Dune Board Games: strategy board game
Dune Board Game (1979) by Avalon Hill: How to Play
The 1979 Dune is a negotiation and conquest classic for 2 to 6 players, reissued by Gale Force Nine in 2019. It works best for groups who prefer alliances, hidden plans, and betrayal to tidy turn-taking.
- 1979
- 2-6 players
- 60-180 minutes
- Ages 14+
- strategy board game
- Avalon Hill (Gale Force Nine reissue 2019)
Designers: Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, Peter Olotka
Six factions, one planet, and nobody’s telling the truth. Let’s look at a turn.
A turn has nine phases, always in the same order. Most of the big decisions happen during bidding, shipment and battle. The list below lays out each phase; the next section covers setup, battles and faction powers. The same designers later made Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen.
Start with the basic game; the advanced rules are optional extras.
A quick look at one turn of Dune
The game runs for up to 10 turns, each with nine phases in this order.
The storm determines who goes first and wipes out forces on sand.
- Step 1:
Storm: The storm marker moves counterclockwise around the 18 sectors. Forces on sand and spice in the sectors it crosses are lost, except forces in the Imperial Basin. After the first turn, the two players who last used the battle wheels dial 1 to 3 to set the move.
- Step 2:
Spice blow and Nexus: Turn over a card from the spice deck. A territory card adds spice to the map. A Shai-Hulud card devours the spice and forces in the previous territory. After turn 1, it also starts a Nexus, where alliances can be made or broken.
- Step 3:
CHOAM Charity: A player with 0 or 1 spice can claim enough to reach 2.
- Step 4:
Bidding: Players bid spice for treachery cards, which provide weapons, defenses and tricks. The hand limit is 4 cards, and everyone can see how many cards each player holds.
- Step 5:
Revival: Each turn, bring back up to 3 forces from the Tleilaxu Tanks. Some are free; the rest cost 2 spice each. If all 5 of your leaders are in the Tanks, you may revive one for spice equal to its fighting strength.
- Step 6:
Shipment and movement: Ship forces from off-planet reserves to one territory, paying 1 spice per force into a stronghold or 2 elsewhere. Then move one group of forces into an adjacent territory.
- 7Step 7:
Battle: When two players share a territory, each secretly dials a number of forces on a battle wheel, chooses a leader and may add treachery cards. Both reveal at once.
- 8Step 8:
Spice harvest: Forces in a territory with spice collect 2 spice each, or 3 each if you hold Carthag or Arrakeen.
- 9Step 9:
Mentat pause: Check whether anyone holds enough strongholds to win, then move the turn marker ahead.
Every faction bends the basic rules in its own way, so the details matter more than they do in most games. The next block covers setup, battle resolution, faction powers and how the game ends. For a modern take on the same setting, try Dune: Imperium.
A detailed guide to playing the Dune board game
Setup
Put all spice tokens in the spice bank. Shuffle the spice deck and treachery deck, then place them face down beside the board.
Choose factions. The rulebook suggests dealing faction cards from the prediction deck at random, or drawing turn prediction cards and choosing in order from highest to lowest. Players may then swap.
Each player takes a shield and player sheet, then places a player marker on the circle nearest their shield.
Remove traitor cards for factions not in play, then deal 4 cards to each player. Keep 1 in secret: an opponent’s leader as your traitor, or one of your own leaders to protect if you drew no opponents’ leaders.
Take your starting spice and place your starting forces as shown on your player sheet. Keep forces in reserve beside your shield.
Deal each player 1 treachery card, then put the turn marker on 1 of the turn track.
Turn by turn
Storm and spice
The storm moves counterclockwise and determines who goes first each turn. Forces on sand and spice in the sectors it crosses are lost, except forces in the Imperial Basin. A spice blow then adds spice to the map. On the first turn, set aside the sandworm cards and reshuffle them.
Bidding
Auction each card in a row for spice, starting with a bid of at least 1. Players raise or pass in turn. The top bidder pays the bank and takes the card. If everyone passes, return the remaining cards to the top of the deck.
Revival, shipment and movement
Revival brings forces and leaders back from the Tleilaxu Tanks. Shipment costs 1 spice per force into a stronghold and 2 elsewhere. Each player then moves one group to an adjacent territory, or up to three territories with ornithopters if starting in Arrakeen or Carthag. Nobody may enter, leave or pass through a sector in storm.
Battle plan
Each player secretly dials a number from 0 up to their forces in the territory and chooses a leader or a cheap hero card. They may add a weapon and a defense. A weapon without its matching defense kills the leader.
Resolving a battle
The higher total wins: forces dialed plus the leader’s strength. The first player in turn order, the aggressor, wins ties. The loser loses every force in the territory and discards the cards played. The winner loses only the forces dialed and collects spice equal to the value of any leader killed.
Traitors
If your opponent plays a leader matching a traitor card you hold, call out Treachery and reveal it. You win the battle and lose nothing. They lose all forces in the territory and the cards they played. You collect spice equal to that leader’s strength.
Harvest and pause
Forces in a territory with spice collect 2 each, or 3 each if you hold Carthag or Arrakeen. During the Mentat pause, check for a winner, then move the turn marker forward.
End of the game and scoring
A player wins by holding 3 strongholds during the Mentat pause. Two allies need 4 between them, and a two-player game also requires 4. If no one wins by the end of turn 10, the Fremen win if they, or no one, hold Sietch Tabr and Habbanya Sietch, and no Harkonnen, Atreides, or Emperor force holds Tuek's Sietch. Otherwise, the Spacing Guild wins. The Bene Gesserit win if their prediction comes true.
Key rules
Atreides
Prescience lets them inspect each treachery card before bidding, peek at the top spice card before movement, and make an opponent reveal one part of a battle plan: leader, weapon, defense or number dialed.
Bene Gesserit
They secretly predict a faction and a turn, and win if the prediction comes true. Their Voice makes an opponent play or skip a specific weapon or defense. They also ship one force free to the Polar Sink whenever another faction ships in.
The Emperor and Spacing Guild
Other factions pay the Emperor, not the bank, for treachery cards. They pay the Guild to ship forces, while the Guild pays half price and can ship between territories or back to its reserves.
Fremen and Harkonnen
The Fremen bring in reinforcements for free near the Great Flat, move two territories, and can ride sandworms. The Harkonnens keep all four traitors, can hold up to 8 treachery cards, and get a free extra card with each purchase.
Tips for your first game
- Start with the basic game. The rulebook recommends playing it several times before adding the advanced rules.
- Check the faction powers before choosing one. They affect which phases matter most to you.
- Keep an eye on the storm marker. It determines the first player and wipes out forces and spice caught on sand.
- Count your treachery cards early: the limit is 4 (Harkonnens 8). Alliances can be short-lived, and a traitor card can decide a battle with a single reveal.
Hold Carthag or Arrakeen to raise your harvest to 3 spice per force.
This game began as a design about the Roman Empire before it became Dune. The next section covers the designers, the 1984 and 2019 editions, and the game’s connection to the novel. For the other titles on the list, see the Dune board games overview.
The game and the Dune novel behind it
The battle's loser discards every treachery card played.
The game
Design and release
Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge and Peter Olotka designed Dune for Avalon Hill, which published it in 1979. The design started as Tribute, a Roman Empire game. Avalon Hill had the Dune license, but its own design didn’t work, so the trio adapted ideas from their earlier Cosmic Encounter for the Dune setting.
The 1984 edition and its long out-of-print stretch
In 1984, Avalon Hill published a new edition with two expansions, Spice Harvest and The Duel. The game then stayed out of print for many years and became a sought-after collectible.
Rex and the 2019 reissue
In 2012, Fantasy Flight reprinted the system as Rex: Final Days of an Empire, without the Dune license. Gale Force Nine reissued Dune on 30 October 2019. The designers said they changed only about 3 to 5 percent of the rules.
The film or series it covers
Frank Herbert’s novel Dune. The game isn’t a film adaptation: the 1979 original came out before any Dune film, and later editions were timed to the 1984 and 2021 films.
Six factions fight for Arrakis’s strongholds: the Atreides, Bene Gesserit, Emperor, Fremen, Spacing Guild and Harkonnens. Each is led by characters from the novel, including Paul Atreides, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and Emperor Shaddam IV. The rulebook closes with a retelling of the first novel’s story.
Scenes and story beats in the game
- 1
The Bene Gesserit Voice lets a player dictate which weapon or defense an opponent uses in battle.
- 2
The Fremen ride sandworms. When Shai-Hulud appears, their forces aren’t devoured and can move on the worm.
- 3
The Spacing Guild controls transport, so other factions pay it to ship forces to the planet.
- 4
Atreides prescience lets them see a treachery card before bidding begins.
Inside the Dune box
- A map of Arrakis in 18 sectors, with sand, rock, stronghold and Polar Sink territories, a turn track and the Tleilaxu Tanks
- Six faction sets, each with a player shield, player sheet, player marker, 5 leader discs and 20 forces
- 2 battle wheels and a storm marker
- Spice deck (21 cards), treachery deck (33), traitor deck (30), prediction deck (16), alliance deck (6) and storm deck (6)
- 156 spice tokens, a destroyed shield wall token and a turn counter
- A rulebook, quick start guide and 6 sequence of play cards
Editions and expansions of the Dune board game
Avalon Hill original 1979
The original game by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge and Peter Olotka.
Second edition 1984
Published by Avalon Hill to coincide with the 1984 film, with the Spice Harvest expansion (a lobbying phase for starting positions) and The Duel (leader tokens and an arena for one on one combat).
Gale Force Nine reissue 2019
Released on 30 October 2019 with new art and few rule changes. Three expansions each add two factions: Ixians and Tleilaxu, CHOAM and Richese, and Ecaz and Moritani.
Dune board game FAQs
How do you play the original Dune game?
Each player leads one of six factions, each with its own power. Over up to 10 turns, you bid for treachery cards, ship forces to Arrakis, fight with secret battle wheels and form short-lived alliances. Learn the basic game before adding the advanced rules.
How do you win the original Dune game?
Hold 3 strongholds at the Mentat pause, or 4 as a two player alliance. A two player game also needs 4. If nobody wins by the end of turn 10, the Fremen or Spacing Guild can win under their special conditions. The Bene Gesserit can win by predicting the winner and turn.
How many players can play the 1979 Dune game?
It plays 2 to 6 players, ages 14+, in 60 to 180 minutes or more. For three players, the rulebook suggests Atreides, Harkonnens and Fremen. For two, try Atreides against Harkonnens, or play two factions each.
What’s the difference between the basic and advanced game?
The advanced game adds a second spice blow each turn, spice income from Carthag, Arrakeen and Tuek’s Sietch, one-time Karama powers for each faction, and combat where spice backs your forces at full strength. Each faction also gets extra advantages.
Who designed the 1979 Dune game?
Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge and Peter Olotka, the team behind Cosmic Encounter, designed it for Avalon Hill in 1979. For the 2019 reissue, Greg Olotka developed the quick start guide.
Is there a newer edition of Dune?
Yes. Gale Force Nine reissued it on 30 October 2019, with new art and few rule changes. Three expansions each add two factions: Ixians and Tleilaxu, CHOAM and Richese, and Ecaz and Moritani.
Is the 1979 Dune game based on the movie?
No. The 1979 game is based on Frank Herbert's novel and came out before any Dune film. Later editions were timed to the 1984 and 2021 films.
Start with the basic game; the advanced rules are optional extras.
The storm determines who goes first and wipes out forces on sand.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dune (board game) en.wikipedia.org
- Nerdist: The classic Dune board game is getting a reprint nerdist.com