that would rather prefer the faster and simpler Dune crowd. I myself plan to alternate between playing it, then the longer classic "Dune" of 2019 and "Dune: Empire".

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