It seems a very simplified version of the game with no Bidding and less players, but it also has got a lot of good reviews.
Particularly interested in the two player version as would like to know how the game works only as a two!
6 Likes
Welcome to the site, @misomiso!
Unfortunately, I, myself, donāt have any insight as Iāve never played either game.
I like the idea of it, anyway. Having never played the original game, it sounds like something I would have fun with, but would probably be impossible for me to really get to the table. A slimmed down version which gives the same overall feel and similar gameplay might have a chance.
1 Like
Hello @misomiso and welcome to the forums.
I have Dune sitting on my shelf since slightly before the lockdownsāI had a group all lined up to give it a try and ā¦ now I need to reschedule that 2 years later.
I am afraid though Dune might end up a similar experience as my personal encounter with Cosmic Encounter which was not quite as brilliant as the internet had made me expect.
2 Likes
I have the Gale Force 9 Dune on the shelf, as I managed to buy it just after lockdown and will need a group before I can get it to the table 
Iād been waiting for the reprint for years, though.
A quicker, 2-player friendly version with no bidding actually sounds amazing! You can find youtube vids of people playing the original GF9 Dune (such as āMCDM Plays Duneā) and might be able to work out from that if the changes would be something youād like. I havenāt seen any reviews of Dune C&D itself yet.
1 Like
So I seem to be in the minority here in that I have played Dune aboutā¦ a dozen times? Four or five plays of the original (super ugly, cardboard chit) version, about six plays of Rex, and then another four or five plays of the new Dune version by GF9.
The idea of a slimmed down version definitely appeals. I love Dune, but itās not well balancedā¦ and, much like Cosmic Encounter (which I do not like, although I get why others love it) a lot of that has to do with the metagame more than the game.
Just in case: āMetagameā is the game that happens around the game. If I play with the same 4 players every time, and I know that Tory always plays Bene Gesserit and refuses to support the Harkonen player regardless of who is playing them then I can safely know that any support she offers to the Harks isnāt going to result in the Bene Jedi winning due to their special condition. It can also include stuff like āDan bought pizza so everyone is being nice to Dan tonightā, or even āGabe is Martinās older brother and so if Gabe loses his last stronghold to Martin heās going to physically flip the table and storm off.ā
Yes, that happened. No, I donāt play games with Gabe any more.
Anyway. Iām not sure I would play a 2 player version of Dune as it stands because the game is poorly balanced at 4 players and impossibly badly balanced at 3. Itās all about checks and balances: the counter to the super powerful Atreides ability is either the fistful of traitors the Harkonen command or the Emperorās Sardakaur troopers. If neither of those factions are in the game, the Atreides are going to run roughshod over everyone. But the counter to the Emperor is the Spacing Guild, who the Emperor has to pay to land his valuable troopsā¦ and the counter to the Guild is Atreides, who have their own sub-economyā¦ etcā¦ etcā¦
I love that element of the game, but if they can figure out a way to actually balance the armiesā¦ man, that would be a helluva thing.
2 Likes
Ah so you have actually played Dune! Ok here are some questions! -
- becasue of the way you buy treachury cards, does an alliance with the Emperor mean youāll almost always win!? The Emperor seems to have so much money!
- Did you play with advanced combat rules? The Fremen seem to be very weak without them.
- What did you think of āRexā? Was it a better implementation of the game? What were the main things they streamlined?
Yes I definately agree that at two players the game would seem strange, but apparently in the new version it works! We shall have to see I guess.
Mny thks!
2 Likes
Happy to help however I can! The biggest caveat I can give is that despite playing it about 10-15 times, I havenāt played it in the last two years. Yay pandemics.
Anyway! To your questions!
- The Emperorās giant stacks of cash rely very heavily on the Space Guild (and vice versa) for useful applications of that cash. And the Atreides ability to barter their knowledge of the auction is also incredibly powerful, albeit more luck driven. The main economy of the game should always be driven by the spice on the board, and then how that spice is directed after it is hoovered up by whomever gets there drives the secondary economy of whichever factions are in play.
In summary: No, an alliance with the Emperor doesnāt always result in victory. In fact, the Emperor is often one of the harder factions to win as, because theyāre very blunt-instrument. Unless the Bene Gesserit are backing them, in which caseā¦ things get interestingā¦ - Gosh, that is a good question. I donāt think Rex has āadvanced rulesā, or if it does I donāt recall which I used, and the original Dune didnāt. Iām pretty sure yes, we play with most (although not all) of the advanced rulesā¦ the old Dune had this idiotic āDueling Spaceā mini-game that my group loathed so we never used it. The Fremen have never seemed particularly weak to my group, but again, the meta is going to determine a lot of their power.
- I love Rex, but I understand why others donāt. Itās almost exactly the same game, but itās harder to remember that the Xxcha are the āJediā of Rex, or that the Letnev are the Harkonen (thematically it doesnāt make sense, but the head of the Letnev government is a Baron, soā¦). They streamlined a few thingsā¦ some of the fiddlier powers for the Emirates/Spacing Guild, I think, and the deck of Spice cards was tweaked slightly, but nothing that confused my playgroup. The components are way better, and I love the idea of an orbital bombardment fleet instead of a sandstorm. But otherwise itās the same gameā¦ the map is a little harder to read until you get used to it, but itās also not beige, so swings and roundabouts.
Oh, and I havenāt tried the 2 new factions for the New Dune yet, but I am excited to do so! The very idea of new armies/powers in a game Iāve owned for over 20 yearsā¦ glee!
3 Likes