Dune Board Game Review

Aug 18

Originally published in 1979 by Avalon Hill and designed by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge and Peter Olotka, this asymmetric strategy game has been long out of print and hard to find. In advance of the upcoming 2020 film, Gale Force 9 has refreshed DUNE and re-released it with a new look and slightly tweaked gameplay.

You play one of six factions vying for territory on the desert moon Arakis, wielding a wildly varied skill set, specialty rules and win conditions depending on who you play. I’d never played the original, though I had heard it was a great game back in the day, so I was quite excited when the opportunity to play it at SaltCON presented itself this spring. The fact that we’d be playing with Alan and Erin from Gallant Knight Games, RPG creator John Wick and Ben Woerner, who is working on the DUNE RPG was an added bonus.

I was instantly out of my element, having never played the game and my wife was even more worried. Despite the depth and variety of rules for the different groups, we found ourselves catching on rather quickly. I lost abysmally, of course – DUNE is a game best played multiple times with players of similar skill levels that have taken the time to play each faction and study how they all work. But even so, we had an excellent time.

There are a few fiddly pieces that are smaller than they need to be but the design overall is gorgeous with a subdued color pallete and graphic design that compliments the art. If you are a fan of asymmetry in a strategy game and regularly play with a group of six players (the game isn’t as finely balanced without most of the factions in play) I would highly recommend DUNE. It was ahead of its time in 1979 and the Gale Force 9 release has achieved a delicate balance of feeling both modern and retro in its design and gameplay.

“There is no real ending, it’s just the place where you stop the story.”

Dune is available on Amazon as well as at most fine online and virtual board game sellers. (At the time of this review, it was listed for $40 on Amazon)

This review was originally published in the print and digital version of Issue One of Tabletops & Tentacles. Subscribe TODAY!

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