If there was ever a good time to jump on the Dune hype train sandworm, it’s right now. Not only is the highly-anticipated sequel for Denis Villeneuve’s movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi novel about to drop, but you can currently snag a fantastic deal on the Dune board game.
Not only do we think that Gale Force Nine’s Dune is one of the best board games inspired by a pre-existing franchise, it’s one of our all-time favourites in general. You can currently pick it up for $64.99, down from the usual retail price of around $95 to $105.
This isn’t the only Dune-related game that’s on sale right now either. You can also snag a decent discount on the more recent, and very different, Dune: Imperium board game – now $65.99, down from $89.99.
If you’re looking for a new board game to play, or you just want to submerge yourself in more Dune-related media, here’s why these deals are worth your time.
Why should you play Dune?
As we said before, Dune is one of our favourite board games. But if you need some convincing, then here we go. Originally released by Avalon Hill back in 1979, the Dune board game was out of print for decades, before being picked up and re-released by Gale Force Nine in 2019.
It supports up to six players, with each playing one of the game’s factions – House Atreides, House Harkonnen, the Spacing Guild, the Bene Gesserit, the Emperor and the Fremen – as you vy for control of the planet Arrakis and its spice melange. The name of the game is strategy, as you fight and scheme your way to become ruler of the planet. Much like in the source material, a huge part of this game revolves around making alliances with factions, forming secret alliances with others and plenty of inevitable betrayals. The spice must flow!
In Kotaku’s review of the Dune board game, we praised just how unique and odd of an experience it is:
“I can’t remember the last time I laughed, gasped and cursed like I did playing Dune. The way alliances can be made but then broken, the elastic nature of the basic victory conditions and the treachery lurking behind every decision made it feel like every player was always one step away from victory but at the same time one battle away from utter ruin at the same time.”
You can pick up Dune: The Board Game on sale for $64.99 here.
Why should you play Dune: Imperium?
Released in 2020, to coincide with the film’s original release date, Dune: Imperium is a hybrid worker placement and deck-building board game.
In our review of Dune: Imperium, we had a good time with the game’s mechanics:
“I found I was constantly doing something valuable, something contributing tangibly to my push for victory, which is a real strength of worker placement games, but the randomness of drawing cards and the way everyone’s power keeps growing exponentially each turn kept things constantly (I’m sorry) spicy.”
Your options are limited to the number of workers you have available, but as the game progresses you’ll be able to add stronger cards to your deck and tailor your strategy.
However, we felt that, despite being a Dune game, it didn’t particularly feel like a Dune game. Instead, it’s more akin to a branded reskin of a pre-existing game. That might not be a huge dealbreaker for some, but if you’re someone who’s after a board game that feels like an extension and exploration of Herbert’s original work, then you might want to grab the Gale Force Nine board game over Imperium.
You can pick up Dune: Imperium on sale for $65.99 here (down from $89.99).
Image: Gale Force Nine/Dire Wolf Digital/Warner Bros. Pictures/Koatku Australia
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