Dune Board Games: cooperative game
Dune: House Secrets: how the story game works
Dune: House Secrets is a 2021 cooperative story game from Portal Games for 1 to 4 players, played over four chapters. It’s a good fit for groups who’d rather read a mystery together and make choices than compete for points.
- 2021
- 1-4 players
- 90-180 minutes
- Ages 14+
- cooperative game
- Portal Games
Designers: Jakub Poczęty, Przemysław Rymer, Ignacy Trzewiczek, Weronika Spyra
No winners, no losers, and no peeking at the cards. Here’s how a chapter works.
There are no winners, so the usual idea of a round doesn’t fit. Instead, you play chapters made up of encounters, each using some of your limited time. The bullets below explain how to choose, read and resolve an encounter, and what happens when time runs out. For a competitive game on the same planet, try Dune: War for Arrakis.
New to the series? Uprising is standalone, so the base game isn’t needed.
Quick guide: how a Dune: House Secrets chapter plays
There aren’t any rounds. Each chapter is a series of encounters, and the time track limits how many you can tackle.
Check the film connection line on each card. Dune games draw from the book, the 1984 film or the new films.
- Step 1:
Read the chapter introduction for your situation, goals, starting time and first encounters.
- Step 2:
Pick an encounter to pursue, then draw the card with that number from the encounter deck without looking at any others.
- Step 3:
Move the time marker down one space for each encounter you resolve.
- Step 4:
Read the encounter aloud and follow its instructions. You might take an asset or resource, or draw a consequence token.
- Step 5:
Some encounters require a resource to reach, such as 1 spice or 1 weapon.
- Step 6:
Place the card near the board and note its number. Resolved cards stay available for later chapters.
- 7Step 7:
When the time marker reaches the Status Report space, resolve that final encounter, then complete the status report on the companion website.
- 8Step 8:
Spend the experience points you gained to unlock skills before the next chapter.
Since the story drives the game, the rules mostly cover what you can read and when. The next section goes through setup, encounters, time, resources, experience and the status report between chapters. For a competitive take on the same era, see Dune: Betrayal.
How to play Dune: House Secrets, step by step
Setup
Put the game board in the middle and the time marker on the chapter’s start space. Set the consequence marker on the leftmost space of the consequence track.
Set up a resource pool, then place the cover cards on top of the encounter and asset decks.
Mix the five consequence tokens face down to make the consequence pool.
Each player picks a character for the whole story. Flip unchosen characters to their advocate side, then everyone gains the resources shown on those boards.
Get pen and paper ready for notes, and put the map of Dune nearby.
Log in to the companion website and watch the chapter’s introduction video. Then read the chapter introduction card.
Turn by turn
Encounters
You play by resolving encounters, each with its own number. Draw the card for the number you pursue, move the time marker one space, read the card aloud, and follow its instructions. Don’t read an encounter until it’s available.
Time
The time track shows how long you have before reporting back to rebel headquarters. Time is measured by the number of encounter cards you reveal in a chapter. The chapter introduction tells you where to set the marker.
Resources
Your resources are spice, water, weapons, subterfuge, and wild tokens. They unlock encounters or power effects, but you get only a few. Each character can trade any two resources for their specialty resource.
Flips and consequences
The flip icon lets you read the back of an encounter card, sometimes by spending a resource or taking a consequence token. Those tokens mark the Harkonnens’ attention and move the consequence marker back.
Assets and the website
Lettered asset cards give you important items. History and Filmbook icons direct you to the companion website, where you can read entries by number.
Experience and skills
At the end of a chapter, the consequence marker determines how many experience points the team gains. Spend them on skill stickers. Points can’t carry over between chapters, and the team must agree on how to share them.
End of the game and scoring
A chapter ends after you resolve the encounter where the time marker reaches the status report space. Then complete a status report on the website by choosing suggestions that affect later chapters. There’s no winning or losing. Chapter 3 uses the back of the game board, where a victory point track shows how well you did.
Key rules
Four chapters
The story has a prologue (P) and chapters I, II, and III. The short prologue teaches you the game; chapters I to III make up the main story.
Notes matter
Record the number of every encounter you resolve. Those cards become available in every later chapter, and the rulebook compares your notes to water on Arrakis.
Characters and advocates
Your chosen characters stay with you throughout the story. Advocates are inhabitants of Dune who lend a hand. They give 2 resources at the start of the prologue, while characters give 1.
Progress sheet
The rulebook’s final page is a progress sheet. Use it to record status report entries, accessible encounters, and resources between sessions.
Tips for your first game
- Start with the prologue, as the rulebook recommends. It’s a short lesson in how the game works.
- Choose one note-taker to record every encounter number you resolve.
- Use the deliberation space on the time track to pause and talk before time runs out.
- Conserve your resources. You get few on this barren planet.
Rise of Ix and Immortality both need the original Dune: Imperium box.
House Secrets isn’t an adaptation of a particular scene. It’s an original adventure set on Arrakis and inspired by the 2021 film. The next section covers the designer, story structure and what the box says about when and where the game takes place. For the full list of games, see the Dune board games overview.
The game and the Dune story behind it
Out of print doesn’t mean unplayable. Check the print status on each card.
The game
Design and release
Ignacy Trzewiczek, Weronika Spyra, and Jakub Poczęty designed the game for Portal Games, with Przemysław Rymer writing the story. The rulebook is dated 2021, and the box is described as a Special pre-order edition limited to a reported 1,500 copies.
Editions and reprints
A Special pre-order edition with exclusive upgrades came out in 2021. Our sources confirm no named expansions.
The film or series it covers
An original adventure inspired by Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 film. The rulebook is marked Dune © 2021 Legendary. Specific film scenes or characters aren’t confirmed.
The story starts in 10192 AG, in a cave in the Shield Wall. You play rebel agents caught between House Harkonnen and the newly arrived House Atreides. Uncover secrets and join the resistance against the Harkonnens around Tel Gezer. The rulebook features quotes from Princess Irulan and Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam.
Scenes and story beats in the game
- 1
The prologue starts with you bound in a cave in the Shield Wall.
- 2
Meet a Fremen informant, an Atreides spy and others from settlements near Arrakeen.
- 3
Maps of Dune and Tel Gezer help set the scene.
- 4
The rulebook includes quotes from Princess Irulan and Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam.
What’s in the Dune: House Secrets box
- 1 encounter deck: 4 cover cards and 68 encounter cards
- 1 asset deck: 1 cover card and 23 asset cards
- 27 resource tokens: 6 each of weapon, spice, water and subterfuge, plus 3 wild
- 4 character and advocate boards
- 1 game board with maps of Dune and Tel Gezer
- 1 time marker, 1 consequence marker and 5 consequence tokens
- 1 skill sticker sheet and a rulebook
Editions of Dune: House Secrets
Special pre-order edition 2021
A limited run reported at 1,500 copies with exclusive upgrades and bonuses.
Dune: House Secrets FAQs
What is Dune: House Secrets?
A cooperative, story-driven game for 1 to 4 players. Join the resistance against House Harkonnen and play through four chapters of encounters.
How do you win Dune: House Secrets?
You don't. The rulebook says there is no winning or losing. Finish each chapter with a status report that shapes the next one.
Do I need a website to play Dune: House Secrets?
Yes. A companion website provides introduction videos, history entries and the status report.
How many chapters are in Dune: House Secrets?
Four: a prologue and chapters I, II and III.
Is Dune: House Secrets based on the movie?
It's an original adventure inspired by the 2021 film. Specific film characters or scenes are not confirmed.
How long does Dune: House Secrets take?
The listing gives 90 to 180 minutes, ages 14+.
New to the series? Uprising is standalone, so the base game isn’t needed.
Check the film connection line on each card. Dune games draw from the book, the 1984 film or the new films.
Sources
- Portal Games: Dune: House Secrets rulebook portalgames.blob.core.windows.net
- Portal Games: Dune partnership announcement portalgames.pl