Components

• Game Board
• 6 Player Faction Sets
• 112 Cards
• 156 Spice Tokens
• Destroyed Shield Wall Token
• Storm Marker
• Game Turn Counter
• 5 Special Emperor Forces
• 3 Special Fremen Forces
• Bene Gesserit forces
• Sandworm Token
• Kwisatz Haderach Card and Counter tokens
• Quick Start Guide
• Quick Reference Cards
• Rulebook

DUNE has been divided into a Basic and Advanced Game. Learn and play the Basic Game several times before venturing into the Advanced Game.

Basic Game

Object of the Game

Each faction has a set of unique economic, military, strategic, or treacherous advantages. The object of the game is to use these advantages to gain control of Dune. The winner is the First Player to occupy at least 3 strongholds with at least one of their forces during the Mentat Pause Phase.

A player may win alone or in an Alliance with other players.

Setup

Place all spice tokens in the Spice Bank.

The Spice Deck and Treachery Deck are shuffled and placed face down next to the game board. Played cards will be piled face up next to the decks as discards and reshuffled to restock the Spice Deck and Treachery Deck as necessary.

Players now choose factions.

Here are a couple of ways for players to choose their faction.

1. Use the faction cards from the Prediction Deck to randomly determine what faction each player will play. Shuffle the cards and deal 1 card to each player, or

2. Each player randomly draws a card from the Bene Gesserit turn prediction cards and selects a faction in the order of their drawn card, with the highest card choosing first.

Players may swap factions with each other at this point if they wish.

Two & Three Player Games

For a three player game, recommended factions are Atreides, Harkonnen, and Fremen. In a three player game an Alliance needs 4 strongholds to win, as in the standard Alliance rules.

For a two player game, try Atreides vs Harkonnen, or play 2 factions each (select factions normally as described above). In a two player game, the number of strongholds needed to win is increased to 4.

Four & Five Player Games

For 4 player, consider leaving out both the Spacing Guild and Bene Gesserit, while for 5 player games try playing with no Bene Gesserit.

Players take their Player Shields and player sheets and set up their factions as follows:

1. Positions

Players place their Player Marker on the player circle closest to their shield and seat at the table.

2. Traitors

Remove the cards for all factions that are not in play from the Traitor Deck. Then shuffle the cards thoroughly. Each player is dealt 4 cards

Each player then secretly selects 1 card to keep. If a player draws any leaders from an opponent's faction, they can choose 1 leader to become their traitor. If they drew no opponent leaders, they can protect one of their own leaders.

Either way, each player places their chosen card face down behind their shield, returning the other cards face down to the bottom of the Traitor Deck.

3. Spice

Spice equal to the amount indicated on each player sheet is removed from the Spice Bank and placed behind each shield.

4. Forces

Each player's forces are placed on the board as indicated by their player sheet. All forces in reserve are placed next to your shield.

5. Treachery

1 card from the Treachery Deck is dealt to each player.

6. Turn Marker

Place the turn marker at 1 on the Turn Track.

Note: A faction has special advantages that may contradict the rules. A faction's particular advantages always have precedence over the rules.

Game Play

DUNE is played in turns to a maximum limit of 10 turns.

Each turn is composed of nine specific phases that must be completed in the exact sequence presented below.

1. Storm Phase

The Storm Marker is moved around the map. The faction whose Player Marker the storm next approaches will be the First Player for this turn.

2. Spice Blow and Nexus Phase

The top card of the Spice Deck is turned over and the amount of spice shown on the card is placed in the highlighted territory. If Shai-Hulud appears during the Spice Blow Phase, a Nexus occurs and the players have the opportunity to make and break Alliances.

3. Choam Charity Phase

Players with 0 or 1 spice may claim CHOAM Charity.

4. Bidding Phase

Players bid spice to acquire Treachery Cards.

5. Revival Phase

All players are allowed to reclaim forces and leaders from the Tleilaxu Tanks.

6. shipment and Movement phase

Starting with the First Player and proceeding counterclockwise, each player in turn ships forces down to the planet or brings in forces from the southern hemisphere (Fremen) and then moves their forces on the game board.

7. Battle Phase

Players must resolve battles in every territory that is occupied by forces from two or more factions.

8. Spice Harvest Phase

Forces in territories that contain spice may collect the spice.

9. Mentat Pause Phase

Factions either declare a winner (or winners) or take some time to evaluate their positions on the map and then move the Turn Counter to the next position on the Turn Track to begin the next turn.

Phase 1: Storm

First Storm

The first time the storm is moved, the Storm Marker is placed at a random location along the map edge using the following procedure. The two players whose player circles are nearest on either side of the Storm Start Sector will secretly dial a number from 0 to 20 on the wheels.

The two numbers are simultaneously revealed, totaled and the Storm Marker moved from the Storm Start sector counterclockwise around the map for the sum total of sectors.

Storm Movement

In all subsequent Storm Phases, the two players who last used the Battle Wheels will independently dial a number from 1 to 3, simultaneously reveal their numbers, add them together, and then advance the Storm Marker from its current position counterclockwise around the map for the sum total of sectors.

Damage

Any forces in a sector of sand territory (except the Imperial Basin) over which the storm passes or stops are killed. Place these forces in the Tleilaxu Tanks. Forces that are not on a sand territory find protection from the storm. In addition any spice in a sector over which a storm passes or stops is removed to the Spice Bank.

Obstruction

Forces may not move into, out of, or through a sector in storm. Forces may not battle if either force is in storm.

First Player

The player whose Player Marker the storm next approaches is the First Player in the Bidding Phase, Shipping Phase, and Movement Phase.

Phase 2: Spice Blow and Nexus

Top Card

The top card of the Spice Deck is turned over.

First Turn

During the first turns Spice Blow Phase only, all sandworm cards turned over are ignored and set aside, then reshuffled back into the Spice Deck after this phase.

Territory Card

Territory

This is a Spice Blow. The amount of spice indicated on the card is taken from the Spice Bank and placed onto the territory in the sector containing the Spice Blow icon.

Then this card is placed face up on the Spice Deck discard pile. (If the Spice Blow icon is currently in storm, no spice is placed that turn).

Shai-hulud

Shai-Hulud Card

A Nexus will occur after the following events:

• All spice and forces in the territory shown on the card now face up in the discard pile are removed to the Spice Bank and Tleilaxu Tanks respectively. Then the Shai-Hulud card is placed face up on the Spice Deck discard pile.

• Then another card is turned over. If it is a Shai-Hulud it is immediately discarded and another card is turned over. This continues until a Territory Card appears and spice is placed as defined above. The Territory Card is placed face up on the Spice Deck discard pile.

Nexus

Revealing a Shai-Hulud card after the first turn also causes a Nexus at the end of the phase. In a Nexus, Alliances can be formed and broken.

Phase 3: Choam Charity

Any player with 0 or 1 spice can collect spice to bring their total to 2 by calling out "CHOAM Charity".

Phase 4: Bidding

Declaration

Before bidding starts, all players must declare how many Treachery Cards they hold. The hand limit is 4. Players with 4 cards must pass during bidding.

Dealer

One of the players deals cards from the Treachery Deck face down in a row, 1 card for each player who is allowed to bid.

Auction

The first card in the row is now auctioned off for spice.

• The bidding is started by the First Player. If that player already has 4 Treachery Cards the next player to the right who does not have 4 Treachery Cards opens the bidding.

• The player who bids first must bid 1 or more spice or pass. Bidding then proceeds to the bidder's immediate right. The next bidder may raise the bid or pass and so on around the table until a top bid is made and all other players pass. The top bidding player then pays the number of spice they bid into the Spice Bank and takes the card.

Bid Limit

Players may not bid more spice than they have.

Next Starting Bidder

In subsequent bidding during this phase, the First Player who can bid, to the right of the player who opened the bid for the previous card, begins the bidding for the next card. In this way every player who can bid gets a chance to open the bidding for a Treachery Card.

End Of Bidding

Bidding for Treachery Cards continues until all cards available for bid have been auctioned off or a card is not bid on by anyone. If a card is passed on by everyone, all remaining cards are returned to the top of the Treachery Deck and the Bidding Phase is over.

Transparency

The number (not the type) of Treachery Cards each player holds must always be open to everyone during the Bidding Phase. No one is allowed to hide the number of cards that they hold. A player can never have more than 4 cards in their hand at any one time. If they have a full hand, they must pass on all cards up for bid.

Time Limit

Each player must bid within 10 seconds of the previous player or they are assumed to have passed.

Phase 5: Revival

A. Force Revival

All players may now revive up to 3 forces from the Tleilaxu Tanks.

• Free: A certain number of forces are revived for free as stated on the player sheet.

• By Spice: Any additional forces that may be revived must be done at a cost of 2 spice per force. All spice expended for force revival is placed in the Spice Bank.

• Limit: A player can never revive more than 3 forces per turn.

• To Reserves: Revived forces must be placed in the player's reserve.

B. Leader Revival

If all 5 of a player's leaders are in the Tleilaxu Tanks they may revive 1 leader per turn until all of their leaders have been revived.

• Fighting Strength: To revive a leader, a player must pay that leader's fighting strength in spice to the Spice Bank.

• Revived Leader Status: A revived leader can be played normally and is still subject to being a traitor.

• Dead Again: If a revived leader is killed again, place it face down in the Tleilaxu Tanks. This leader cannot be revived again until all of the player's other revivable leaders have been revived, killed, and sent to the Tleilaxu Tanks again.

Phase 6: Shipment and Movement

The First Player conducts their Force Shipment and then Force Movement. Play then proceeds to the right until all players have completed this phase.

Force Shipment

Shipment of Reserves

A player with off-planet reserves may make one shipment of any number of forces from their reserves to any one territory on the map.

Payment

A player must pay spice to the Spice Bank for their shipment. The cost of shipping off-planet reserves is 1 spice per force shipped into any stronghold and 2 spice per force shipped into any other territory.

Sectors

When shipping into a territory lying in several sectors, a player must make clear in which sector of the territory they choose to leave their forces.

Exceptions

• Storm: No player may ship into a sector in storm.

• Strongholds: No player may ship into a stronghold already occupied by two other players.

• One Way: No player may ship forces from the board back to their reserves.

Force Movement

Each player may move, as a group, any number of their forces from one territory into one other territory. Forces are free to move into, out of, or through any territory occupied by any number of forces with certain restrictions and additional movement advantage mentioned below.

Ornithopters

A player who starts a force move with one or more forces in either Arrakeen, Carthag, or both has access to ornithopters and may move forces through up to three adjacent territories.

The forces moved do not have to be in Arrakeen or Carthag to make the three territory move. Thus, for example, a player with one or more forces in Arrakeen would be able to move forces starting in Tuek's Sietch through Pasty Mesa and Shield Wall to the Imperial Basin, where they must stop.

One Adjacent Territory

A player without a force in either Arrakeen or Carthag at the start of their move does not have access to ornithopters and can only move their forces by foot to one adjacent territory.

One Force Move

Each player may make only one force move per turn.

Sectors

Sectors have no effect on movement. Forces can move into or through a territory ignoring all sectors. A sector's only function is to regulate the movement and coverage of the storm and spice collection.

Storm

As defined above in the Storm Phase section, no force may move into, out of, or through a sector in storm. Many territories occupy several sectors, so that a player may move into and out of a territory that is partly in the storm, so long as the group does not pass through the part covered by the storm.

• When ending a move in a territory lying in several sectors, a player must make clear in which sector of the territory they choose to leave their forces.

• The Polar Sink is never in storm.

Stronghold Blocking

Like shipment, forces cannot be moved into or through a stronghold if forces of two other players are already there.

Phase 7: Battles

I. Battle Determination

Wherever two or more players' forces occupy the same territory, battles must occur between those players.

Battles continue until just one player's forces or no forces remain in all territories on the map with two exceptions:

• Players cannot battle one another in a territory if their forces are separated by a sector in storm. Their forces can remain in the same territory at the end of the phase.

• Players cannot battle in the Polar Sink. It is a free haven for everyone.

First Player

When resolving battles, the First Player is named the aggressor until all of their battles, if any, have been fought. The aggressor chooses the order in which they wish to fight their battles. Then the player to their immediate right becomes the aggressor and so on, until all battles are resolved.

If three or more players are in the same territory, the aggressor picks who they will battle first, second, etc. for as long as they survive.

Troop Tokens

II. Battle Plan

To resolve a battle, each player must secretly formulate a Battle Plan. A Battle Plan always includes the number of forces dialed on the Battle Wheel. If possible, it must include a faction's leader or cheap hero. It may include Treachery Cards at the player's discretion.

Battle Wheel

Each player picks up a Battle Wheel and secretly dials a number from zero to the number of forces they have in the disputed territory. Both players will lose the number of forces dialed on the Battle Wheel.

Leaders

One Leader Disc is selected and placed face up in the slot on the wheel. A Cheap Hero Card may be played in lieu of a Leader Disc.

Leader Tokens

• Leaders that survive battles may fight more than once in a single territory if needed, but no leader may fight in more than one territory during the same phase.

• A player must always play either a leader or a cheap hero card as part of their Battle Plan if possible.

• If it is not possible, they must announce that fact.

  No Treachery

  A player with no leader or cheap hero must still battle, but they cannot play any Treachery Cards as part of their Battle Plan. (This situation can occur when a player does not have a cheap hero and all their leaders are in the Tleilaxu Tanks or have fought in another territory in that phase).

• When a player plays a cheap hero, their total is simply the number of tokens on the dial, but the option to play weapon, defense, or worthless cards is still available to them.

Treachery Cards

Players with a leader or cheap hero may play a Weapon Treachery Card, Defense Treachery Card, or both by holding them against the wheel. They may play no Treachery Cards as well.

Revealing Wheels

When both players are ready, the Battle Plans are revealed simultaneously.

III. Battle Resolution

Winner

The winner is the player with the higher total of number dialed on the Battle Wheel, plus their leader's fighting strength.

No Ties

In the case of a tie, the aggressor has won.

Weapons

If a player's opponent played a Weapon Treachery Card and the player did not play the proper Defense Treachery Card, the player's leader is killed and cannot count toward their total. Both leaders can be killed and neither count in the battle. When a player plays a cheap hero, their total is simply the number of forces they dial, but they can play weapons or other Treachery Cards.

Killed Leaders

Any leaders killed are immediately placed face up in the Tleilaxu Tanks. The winner immediately receives their value (including their own leader, if killed) in spice from the Spice Bank.

Surviving Leaders

Leaders who survive remain in the territory where they were used until all battles in other territories have been resolved. Then they are retrieved by their owners.

Losing

The losing player loses all the forces they had in the territory to the Tleilaxu Tanks and must discard every Treachery Card they used in their Battle Plan. Note that the loser does not lose their leader as a result of battle. Leaders are killed only by Weapon Treachery Cards.

Winning

The winning player loses only the number of forces they dialed on the Battle Wheel. These forces are placed in the Tleilaxu Tanks. The winning player may also keep or discard any of the cards they played.

Traitors

If you are in a battle and your opponent uses a leader that matches a Treachery Card you control, you may call out "Treachery!" and pause the game.

The Traitor Card is revealed.

The player who revealed the traitor card:

• immediately wins the battle
• loses nothing, regardless of what was played in the Battle Plans (even if a lasgun and shield are revealed)
• places the traitorous leader in the Tleilaxu Tanks and receives the traitorous leader's fighting strength in spice from the Spice Bank.

The Player Whose Traitor Was Revealed:

• loses all of their forces in the territory
• discards all of the cards they played

Two Traitors

If both leaders are traitors, each a traitor for the opponent, both players' forces in the territory, their cards played, and their leaders, are lost. Neither player gets any spice.

Phase 8: Spice Collection

Any player with forces in a sector of a territory in which there is spice may now collect that spice. This is done by taking the spice tokens you are entitled to from the territory and placing them behind your shield.

The collection rate is 3 spice per force if the player occupies Carthag or Arrakeen. It is 2 spice per force if the player does not occupy Carthag or Arrakeen.

Uncollected spice remains where it is for future turns.

Spice Tokens

Phase 9: Mentat Pause Phase

If one player occupies 3 strongholds with at least one of their forces during the Mentat Pause Phase, that player wins the game.

If the required number of strongholds is 4 and the two players in an Alliance separately occupy a total of at least 4 strongholds with one or more forces at the end of a turn, that Alliance wins the game.

For example, if the Atreides are in an Alliance with the Fremen, and the Fremen occupy Sietch Tabr and Carthag and the Atreides occupy Tuek's Sietch and Arrakeen during the Mentat Pause Phase, they win the game together.

If there are no winners, players mull over their positions on the board, consider their options and, when they are ready, move the turn marker to the next position on the Turn Track to begin the next turn.

Alliances (Nexus)

Once a Shai-Hulud (sandworm) card is turned over on the second or subsequent turns, at the end of the Spice Blow and NEXUS Phase, a Nexus occurs. During a Nexus, all players have a chance to make, join or break Alliances. Once players have had a chance to do so, play continues.

Forming an Alliance

Basics

No more than two players may be in an Alliance and the win condition is now 4 instead of 3 strongholds.

Discussion

Players may discuss among themselves the advantages and disadvantages of allying, and with whom.

Transparency

The members of the Alliance must be revealed to all. Alliances cannot be secret. Swap Alliance Cards as a reminder of who are in an Alliance.

Limits

Several Alliances can be formed during a Nexus, but no player can be a member of more than one Alliance. Once all players have had a chance to ally, no further Alliances can be made until the next Nexus.

Breaking an Alliance

Breaking

Any player may break an Alliance during a Nexus. Players just announce that they are breaking from an Alliance.

Joining Another

Players who break from an Alliance have an opportunity to immediately join or form a new Alliance.

How an alliance functions

• Winning

  Allied players' forces are considered the same for the purposes of victory. If together their joint forces hold 4 strongholds in the Mentat Pause Phase, they have jointly won the game.

• Constraint

  Allies may not enter any territory (except the Polar Sink) in which one of their allies already has a force and, thus, may never battle one another.

  Note: If for any reason two factions who became allies during the last turn occupy the same territory at the beginning of the next turn, one of those factions must move out of that territory during the Shipment and Movement Phase.

  If the first faction to ship and move does not move out of the territory, the second faction must move out or lose those forces to the Tleilaxu Tanks.

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  Ally Secrecy

  Allies may discuss and share strategy and information secretly at any time.

• Bidding

  During the Bidding Phase, allies may help each other by paying some or all of the cost of each other's Treachery Cards so that a player can bid more spice than they actually have.

• Movement

  During the Movement Phase, allies may pay for each other's shipments.

• Shared Advantages

  Allies may assist one another as specified on their player sheets.

Secrecy

Players are never required to keep their cards, spice holdings, or the traitors they selected secret. They are never obligated to reveal this information either.

All spice holdings should be kept behind the Player Shield. The number of Treachery Cards held must be kept open during the Bidding Phase, but can be kept secret at all other times.

Bribery

Players who are not members of the same Alliance can make any kind of verbal deals or bribes between one another. Once made, these deals and bribes must be stated aloud and must be honored. A player cannot renege on a deal or bribe. Spice can be part of the bribe or deal.

A deal or bribe cannot involve the transfer or gift of Treachery Cards, leaders, forces, or faction advantages. This leaves secret information, future actions, and, of course, spice.

A player cannot make a deal or bribe that would contravene the rules or the player's faction powers. These are the only limitations.

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