Dune Imperium - Uprising

Dune Imperium – Uprising

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In Dune: Imperium Uprising, you want to continue to balance military might with political intrigue, wielding new tools in pursuit of victory. Spies will shore up your plans, vital contracts will expand your resources, or you can learn the ways of the Fremen and ride mighty sandworms into battle! Dune: Imperium Uprising is a standalone spinoff to Dune: Imperium that expands on that g…
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Awards

Rating

  • Artwork
  • Complexity
  • Replayability
  • Player Interaction
  • Component Quality

You Might Like

  • Allows for good strategic and tactical play
  • A game you can learn to master
  • A great mix of deck-building and worker placement
  • Truly competitive

Might Not Like

  • A lot of people will never be able to play this due to its complexity
  • A steep learning curve
  • A lot to set up
  • You never have tons of options to choose from
  • A little bit overwhelming to begin with
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Description

Embark on an electrifying journey with Dune: Imperium Uprising, where the delicate dance between military prowess and political finesse takes center stage. In this thrilling standalone spinoff, the quest for victory becomes a symphony of strategy, with new tools at your disposal that will reshape the destiny of the Imperium. Brace yourself for a riveting experience as spies weave webs of secrecy to fortify your plans, vital contracts expand your resources, and the desert-dwelling Fremen reveal the exhilarating art of riding mighty sandworms into the heart of battle!

Dune: Imperium Uprising not only amplifies the heart-pounding deck-building and worker placement mechanics of its predecessor but introduces a groundbreaking six-player mode. Now, two teams clash in an epic struggle, creating an arena where alliances are forged, and betrayals cut deep in the sands of Arrakis.

The expansion doesn't just stand alone – it intertwines seamlessly with the Rise of Ix and Immortality expansions from Dune: Imperium. The canvas of possibilities expands, allowing you to craft a narrative that transcends the boundaries of the game. Virtually all the cards from the base game find their place in this intricate tapestry, offering an endless array of strategic permutations.

Choices echo across the dunes as elements of Uprising seamlessly integrate with Dune: Imperium, unlocking new dimensions of gameplay and enhancing the overall experience. The Imperium, vast and unpredictable, eagerly awaits the decisions you'll make. Will you manipulate the intricate threads of politics, command mighty armies, or master the enigmatic skills of the Fremen? The fate of the Imperium rests in your hands – make your move!

Player Count: 1-6

Play Time: 60–120 Min

Age: 13+

Dune Imperium: Uprising is a standalone sequel to Dune Imperium designed by Paul Dennen. It’s a deck-building and worker placement for 1-4 players. There’s also a 6 player mode where groups play in teams of 3. Naturally it’s based on the world of Dune and the intergalactic combat and politics that takes place there. I’ll admit, it’s a bit foreign to me but I’ve been using Star Wars as my loose reference (I’m not saying they’re the same though!).

Dune Imperium: Uprising is a heavy game, there’s no denying that and there are some people who will never be able to play this due to its complexity. However, it could be a real treat for heavy gamers who love the theme and want to crunch. As someone who falls somewhere in the middle, I’ve found there are lots of interesting components to this game that keep me coming back.

Welcome Back To Dune

To some, a lot of the gameplay mechanics will be familiar due to playing the first game. I will be approaching this from a newbie standpoint (as I am one) and I think it’ll be helpful to give a rundown of all the things that are happening (and there are a lot of things).

In order to win the game, you need to have the most victory points. Simple enough. It gets more complicated when it comes to how you earn those victory points (and potentially lose them too). The game ends either when someone reaches 10VP or the conflict deck has run out (which is composed of 10 cards). Every round you flip a new conflict card to see what rewards you can gain. The conflict cards are one of the ways you earn VP. If you’re able to match two objective symbols on the cards, you flip them over for a point.

On the left hand column of the board there are four factions. If you visit those spaces you gain influence points with them. Over time these factions benefit you more and more, both directly through points or through spaces on the board that you can only access when you have enough influence. Once you reach four influence points with a faction you form an alliance with them. However, if someone else gains more influence than you in a faction, you have to give the alliance token (and point) over to them.

The game is made up of rounds composed of:

  • Drawing a deck of five cards
  • Agent/reveals
  • Conflict
  • Maker
  • Resetting

Every player starts with a deck of the same ten basic cards. These will allow you to travel, gain conflict power and have persuasion. They can either be used for agents or reveals.

Agents and reveal turns are a substantial part of the game. At the beginning of the game you have two agents. You’re able to buy a third Swordmaster at the space when you have enough money (it’s the most expensive for the person who gets there first).

Each round you’re only able to have a maximum of three agents to do your bidding, which generally involves collecting resources and gaining influence. In order to place an agent you need to have a card with a matching symbol on the board to travel there, i.e. in order to move to the Hagga Basin which has a symbol with a yellow triangle, you’ll need to use a card with a yellow triangle to get there.

Players take it in turn placing their agents until they can’t anymore or don’t want to (but you’re probably going to want to). Only one agent can be on each spot unless you use your spies (a new feature in Uprising). It’s nice that spaces that seem impossible to reach in the early game are actually really accessible by the late game because of the acceleration of the accumulation of resources.

Then you take reveal turns, you can take them whenever you want as it could give you more persuasion to purchase a really good card from the Imperium row. Persuasion is currency in this game and the cards are worth different amounts of persuasion. In the same way as Clank, this currency will only last this round so you better spend it while it lasts. You can also gain extra combat points in the reveal phase as well. So reveals are how you improve and grow your deck and strengthen your troops.

Next we go into conflict, one of the best ways to gain resources, influence and points in the game. You and your opponents know what you’re fighting for before the round starts and you can decide how much resource you want to commit to the fight. You can use your agents to recruit troops to your garrison and if your agent is in a conflict zone you can send troops there. From a combination of revealed swords, troops in the conflict and conflict intrigue cards, you determine your strength and see who wins the top prize.

Sandworms are a new part of the game, they are a military unit in themselves worth 3 military points and if you win with them in your army, your reward is doubled. It definitely adds a little extra bit of strategy of when to deploy sandworms and when to double your payout. If you gain control of an area, every time someone visits the area, you get an extra little bonus. And any time the area’s possession is in contention, you get to recruit a troop to the conflict for free. The sandworms are a nice addition as someone who’s behind can actually catch up.

You have to be tactful with your troops as after they’ve fought you have to take them back. You can save troops in your garrison for the future but they don’t fight unless they are in the conflict zone.

The Maker round gets you to add spice to desert spaces without agents on them and then you reset your army, reclaim your agents and draw another hand of five for the next round.

Another important part to mention are spies, everyone gets three and they basically allow you to access a space that’s occupied by another player’s agent. You can either withdraw a spy to remove another person’s agent so you can place your agent there instead. Or you can use a spy to gain another card to your hand. It’s another interesting dynamic that prevents major blockages.

Those are the key components of each round. As you gain more resources you’re able to do more on the map, which means by the time you’re on Conflict III cards you have lots of interesting choices you could make. I think having three agents is a nice amount of actions as while analysis paralysis can still happen for some, there’s only so much you can do so you have to prioritise.

The game also includes the CHOAM module which adds another layer to the game. Normally a contract is 2 solari but the CHOAM module allows you to add a variety of new contracts which you can take and gain rewards if you complete them. For example, getting some spice if you travel to the Deep Desert. It’s another way to add depth and variety to the game if you’re looking for something extra.

Sand, It’s Coarse And Rough And Gets Everywhere

Something I like about Dune Imperium: Uprising is that it’s tight. You only have 2-3 agents to make your moves so you have to make them count. You also have to decide where your priorities lie, is it with building alliances? Or is it with gaining military strength? Or gaining resources? They are good dilemmas to think about.

There’s also hand management as you decide which cards to use for your agents and which cards to use for persuasion currency to buy better cards. As you play more, you learn the cards you want to be buying. It’s also satisfying to be able to use your cards to move and to buy things.

In terms of competitive components, there are a few and they are fun. Of course there’s the direct conflict, and you can always see when people are adding more troops and when people really want a specific reward. But there are also the faction tracks and the alliances you can form and steal. There are a relatively limited number of spaces and more importantly only one agent can be there at a time. This means there’ll definitely be speed runs to the most desirable locations. In Uprising, the spies and sandworms are nice additions as it prevents lockouts and allows for people to capitalise on the rewards they want.

In my opinion you might be better off playing with 2-3 players for a tighter game. 4 players can be fun if everyone knows the game, but you just could be there for a long time. The 6 player variation is nice if some people would like to be guided and provides a bit of team camaraderie like on a spaceship (or at least what I imagine that to be like).

There are lots of different routes to winning which I can see a lot of people enjoying as they go more in depth with the game. While the conflicts seem like the obvious route (and they are), there are lots of resources and intrigue cards you can use to get ahead. The intrigue cards can have end game scoring that could be the key to victory.

Just like its predecessor, Dune Imperium: Uprising is very brown and visually won’t be for everyone. But the components continue to be lovely; the solari, spice and water tokens are just nice. You have the option to play with the wooden or plastic sandworms (I prefer wooden). Everything just has a nice feel to it. The player boards are perhaps a little flimsy but nothing that would majorly take away from the game.

In the end, the game is fun! I can see the hype around the series. It’s really cool seeing the different chains you can pull off and how it evolves throughout the game. There’s also a lot to learn to become a pro at the game. Aside from the spaces, there are the faction benefits, the intrigue cards and the imperium deck. There is so much depth to get stuck into here. If you have a group of heavier gamers, you could all have a great time getting really competitive with this. Both the competition for spaces (and prioritising your agents), favour in factions and actual conflict and fights. If you really love Dune Imperium I still think there’s something here with the sandworms and spies. Though I reckon most people won’t need both. As someone new to the series I think it’s excellent and I was more than happy to dive into the world of Dune with Uprising.

DUNE IMPERIUM

Dune Imperium: Uprising (the standalone sequel to Dune Imperium) has a solo mode! If you want to explore space politics but have no one to do that with, never fear, the solo variation is here. While solo modes are frequently used to teach the game, they can actually be really fun too.

A lone ranger

The core gameplay of Dune Imperium: Uprising stays the same and adds new decks of cards to allow you to play solo. The House Hagal deck is also used for 2 player games when you need another rival. There is also a rival deck where the characters are turned into automas. They also have a range of difficulties when you feel prepared to go down that route.

Each rival also gains the normal resources and places cubes on the faction tracks. Your rivals will be able to gain political influence with the factions, however, they don’t score the bonuses. The rivals also have signet ring and scheme abilities and a faction priority track at the bottom of the card.

Lady Amber works slightly differently than the other rivals as she doesn’t score points. However, that doesn’t make her easy. She has abilities that give her ridiculous military strength and I found myself losing most conflicts to her. All the rivals have their own special abilities and priorities and it’s really fun to explore their unique characteristics.

Like a multiplayer game, you win the game by having the most Victory Points with the game ending when someone gets 10 points or you’ve gone through the conflict deck. You play with the same conflict cards and are fighting for the top rewards. In the case of ties, victors both gain the next best reward (unless both people are third).

The game is made up of rounds composed of:

● Drawing a deck of five cards

● Agent/reveals

● Conflict

● Maker

● Resetting

You get your deck of ten basic cards and you set up the rivals beside you (normally two for a solo game). You continue to play as you would for a multiplayer game, using the cards to travel, gain conflict power and persuasion in agent or reveal turns. You give the rivals all their cubes and resources as they score points with these too (though in slightly different ways).

The first player marker moves around you and your rivals and you take turns as normal placing agents one at a time. Using the House Hagal deck, you reveal where your rivals will be placed. Once they’re there you can’t go there unless you have a spy in a connected location. There are House Hagal cards that tell you how to move the rivals’ spies too. There’s a system (or schemes) on the rival cards that give them bonuses when their third spy has been placed and moved. When you get to the later stages of the game and your rivals have built up resources and influence, they’ll be able to start going to the more ‘expensive’ spaces.

You and the rivals place agents until you can’t, and you have the option of stopping early to start taking your reveal turn. Based on the persuasion you have, you can start adding cards from the Imperium row and gaining some extra swords for conflict.

A key difference is that your rivals earn points in a slightly different way to you. They will first build up the resources they need for the sword master, then they’ll be able to buy victory points based on when they reach a certain amount of resources, for example when they have 7 spice, they’ll gain a VP.

When it comes to conflict, your rivals gain swords based on additional cards you flip from the House Hagal deck. They get swords depending on the amount on the card. When a rival goes to a combat space, they’ll always deploy up to two troops from the garrison to the conflict zone. Your rivals can also deploy sandworms if they have a maker hook.

From a combination of revealed swords, troops in the conflict and conflict intrigue cards, you determine your strength and see who wins the top prize. Your rivals can also gain control of areas and they get the control bonus as usual.

You do housekeeping after each round, adding spice (unless an agent is there) and getting your agents back. Be aware that you also have to keep track of your rival’s resources and things can get missed with so many things to keep on top of.

The core gameplay is the same as in a multiplayer game. You can see how much strength your rivals have and decide how much firepower you want to put into fighting them. The rivals aren’t pushovers either, even the easiest rivals are a challenge. You can desperately want a reward from a conflict but there were many times I tried and failed to get what I wanted. In the case of a tie, both players get the second place reward and the person in third gets nothing. At the end of the game you tot up everyone’s points and you hope that you beat the robots.

Alone in space

I’m impressed with the solo mode in Dune Imperium: Uprising. It provides a challenge aside from being a great way to learn the game. There’s good depth that allows you to learn the different rivals and cards in the Imperium deck in a more condensed way.

As always, there is nothing like beating your friends in a conflict but the rivals will do for now. The House Hagal deck is a really nice and simple way to determine their actions. The difficulty also increases as the game progresses, as they get more resources and are able to gain more influence. There’s also a lot of suggestions at the back of the solo rules to make it even more difficult (if you’re into that) so you can really become a pro at the game.

I think Dune Imperium Uprising has an excellent solo mode that has a lot of depth and is just a fun puzzle. Like the multiplayer game, this is not going to be for everyone and it will just be too complicated for some. However, if you like the theme, the different game mechanics and more complex puzzles, you’re probably going to have a really good time with this.

Editors note: This post was originally published on Feb 19th 2024. Updated on Feb 28th to improve the information available.

Zatu Score

Rating

  • Artwork
  • Complexity
  • Replayability
  • Player Interaction
  • Component Quality

You might like

  • Allows for good strategic and tactical play
  • A game you can learn to master
  • A great mix of deck-building and worker placement
  • Truly competitive

Might not like

  • A lot of people will never be able to play this due to its complexity
  • A steep learning curve
  • A lot to set up
  • You never have tons of options to choose from
  • A little bit overwhelming to begin with