Incline Dune, best boardgame ever, reprinted by GF9

[Sranchammer]

I'm lucky to have friends.

Traitor.

 

[ADL]

If anyone still wants this make sure to buy it now because back when the reprint went out of stock it was selling for $150-$200.
https://www.gamenerdz.com/dune-the-board-game

 

[Old One]

I just snagged the last one in stock from my game store of choice. Thanks for the heads up, lads.

I have a friend who's been asking me about board games to play with her teen kids (who are quite entertaining youngsters), so I've already got six players lined up. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[vota DC]

I played four times with four player because lack of people and without advanced rules. Emperor and Fremen seems to suffer a little with only basic because they lack those awesome elite troops and Fremen can even control Worm and survive the storm. Also less players means less money for Emperor because less treachery cards dealt. Harkonnen and atreides powers seems great even without advanced rules....no captured leaders but still double treachery cards and four traitors Is great for example and atreides knowing already a Battle plan means they fight very well even without their haderach.
Emperor Is the simplest to play. Only one rule for basic and another for advanced.

 

[Akratus II]

I've played about 20 matches, only in advanced rules. The Harkonnen are the most OP in my opinion. They're not *generally* unbalanced but the last match we had was over really quickly because no one else started on the board and the Harkonnen immediately got the two capitals.

 

[Old One]

I think it also depends a lot on how experienced all the players are. Atreides has some interesting abilities, but they're not very useful unless the player is extremely familiar with the game and knows how to use them. For a player just learning the game, taking notes and being able to see all the cards up for auction each turn is going to be wasted.

The Emperor and the Spacing Guild seem to be relatively simple.

 

[DavidBVal]

I've played about 20 matches, only in advanced rules. The Harkonnen are the most OP in my opinion. They're not *generally* unbalanced but the last match we had was over really quickly because no one else started on the board and the Harkonnen immediately got the two capitals.

I've seen this happen too, they're pretty strong early. However Harkonnen is not without its problems. If they have bad luck and lose an early battle and don't have much money, it's pretty much game over for them: their only way to make money is harvesting spice and for that they need strength. Other factions have a "plan B" in case they get their nose bleeded in the first turns.

 

[Akratus II]

I've played about 20 matches, only in advanced rules. The Harkonnen are the most OP in my opinion. They're not *generally* unbalanced but the last match we had was over really quickly because no one else started on the board and the Harkonnen immediately got the two capitals.

I've seen this happen too, they're pretty strong early. However Harkonnen is not without its problems. If they have bad luck and lose an early battle and don't have much money, it's pretty much game over for them: their only way to make money is harvesting spice and for that they need strength. Other factions have a "plan B" in case they get their nose bleeded in the first turns.

Well there's also the rule that you get spice equal to the power of the leader that you kill. That's quite advantageous. But I've also had success with the expansion faction, the Tleilaxu. If you get a bunch of battles going you can really rake in cash big time mid-game.

 

[Gostak]

Damn, this arrived some 20 years late. I had some dune aficionado friends back in college and we would probably have a great time with this. But now everyone lives miles away from each other and realistically this would never see table.

Btw, I'm watching this let's play here...



.. And something that bothered me a bit is how the Atreides player, because of its prescience ability, is the one scheming and manipulating the table most of the time, while the Bene Gesserit one is mute most of the time. Shouldn't it be the other way around?

Thanks guys for sharing this!
Totally up my alley.

There is another way than Tabletop Simulator (which sadly lists Shader Model 4.0 as a requirement) to have a go at this digitally: Dune Emulator.
I wonder if there is one with AI for Cosmic Encounter or that Rex rehash.

 

[Gostak]

Weird, I can no longer edit my post above?
Anyway digitally is also bad because you cannot ensure that Atreides gets the exclusive on taking notes.
I will aim to pick this one up, even if I might end up just playing it once a year or so.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Weird, I can no longer edit my post above?

IIRC, a newbie Codexer has only 5 minutes in which to edit a post before it is locked, unless you have equipped the ring.

 

[Silva]

So, anybody still playing this? My crew is (finally) warming up to play it after the pandemics quarentine dropped.

We're going with the Advanced Rules minus Spiced Combat & Double Spice Blow. We'll also probably drop spice bribing too, as it seems the main factor for increasing the game playtime. Any thoughts on this? Anybody tried no spice bribe yet?

EDIT: oh and how about this "Dune: Imperium" one? Looks like a neat eurogame..

 

[DavidBVal]

So, anybody still playing this? My crew is (finally) warming up to play it after the pandemics quarentine dropped.

We're going with the Advanced Rules minus Spiced Combat & Double Spice Blow. We'll also probably drop spice bribing too, as it seems the main factor for increasing the game playtime. Any thoughts on this? Anybody tried no spice bribe yet?

EDIT: oh and how about this "Dune: Imperium" one? Looks like a neat eurogame..

About a month ago we played a 5 player game, won by Fremen+Atreides on turn 6.

If you remove the Spiced Combat rule, the Fremen lose their main faction advantage. It looks complicated but after a few battles it becomes easy to handle.

 

[Lagi]

i play dune imperium once, its good. It looks like a shovelware game, milking monies on the movie, but its a solid game. Lots of good stuff and tactics with cards.

 

[Silva]

About a month ago we played a 5 player game, won by Fremen+Atreides on turn 6.

If you remove the Spiced Combat rule, the Fremen lose their main faction advantage. It looks complicated but after a few battles it becomes easy to handle.

We'll play a couple games with the optional ruleset first, and them we try full advanced.

Any thoughts on the "no since bribing" rule? Could it make things run faster?

i play dune imperium once, its good. It looks like a shovelware game, milking monies on the movie, but its a solid game. Lots of good stuff and tactics with cards.

Thanks. I'll end up getting it down the road. I see all copies vanished here in Brazil, probably due to a local publisher (Galapagos Inc) getting the translation rights.

BTW, have you tried the expansion, Rise of Ix? Im seeing some mixed reviews on it (same as the classic Dune expansions really... it seems these games are always better just with the original box).

 

[DavidBVal]

About a month ago we played a 5 player game, won by Fremen+Atreides on turn 6.

If you remove the Spiced Combat rule, the Fremen lose their main faction advantage. It looks complicated but after a few battles it becomes easy to handle.

We'll play a couple games with the optional ruleset first, and them we try full advanced.

Any thoughts on the "no since bribing" rule? Could it make things run faster?

i play dune imperium once, its good. It looks like a shovelware game, milking monies on the movie, but its a solid game. Lots of good stuff and tactics with cards.

Thanks. I'll end up getting it down the road. I see all copies vanished here in Brazil, probably due to a local publisher (Galapagos Inc) getting the translation rights.

BTW, have you tried the expansion, Rise of Ix? Im seeing some mixed reviews on it (same as the classic Dune expansions really... it seems these games are always better just with the original box).

I don't think bribing is a huge factor in the game, at least it hasn't been in the games I remember.

But you're right to be wary about the game length, especially if you play with people that enjoy taking their time. The real killer of the game is the possibility of everyone wanting it to end because it's getting too late while still in turn 5, and most people on the table already has no chances to win and get restless. It really sucks, such a beautiful game can very easily turn into a drag.

Buy one of those 2 or 3-minute hourglasses, they're cheap. It should be used to put a limit on each player's phase, especially shipment and movement phase, and completely forbid any private communication between non-allies. Allies can discuss privately out of the table for 3 min as well, and only once per phase. Auction bids must happen immediately.

 

[Silva]

Thanks for the tips.

Yeah, my biggest fear is the game dragging for 5 hours with half the table already "eliminated" in half that time and having to endure it while pulling cellphones and YAWNing at each other faces. I'd rather it lasts 1,5 hours with a premature Harkonnen victory by 2nd round or something, and we do something else with the remaining time (like pulling the beer) or letting people go home early, because at least this way I know there's a big chance my group gives another try at a later date. I really want they to like this and can't miss this opportunity.

About the spice bribing, I see various reports on BGG saying it's the main factor for increased playtime, and that Matt Colville playthrough on first page shows exactly this - the bidding phase drags shit to a halt because the Atreides player wants to hawk every spice possible from every treachery card. I know this must vary from group to group but perhaps forbidding spice bribing altogether (thus allowing only exchange of info and actions) could be a good safety measure for a first game. On the other hand, spice bribing seems one of the most interesting features as it really brings out the game's negotiation and machiavelian aspects. So I don't know..

 

[DavidBVal]

Thanks for the tips.

Yeah, my biggest fear is the game dragging for 5 hours with half the table already "eliminated" in half that time and having to endure it while pulling cellphones and YAWNing at each other faces. I'd rather it lasts 1,5 hours with a premature Harkonnen victory by 2nd round or something, and we do something else with the remaining time (like pulling the beer) or letting people go home early, because at least this way I know there's a big chance my group gives another try at a later date. I really want they to like this and can't miss this opportunity.

About the spice bribing, I see various reports on BGG saying it's the main factor for increased playtime, and that Matt Colville playthrough on first page shows exactly this - the bidding phase drags shit to a halt because the Atreides player wants to hawk every spice possible from every treachery card. I know this must vary from group to group but perhaps forbidding spice bribing altogether (thus allowing only exchange of info and actions) could be a good safety measure for a first game. On the other hand, spice bribing seems one of the most interesting features as it really brings out the game's negotiation and machiavelian aspects. So I don't know..

I think the rules mention bids must be made immediately, or you pass. Just enforce that. Allow the atreides a brief time per card to offer his services, but don't allow him to pass private information: if he says a card is a weapon, everybody knows (unless they're allies).

 

[Lagi]

BTW, have you tried the expansion, Rise of Ix? Im seeing some mixed reviews on it (same as the classic Dune expansions really... it seems these games are always better just with the original box).

no,

Spoiler

the best game ever, that I have play is Ankh. It has Pharaoh expansion, which make this game poor [like score drop from 6/5 to 2/5].
so i agree with your opinion.

Spoiler

add overpower cards, another board with dead basic option (put cleric in one room), which steal attention from main one

 

[Silva]

Thanks for the tips.

Yeah, my biggest fear is the game dragging for 5 hours with half the table already "eliminated" in half that time and having to endure it while pulling cellphones and YAWNing at each other faces. I'd rather it lasts 1,5 hours with a premature Harkonnen victory by 2nd round or something, and we do something else with the remaining time (like pulling the beer) or letting people go home early, because at least this way I know there's a big chance my group gives another try at a later date. I really want they to like this and can't miss this opportunity.

About the spice bribing, I see various reports on BGG saying it's the main factor for increased playtime, and that Matt Colville playthrough on first page shows exactly this - the bidding phase drags shit to a halt because the Atreides player wants to hawk every spice possible from every treachery card. I know this must vary from group to group but perhaps forbidding spice bribing altogether (thus allowing only exchange of info and actions) could be a good safety measure for a first game. On the other hand, spice bribing seems one of the most interesting features as it really brings out the game's negotiation and machiavelian aspects. So I don't know..

I think the rules mention bids must be made immediately, or you pass. Just enforce that. Allow the atreides a brief time per card to offer his services, but don't allow him to pass private information: if he says a card is a weapon, everybody knows (unless they're allies).

I'm going with blind auction, aka everybody puts a closed fist forward with a hidden amount of spice. Then someone says NOW, and everybody open their hands. Whoever shows the most spice takes the prize. Draws go to first player. Simpler and faster this way.

 

[Silva]

Another point I would like to address: the punishing nature of the game and how to mitigate it, if possible. What I mean here is the very plausible possibility this game allows - specially with noobs involved - for a player to enter a hole early and never come out of it, his chances at winning zeroed, and all that's left to do is waiting the remaining 2-3 hours for someone else's victory.

In other words, the comeback factor in this game is non-existent. And that's a problem. I see two solutions here:

A) Git gud. Aka learn to spread your eggs around various baskets and only overcommit if you know exactly what you're doing or in the final rounds (so you don't have to wait for hours if it backfires). Which works for a group of seasoned players but not for a group of noobs (my case).

B) Use bicycle's learning wheels, which means some rule tweak. But which one? Well, I see 2 possibilities: simply increasing by 1 the number of free revivals per round for everybody; or increasing the number of free revivals by 2 after a player has, say, 15 of his troops dead. The later seems better but fiddly for tracking (game is already full of rules exceptions to remember), so I'm inclined to try the former.

Anybody else see this problem and has suggestions to mitigate it?

 

[DavidBVal]

I think you're overworrying and should just play the basic game first, it really works fine (we played it like 6-7 times). If someone is delaying the game just kick his ass.

 

[Silva]

BTW, have you tried the expansion, Rise of Ix? Im seeing some mixed reviews on it (same as the classic Dune expansions really... it seems these games are always better just with the original box).

no,

Spoiler

the best game ever, that I have play is Ankh. It has Pharaoh expansion, which make this game poor [like score drop from 6/5 to 2/5].
so i agree with your opinion.

Spoiler

add overpower cards, another board with dead basic option (put cleric in one room), which steal attention from main one

How is this Ankh like? Ans why do you like it so much?

 

[Lagi]

How is this Ankh like? Ans why do you like it so much?

its like chess (i hate chess, but in ankh its god like)

rules are dead simple (every figure on board is +1 strength). But there is lots of combination with special rules (like if someone is near pyramid gain +1 more strength). There is uncertainty coming from battle cards or auction of followers.

Battle cards are mini events, not a boring +X to sum of element. F.ex. you can build new monument, or make auction sacrificing own followers to kill all enemies in plague, or gain devotion for every figure that you lost in combat. there is exact 7 of cards for every player, so there is some mind game with "what he already play, and what can he play. If he knows that I know, would he do something else?".

most of the game elements are working the same for each god (battle cards, skills, actions), but the combination of what you take in game with your god skill create a complete different "faction" each game.

Balance of rules is very nice, each game I am concerning different approach. Although i think "obelix attune" skill is a little underpower compare to others available. but maybe i dont play enough. I love guardians but i always feel there is not enough of them, on the other hand they feel more special/desirable.

merging gods rules suck balls big time, even more than Pharaoh expansion.

this is some bullshit pose image, because there are no region number tokens, they dont track turn number, no one control any monument, they dont track devotion. But it looks more or less how it looks in practice

this unpainted minis below looks like cheap concrete shit. But painted really are creating ambient of Egypt.

 

[Akratus II]

Yesterday I had an amazing win where I was playing Bene Gesserit and predicted a Harkonnen turn 3 win, allied with said harkonnen player, used his alliance ability to steamroll the rest and totally stabbed him in the back to win the game. That was an amazing conclusion I tell you what..