Dune Board Games: deck-building game
Dune Imperium Uprising: Rules, Rounds and Background
Dune Imperium Uprising is a stand-alone 2023 expansion that pairs deck-building with worker placement for 1 to 4 or 6 players. It’s for groups after the Dune: Imperium style, with spies, sandworms and a six-player team mode.
- 2023
- 1-4, 6 players
- 60-120 minutes
- Ages 13+
- deck-building game
- Dire Wolf
Designers: Paul Dennen
Spies are out, worms are up, and spice is in the bank. Here’s how a round works.
A round of Uprising moves through five phases: round start, player turns, combat, makers and recall. Most of the action happens during player turns, as cards, agents and spies vie for the same board spaces. The bullets below walk through a round in order. Uprising is a stand-alone expansion of Dune: Imperium.
Two matching battle icons flip face down and earn 1 victory point.
Quick guide: one round of Dune: Imperium Uprising
A round runs through five phases: round start, player turns, combat, makers and recall. Here they are in order.
Maker spaces without an agent gain 1 bonus spice each round for the next visitor.
- Step 1:
Round start: reveal a conflict card, then draw five cards from your deck.
- Step 2:
Player turns: Starting with the first player and moving clockwise, each player takes agent turns, then one reveal turn.
- Step 3:
Agent turn: Play a card with an agent icon, send an agent to an empty board space with a matching icon, pay any cost and meet any influence requirement.
- Step 4:
Take the space’s effect and the card’s agent box. Spies on observation posts let you infiltrate an occupied space or recall a spy to draw a card.
- Step 5:
Reveal turn: Reveal your hand, add strength from troops, sandworms and swords, then spend persuasion to buy cards from the Imperium Row or Reserve.
- Step 6:
Combat: Players with units in the conflict may play combat intrigue cards. The player with the highest strength takes the first reward, and sandworms double most rewards.
- 7Step 7:
Makers: Add 1 bonus spice to each maker space without an agent. It stays there until the next player sends an agent to that space.
- 8Step 8:
Recall: The game ends if someone has 10 victory points or the conflict deck is empty. Otherwise, agents return and the first player marker moves clockwise.
The overview skips how spies, sandworms and the Shield Wall work together, and that’s a big part of what sets Uprising apart. The next section covers setup, each type of turn and the rules that matter most in a first game. Spies are new compared with Dune: Imperium, and the six-player team rules come last.
How to play Dune Imperium Uprising, step by step
Setup
Put the Shield Wall token on the board and one alliance token on each faction’s influence track.
Make a 10-card conflict deck: one conflict I on top, five conflict II below it and four conflict III at the bottom.
Shuffle the intrigue deck and the Imperium deck. Deal five cards face up as the Imperium Row, then place the Reserve cards in two stacks.
Each player chooses a leader (one-icon leaders are recommended for a first game), shuffles a 10-card starting deck, takes 1 water and puts two agents on the leader. The third agent waits beside the board.
Put your score disc on 1 in a four-player game and 0 otherwise, your combat marker on 0, and four cubes at the bottom of the faction tracks. Place three other cubes in your garrison as troops.
Deal each player an objective card, leaving out any marked for a different player count. The player whose objective shows the first player marker takes it.
Turn by turn
Agent turn
Play one card with an agent icon to send an agent to an unoccupied board space with a matching icon. Use only one of the card’s icons. Pay any cost and meet any influence requirement. Take the space’s effect and the card’s agent box. Cards without agent icons can only be revealed.
Reveal turn
Reveal your remaining hand and use the reveal boxes. Troops in the conflict, sandworms and swords provide strength. Spend persuasion to buy cards from the Imperium Row or Reserve; they go to your discard pile. Any unused persuasion is lost. After your reveal turn, you’re done for the phase.
Troops and sandworms
Recruited troops go to your garrison. At a combat space, you may deploy the troops recruited that turn plus up to two from your garrison. Each troop is worth 2 strength. A sandworm is worth 3, goes straight into the conflict and can never sit in a garrison.
Shield Wall and control
Summoning a sandworm usually requires a Maker Hooks token, available at Sietch Tabr. While the Shield Wall token remains on the board, sandworms can’t join a conflict at Arrakeen, the Spice Refinery or the Imperial Basin. A detonation icon removes the token. Winning a conflict there earns a control marker that pays out whenever anyone sends an agent to that space.
Spies
Spies occupy observation posts linked to board spaces. Recall one to infiltrate: ignore another player’s agent and send yours to the same space. Or recall one to gather intelligence and draw a card when you send an agent. Spy icons on cards let you place or recall spies.
Contracts (optional CHOAM module)
With the CHOAM module, a contract icon lets you take one of two face-up contracts. Without it, you gain 2 Solari. Complete a contract by sending an agent to its named space, harvesting spice at a maker space, taking the immediate contract, or acquiring The Spice Must Flow.
End of the game and scoring
You can score victory points from influence, alliances, matching battle icons, conflict rewards and some cards. At the end of a round, the game ends if anyone has 10 or more points or the conflict deck is empty. Play endgame intrigue cards, then the highest total wins. Ties go to the player with more spice, then Solari, water and garrisoned troops.
Key rules
Influence and alliances
Sending an agent to a faction space gives +1 influence with that faction. Two influence scores 1 point, while four earns the bonus on that track space. The first player to reach 4 takes the alliance token and its point, keeping it until a rival moves higher.
Combat rewards
The player with the highest strength takes the first reward, and second place gets the second. With four or six players, third place gets the third. The winner keeps the conflict card. A matching battle icon on another card in your supply scores 1 point.
Sandworm bonus
Sandworms double most rewards you take, but they don’t double control of a location or battle icons. If a reward lets you pay a cost to gain something, you may pay it twice and gain it twice.
Conflict ties
If players tie for first, each gets the second reward, and nobody takes the card. In four- or six-player games, if exactly two players tie for first, the others compete for the third reward. Players tied for second each get the third reward. A tie for third earns nothing.
Six-player games
Players split into two teams of three. Each team has a Commander, Muad'Dib or Shaddam Corrino IV, plus two Allies. Commanders have no army and cannot earn conflict rewards. A team's score is the combined score of its members, and the board adds a Habbanya Erg maker space.
Solo and two-player games
One- and two-player games use a separate Rivals supplement. Automated Rivals take agent turns using House Hagal cards, and can trigger the end of the game at 10 victory points.
Tips for your first game
- For your first game, choose a one-icon leader, as the rulebook recommends.
- A reveal turn ends your phase, so send your agents first unless you mean to stop early.
- Check the Shield Wall before planning a sandworm. It blocks them at Arrakeen, the Spice Refinery and the Imperial Basin.
- A spy lets you infiltrate an occupied space, so another player's agent doesn't always shut you out.
A sandworm needs Maker Hooks and a conflict beyond the Shield Wall's protection.
Uprising arrived in November 2023, a few months before Dune: Part Two reached cinemas. Dire Wolf’s Paul Dennen designed it. The next section looks at the game’s origins and how its leaders and factions connect to the Dune story. For other options, see the Dune board games guide.
Background: the game and the story of Dune
A reveal turn ends your phase, so send your agents first.
The game
Design and release
Paul Dennen designed Dune: Imperium Uprising for Dire Wolf, which publishes it under license from Gale Force Nine. Released in November 2023, a few months before Dune: Part Two, Dire Wolf called it a stand-alone expansion with a six-player team mode.
Editions and reprints
Unlike Dune: Imperium, this game has no Mentat agent or Foldspace cards. It adds spies, sandworms, battle icons, and doubled sandworm rewards. The CHOAM module adds contracts. Bloodlines, an expansion for both games, reached stores in January 2025.
The film or series it covers
The game draws on Frank Herbert's Dune novels and the Legendary films. Its publisher's marketing tied it to the release of Dune: Part Two (2024).
The rulebook opens after the Emperor betrays House Atreides and returns Arrakis to House Harkonnen, while a warrior named Muad'Dib rises among the Fremen. The four factions are the Emperor, the Spacing Guild, the Bene Gesserit and the Fremen. Nine leaders include Shaddam Corrino IV, Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, Lady Jessica, Lady Margot Fenring, Princess Irulan and Gurney Halleck.
Scenes and story beats in the game
- 1
Spaces like Sardaukar and the Landsraad Council bring the Emperor's military and court onto the map.
- 2
The Fremen path shows you how to use Maker Hooks and ride sandworms into battle.
- 3
The Spacing Guild offers heighliner transport, paid for with spice.
- 4
In six-player games, Muad'Dib and Shaddam Corrino IV lead opposing teams.
What’s inside the Dune Imperium Uprising box
- A two-sided game board and a Board Space Guide sheet
- 20 water tokens, Solari and spice tokens (large worth 5, small worth 1), plus a bank of 4 plastic and 4 wooden sandworms
- 4 Maker Hooks tokens, the Shield Wall token, 4 alliance tokens and a first player marker
- 69 Imperium cards, 18 Reserve cards, 44 intrigue cards, 16 conflict cards and 5 objective cards
- 9 two-sided leaders and a Feyd token
- 20 contract tokens for the optional CHOAM module
- For each player: a 10-card starting deck, 3 agents, 3 spies, 16 cubes, 2 discs, 3 control markers, a Councilor token and a combat marker
Bloodlines and other add-ons for Uprising
Bloodlines 2025
An expansion for both Dune: Imperium and Uprising. It adds Sardaukar Commanders, tech tiles, leaders, contracts and Imperium cards.
Combining with earlier Dune: Imperium products 2023
The Uprising rulebook says the game is compatible with every earlier Dune: Imperium product and has sections on adding Rise of Ix, Immortality and the base game. It advises leaving out their conflict cards, which makes battle icons harder to match.
Questions about Dune Imperium Uprising
What is Dune: Imperium Uprising?
Dire Wolf released it in November 2023 as a stand-alone expansion of Dune: Imperium. It mixes deck-building and worker placement with spies, sandworms, an optional contract module and a six-player team mode.
Do I need Dune: Imperium to play Uprising?
No. Dire Wolf calls it a stand-alone expansion, and the box includes its own board, cards and leaders. It also combines with earlier Dune: Imperium products, including Rise of Ix and Immortality.
How many players can play Dune: Imperium Uprising?
One to four players, with a six-player team mode. Solo and two-player games use Rival and House Hagal cards from a separate supplement. In six-player games, two teams of three compete.
What's new in Uprising compared with Dune: Imperium?
Uprising adds spies, sandworms, battle icons, doubled sandworm rewards, and contracts in the optional CHOAM module. It has no Mentat agent or Foldspace cards.
How do sandworms work in Uprising?
A sandworm icon brings a sandworm straight into the conflict, usually only if you have a Maker Hooks token. It adds 3 strength and doubles most rewards, but can’t join a conflict protected by the Shield Wall.
What happens during the Makers phase?
Each maker space without an agent gets 1 spice from the bank as a bonus. These spaces are Deep Desert, Hagga Basin, and Imperial Basin, plus Habbanya Erg in six-player games. The next agent sent there collects all the bonus spice.
How do you win Dune: Imperium Uprising?
Have the most victory points when the game ends. The game ends at the end of a round once someone has 10 points or the conflict deck runs out. Ties go to the player with the most spice, then Solari, water, and garrisoned troops, in that order.
Two matching battle icons flip face down and earn 1 victory point.
Maker spaces without an agent gain 1 bonus spice each round for the next visitor.
Sources
- Dire Wolf Digital: Dune: Imperium Uprising main rulebook (PDF) d19y2ttatozxjp.cloudfront.net
- Dire Wolf Digital: Dune: Imperium Uprising rules supplements, Rivals and Six-Player Games (PDF) d19y2ttatozxjp.cloudfront.net
- Dire Wolf Digital: Dune: Imperium Uprising direwolfdigital.com
- Dire Wolf news: Dune: Imperium Bloodlines is available news.direwolfdigital.com
- Wikipedia: Dune: Imperium en.wikipedia.org
- The Denver Post: Dire Wolf, Dune: Imperium and Uprising denverpost.com