[Dune]Game 3 - You, Shai? Hulud have guessed?

Farangu · April 2013

DUNE - the very name conjures up desolation. Desert sandscapes cover most of the planet surface, broken only by giant rock ridges. Giant worms a quarter mile long live beneath the sand and attack any who linger on it. Human life exists in a few scattered places where precious water is available, but even those settlements are buffeted by terrifying coriolis storms.

Yet the planet is crucial to the destiny of a galactic empire. Because only on Dune can spice be harvested.
Spice is the key to interstellar travel. Only by ingesting the addictive drug can the Guild Steersman continue to experience visions of the future, enabling them to plot a safe path through hyperspace. Spice is also a geriatric medicine which prolongs life. Only by assuring a stable supply of it throughout the galaxy can any Emperor avoid civil revolt. With spice, in short, one can buy whatever he wants.

Powerful forces struggle for control of Dune. Imperial troops, aristocratic families, Guildsmen, a secret sisterhood, and the nomadic native Fremen all vie for power on the planet. All are subject to the rigid economics of their joint merchant combine, CHOAM; resources are expensive, shipping is costly, excellence has a price. And that price must be paid in the universal currency, the measure of all value: spice.

All need spice. Some will harvest it directly when it blows in an isolated area of sand, risking the onslaught of worm and storm alike. But others will take it violently in battle, or quietly in taxes and fees. Those controlling large settlements will have access to ornithopters and cover great distances quickly. Other will have to pick their way slowly across sand and rock.

But all anxiously await the decision-making nexus signaled by the sudden appearance of the great sand worm “Shai-Hulud”.

You will be one of these characters:

The youthful Paul Atreides (Muad’dib) — rightful heir to the planet, gifted with valiant lieutenants and a strange partial awareness of the future, but beset by more powerful and treacherous opponents.
The decadent Baron Vladimir Harkonnen — master of treachery and cruel deeds.
His majesty the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV — keen and efficient, yet easily lulled into complacency by his own trappings of power.
Guild Steersman Edric (in league with smuggler bands) — monopolist of transport, yet addicted to ever increasing spice flows.
Fremen ecologist Liet-Kynes — commanding fierce hordes of natives, adept at life and travel on the planet, and dedicated to preventing any outside control while bringing about Dune’s own natural regeneration.
Gaius Helen Mohiam, Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood — ancient and inscrutable, carefully trained in psychological control and a genius at achieving her ends through the efforts of others.

RULES:

The object
- Each character 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 three strongholds (red territories) with at least one of his tokens at the end of any turn in the game.
Setup stuff
- Each player will be sent a list of four random leaders from among all players' leaders and secretly select one of the opponents’ leaders (if he drew one) to be in his pay as a traitor.
- Each player will receive one starting Treachery card.
Storm Round
- In the first storm round only, the players whose player dots are nearest on either side of the storm ‘at start' sector will independently choose a number from ‘zero' to ‘twenty' and IM the mod with their number. The two numbers are totalled and the storm marker moved from the ‘at start' sector counterclockwise that number of sectors around the map.
- In the first turn during the storm round, the Fremen player will be notified which one of 6 possible amounts the storm will move. In the next storm round the number is revealed and the storm is moved counterclockwise that number of sectors. The Fremen player will then learn of the storm's movement for the round after. This is repeated each turn.
- Any tokens in a sector of sand territory (except the Imperial Basin) over which the storm passes or stops are sent to the ‘Tleilaxu Tanks'. Any spice in a sector over which a storm passes or stops is removed to the spice bank.
Spice Blow
- During each spice blow, cards are turned over until a territory card appears and spice is placed. All turnovers are placed on discard pile 1. The same procedure is then repeated for discard pile 2.
  1. When a territory card is revealed, the amount of spice indicated on the card is placed from the spice bank onto the territory in the sector containing the asterisk. If the asterisk sector is currently in storm, no spice is placed that turn.
  2. If a worm card is revealed, all spice and tokens in the territory last turned up in the spice deck are removed to the spice bank and tanks, respectively, AND another card is turned over, and so on, until a territory card appears and spice is placed.
- If a worm card appears, a nexus occurs immediately during which alliances can be formed and broken. (See Alliances). Any additional worm cards drawn that round are ignored. During the first turn's spice blow only, all worm cards turned over are reshuffled back into the spice deck.
- On turn 8, only one territory card will remain in the Spice Deck. This will be placed on discard pile 1 when turned up and the spice placed at that location on the map. Any cards remaining in the spice deck are worm cards which must be turned over and will affect discard pile 2. Once the deck has been completely used up, all spice cards, including the territory card last turned up, are reshuffled to restock the spice deck and cards are turned over from the fresh spice deck until a territory card appears for discard pile 2. It can even be the same card that was last turned over for discard pile 1. In this case, the territory gets a second spice blow. Any worm cards turned over are not reshuffled back into the deck and do affect the last territory turned over in the previous turn.
Bidding round
- A number of cards equal to the number of players who are eligible to bid for treachery cards this round will be auctioned off. A player cannot bid for treachery cards if he already holds 4 treachery cards.
  1. The player whose player dot the storm next approaches begins the bid for the first card and is known as the "first player".
  2. The first player may bid one or more spice or pass. Bidding then proceeds to the player to his immediate right who 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 he bid into to the spice bank and takes the card. No player may bid more spice than he has.
- In subsequent bidding that round, the next 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 gets a chance to open the bidding for a treachery card.
- 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 by everyone, all remaining cards are returned to the top of the treachery deck and the bidding round is over.
- The number (not the type) of treachery cards each player holds must always be open to everyone during the bidding round. Nobody is allowed to hide the number of cards that he holds.
- The rule that each player must bid within five seconds of the previous player or he is assumed to have passed obviously cannot be enforced in this format.
- CHOAM Charity: At the start of the bidding round, any player who has no spice may collect two spice from the spice bank. In the actual game this is done by calling out "CHOAM Charity" but I'll take care of it on my end automatically.
Movement
- The ‘first player' makes the first move in a turn. If a storm is on the player dot, it is considered to have passed that player.
- Token Revival: Before any movement is made, all players may revive up to three tokens from the ‘Tleilaxu Tanks'.
  1. A certain number of tokens are revived for free based on the player. Any additional tokens that may be revived must be done at a cost of two spice per token. All spice expended for token revival is placed in the spice bank. A player can never revive more than three tokens per turn except by treachery card. Revived tokens must be placed in the player's reserve.
- Each player's move is composed of two segments.
  1. Shipment:
  - A player may make one shipment of any number of tokens from his reserves to any one territory on the map.
  - A player must pay spice to the spice bank for his shipment. The cost of shipping off-planet reserves is one spice per token shipped into any stronghold and two spice per token shipped into any other territory. The Fremen player does not have to pay as his reserves are on the far side of Dune.
  - No player may ship into a sector in storm or into a stronghold already occupied by two other players. Otherwise, shipments may be placed in any territory.
  - No player may ship tokens from the board back to his reserves.
  2. Token Movement:
  - Each player may move, as a group, any number of his tokens from one territory into one other territory.
    1) A player who starts his move with one or more tokens in either Arrakeen, Carthag or both has access to ornithopters and may move his token group through up to three adjacent territories.
    2) A player without a token in either Arrakeen or Carthag at the start of his move does not have access to ornithopters and can only move his token group by foot to one adjacent territory.
  - Each player may make only one move per turn.
  - Sectors have no effect on movement, i.e., tokens can move into or through a territory ignoring all sectors. As sector's only function is to regulate the movement and coverage of the storm and spice collection. No token 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 which 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 he chooses to leave his tokens.
  - The Polar Sink is never in storm.
  - Tokens do not block movement with one exception. Like shipment, tokens cannot be moved into or through a stronghold if tokens of two other players are already there. Otherwise, tokens are free to move into, out of, or through any territory occupied by any number of tokens.
- Leader Revival: If all 5 of a player's leaders are in the ‘tanks', a player may revive one leader per turn until all of his leaders have been revived. To revive a leader, a player must pay that leader's fighting value in spice to the spice bank. A revived leader can be played normally and is still subject to being a traitor. A player may revive a leader only at the end of his move. If a revived leader is again killed and sent to the ‘tanks', it cannot be revived again until all of the player's other revivable leaders have been revived, killed and all 5 are once again in the ‘tanks'.
Battle round
- Battles must occur between players whose tokens occupy the same territory. Battles continue until just one player's tokens or no tokens remain in all territories on the map with two exceptions: Players cannot battle one another in a territory if their tokens are separated by a sector in storm. Their tokens can remain the same territory at the end of the round; and players cannot battle in the Polar Sink. It is a free haven for everyone.
- When resolving battles, the ‘first player' is named the aggressor until all of his battles, if any, have been fought. The aggressor chooses the order in which he wishes to fight his battles. Then the player to his 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 he will battle first, second, etc., for as long as he survives.
- Battle Plan:
  - To resolve a battle, each player must secretly formulate a battle plan. Each combatant chooses a number from zero to the number of tokens he has in the disputed territory.
  - A player must choose the amount of spice he intends to expend in the battle. Each token is worth its full strength when calculating lost troops as a winner if spice is also spent in support of it. Otherwise, it is worth half strength. The spice used in the battle plan will go to the spice bank, win or lose.
  - One leader is selected.
  - He may play either a weapon or defence treachery card or both.
  - When both players are ready, the battle plans are revealed simultaneously.
- Battle Resolution:
  - The winner is the player with the higher total of number selected plus leader's fighting strength.
  - In the case of a tie, the aggressor has won.
  - If the 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 his total. Both leaders can be killed and neither count in the battle. Any leaders killed are immediately placed in the ‘tanks'.
  - The winner immediately receives the value of any slain leaders (including his own leader, if killed) in spice from the spice bank. Surviving leaders are retained by their owners.
  - The losing player loses all the tokens he had in the territory to the ‘tanks' and must discard every treachery card he used in his battle plan. The winning player loses only the number of tokens he selected from the territory to the tanks. He may keep or discard any of the cards he played.
  - When the winner takes his losses he may do so in any manner as long as it agrees with the number of tokens selected and the spice expended. For example, the Fremen player has one Fedaykin (worth two tokens) and five ordinary tokens in a territory in battle. He chooses to use 3 tokens and expends one spice. He wins the battle. He may lose one Fedaykin token at full strength (2) and two ordinary tokens at half strength (1⁄2 + 1⁄2) or he may lose one ordinary token at full strength and four tokens at half strength(1⁄2+1⁄2+1⁄2+1⁄2). In one case, he loses a Fedaykin and two ordinary tokens and in the other case he loses five ordinary tokens. Either choice fulfills his spice/strength requirement. Clear? :winky:
- Note that the loser does not lose his leader as a result of battle. Leaders are killed only by weapon treachery cards.
- No player may use a surviving leader in battle in another territory during the same round. The leader may be played in another battle in the same territory, however.
- If a player has at least one leader or ‘cheap hero(ine)' treachery card available, he must use one in the battle plan. A player cannot choose not to play a leader.
- If a player cannot play a leader in battle, i.e., they are all in the ‘tanks' or have fought in another territory that round, he must still battle but he must declare that he is without a leader and he cannot play any treachery cards as part of his battle plan. His total is simply the number of tokens he selected.
- Traitors:
  - If during a battle, the player's opponent displays a leader as part of his battle plan which the player selected as a traitor in his pay at the start of play, ‘treachery' will be declared. The player immediately wins the battle and the opponent must lose all of his tokens in the territory and the traitorous leader to the ‘tanks' and discards all cards he played.
  - The declaring player loses nothing, regardless of what was played in the battle plans. He also receives the traitorous leader's fighting strength in spice in addition to the usual spoils.
  - If a traitor comes up, the winner does not have to expend any spice.
  - If both leaders are traitors, each in the pay of his opponent, both players' tokens in the territory, their cards played and their leaders are lost. Neither player gets any spice.
Spice collection
- Any player with tokens in a sector of a territory in which there is spice may now collect that spice. The collection rate is three spice per token if the player occupies Carthag or Arrakeen. It is two spice per token otherwise.
- Uncollected spice remains where it is for future turns.
- Each occupant of Carthag and Arrakeen collects 2 spice and the occupant of Tuek's Sietch collects one spice. To qualify for collection, a player needs to occupy the stronghold only at the time of collection. If a player occupies two or all three of these strong- holds, he collects spice for each that he occupies.

Some other stuff - Alliances:

Once a worm (Shai-Hulud) spice card is turned over on the second or subsequent turns, a nexus occurs and play stops immediately. All players have a chance to make, join or break alliances. Once players have had a chance to do so, play continues with the worm devouring spice and tokens.
Forming an Alliance:
- An alliance may contain any number of players. The members of an alliance must be revealed to all. Alliances cannot be secret.
- Several alliance can be formed during a nexus but no player can be a member of more than one.
- Once all players have had a chance to ally, no further alliances can be made until the next nexus.
Breaking An Alliance:
- Any player may break an alliance during a nexus. He just announces that he is breaking from the alliance. Players who break from an alliance have an opportunity to immediately join or form a new alliance.
How an Alliance Functions:
- Allied players' tokens are considered the same for purposes of victory. If, together, they hold three strongholds at the end of the turn, they have jointly won the game.
- Allies may discuss strategy secretly at any time.
- During the bidding round, allies may help each other by paying some or all of the cost of each other's treachery cards so that one can bid more spice than he actually has.
- During the movement round, allies may pay for each other's shipments.
- Allies may not enter any territory (except the Polar Sink) in which one of their allies already has a token(s) and, thus, may never battle one another.
- Allies may assist one another as specified by their "race".

Bribery and deals:

Players are never required to keep secret the strength of their reserves, cards, or spice held, or traitors selected although they are never obligated to reveal this information.
Players can make any kind of verbal deals or bribes between one another. Once made, these deals and bribes must be honoured. 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, tokens or character powers. A player cannot make a deal or bribe that would contravene the rules or his character's powers. These are the only limitations.

Turn Summary:

DUNE is played in turns to a maximum limit of 15 turns. Each turn is composed of six specific rounds that must be completed in the exact sequence presented below.

A. Storm Round
- The storm marker is moved around the map.
B. Spice Blow
- The top 2 cards of the spice deck are turned over and spice tokens are placed in the territories indicated.
C. Bidding Round
- Players bid spice to acquire treachery cards.
D. Revival and Movement Round
- First, players reclaim tokens from the ‘Bene Tleilaxu Tanks'. Then each player, in turn, lands and moves his tokens on the map.
E. Battle Round
- Players resolve battles in every territory which is occupied by two or more characters' tokens.
F. Collection Round
- Tokens in territories which contain spice may collect the spice.
- The occupants of Carthag, Arrakeen and Tuek's Sietch receive bonus spice.

The Map:

[/spoiler

Farangu · April 2013

Players:
Phyphor
MrBody
GrimmyTOA caliber
Jdarksun
Tayrun
Admanb

House Atreides information:

Starting army: 10 tokens in Arrakeen and 10 in reserve (off planet). Starting spice: 10. Revival: 2 per turn (you may buy one additional revival each turn for 2 spice).
Leaders:
- Lady Jessica 5
- Thufir Hawat 5
- Gurney Halleck 4
- Duncan Idaho 2
- Dr. Wellington Yueh 1
Advantage: You have limited prescience.
- During the bidding phase, you may look at each treachery card as it comes up for purchase before any player bids on it.
- At the start of the movement phase, you may look at the top card of the spice deck.
- During the battle phase, you may force your opponent to show you your choice of one of the four elements they will use in their battle plan against you; the leader, the weapon, the defence or the number selected. If you ask to see the weapon or defence and your opponent is not playing one, you may not ask to see another element of the plan.
- After you have lost a total of at least 7 tokens in battle, take the Kwisatz Haderach counter. It cannot be used alone in battle but can add its +2 strength to any one leader or cheap hero(ine) per turn. If the leader or cheap hero(ine) is killed, the Kwisatz Haderach has no effect in the battle. The Kwisatz Haderach can only be killed if blown up by lasegun-shield explosion. A leader accompanied by the Kwisatz Haderach cannot turn traitor. If killed, the Kwisatz Haderach must be revived like any other leader.
You may assist your allies by forcing their opponents to show you one element of their battle plan.

Fremen information:

Starting army: 10 tokens distributed as you wish between Sietch Tabr, False Wall South, and False Wall West, plus 10 in reserve (on the far side of Dune). Starting spice: 3. Revival: 3 per turn (you may not buy additional revivals).
Leaders:
- Stilgar 7
- Chani 6
- Otheym 5
- Shadout Mapes 3
- Jamis 2
Advantage: You are native to Dune and know its ways.
- Your tokens can move two territories instead of one.
- You can bring any or all of your reserves onto any territory within two territories of (and including) the Great Flat (subject to storm and occupancy rules) without payment. You may not move onto Dune in any other way than this.
- If a worm appears in a territory where you have tokens, they are not devoured but, immediately upon conclusion of the nexus, may move to any one territory on the board (subject to storm and occupancy rules).
- You may look at the next turn’s storm movement marker.
- If more than one Shai-Hulud card is revealed during a spice blow, the second and subsequent worms are under your control. You may place them in any territory you wish. They cannot devour tokens if not in a sand territory.
- If caught in a storm, only half of your tokens are killed (any fractions are rounded up). You may bring your reserves into a storm at half loss.
Your three starred tokens (Fedaykin) have a special fighting capability. They are worth two normal tokens in battle and in taking losses. They are treated as one token in revival. Only one Fedaykin token can be revived per turn.
If no player has won by the end of the last turn and if you (or no one) occupies Sietch Tabr and Habbanya Ridge Sietch and neither Harkonnen, Atreides nor Emperor occupies Tuek’s Sietch, you have prevented interference with your plans to alter Dune and you automatically win the game.
Your allies are not devoured by worms. They win with you if you win at the end of the last turn.

The Spacing Guild information:

Starting army: 5 tokens in Tuek’s Sietch and 15 in reserve (off-planet). Starting spice: 5 Revival: 1 per turn (you may buy up to two additional revivals each turn for 2 spice each).
Leaders:
- Staban Tuek 5
- Esmar Tuek 3
- Master Bewt 3
- Soo-Soo Sook 2
- Guild Representative 1
Advantage: You control all transport to and from Dune.
- Whenever one of your opponents pays to ship tokens onto Dune from off-planet reserves, the money goes to you.
- You are capable of making one of three possible shipments each turn. You may ship normally from off-planet reserves to Dune, or you may ship any number of tokens from any one territory to any other territory on the board, or you may ship any number of tokens from any one territory back to your reserves.
- You need pay only half the fee when shipping your tokens. The cost for shipping to your reserves is one spice for every two tokens shipped or fraction thereof.
- You are not required to take your move when it occurs in the turn sequence during the movement round, but may take it at any time in the sequence you wish. The rest of the players must take their turns in the proper sequence. You do not have to reveal when you intend to take your turn until the moment you wish to take it.
If no player has been able to win the game by the end of turn 15, you have prevented control of Dune and automatically win the game.
In an alliance, your allies may use the same types of shipments as you, for the same costs. They win with you if no one else wins by the end of turn 15.

House Corrino information:

Starting army: 20 tokens in reserve (off planet). Starting spice: 10. Revival: 1 per turn (you may buy up to two additional revivals each turn for 2 spice each).
Leaders:
- Count Hasmir Fenrig 6
- Captain Aramsham 5
- Burseg 3
- Caid 3
- Bashar 2
Advantage: You have enormous wealth and superior warriors.
- Whenever one of your opponents pays for a treachery card, they pay the spice to you instead of the spice bank.
- Your five starred tokens (elite Sardaukar) have a special fighting capability. They are worth two normal tokens in battle and in taking losses against all opponents except Fremen (Sardaukar tokens are no better than any other troops against Fremen). They are treated as one token for revival. You may only revive one elite Sardaukar per turn.
In an alliance, you may give spice to your allies to purchase treachery cards, to revive tokens and to make shipments. Their payment for treachery cards, even with your own spice, comes right back to you.

The Bene Gesserit Sisterhood information:

Starting army: 1 token in any territory and 19 in reserve (off-planet). Starting spice: 5. Revival: 1 per turn (you may buy up to two additional revivals each turn for 2 spice each).
Leaders:
- Princess Irulan 5
- Margot Lady Fenrig 5
- Reverend Mother Ramallo 5
- Wanna Marcus 5
- Alia 5
Advantage: You are adept in the ways of mind control.
- At the start of the game (before traitors are picked) you write down the name of one other faction and the turn in which you think they will win (you can’t predict the automatic Guild or Fremen victories at the end of turn 15). If that player wins (alone or as an ally, even your own) on the turn you have predicted, you reveal the prediction and you alone have won. You can also win normally, of course.
- You may use the VOICE against opponents in battle, forcing them to do as you wish with respect to one of the cards they play in their battle plan, i.e., to play or not play a projectile, shield, poison, snooper, lasegun or worthless card. You cannot voice a cheap hero(ine) card. If your opponent is unable to comply with your command, the Voice has no effect.
- Your tokens may coexist peacefully with all other players’ tokens in the same territory. While coexisting, your tokens are treated as if they are not even on the board; they cannot collect spice, cannot be involved in combat, cannot prevent another player’s control of a stronghold, and cannot claim ornithopter movement bonus for occupying a city. They are still susceptible to storms, worms and lasegun/shield explosions. You must announce at the beginning of the movement round, before any movement is started, all territories in which you no longer wish to remain in coexistence. Anytime you end your move in an occupied territory in which you previously had no tokens or another player moves tokens into a territory only you occupy, you must announce immediately whether or not you will coexist there. Those territories in which you choose to be (or remain) in coexistence must stay in coexistence for the rest of the turn.
- Whenever any other player ships tokens onto Dune from off-planet, you may ship 1 token free of cost from your reserves (spiritual advisors) into the same territory (you must coexist for that turn) OR into the Polar Sink. You may also ship normally, of course.
Beginning on the second round, you always receive CHOAM charity.
You may use the VOICE against your allies’ opponents in battle.

House Harkonnen information:

Starting army: 10 tokens in Carthag and 10 in reserve (off planet). Starting spice: 10. Revival: 2 per turn (you may buy one additional revival each turn for 2 spice).
Leaders:
- Feyd-Rautha 6
- Beast Rabban 4
- Piter DeVries 3
- Iakin Nefud 2
- Umman Kudu 1
Advantage: You excel in treachery.
- At the start of the game, when traitors are drawn, you write down the names of all the leaders you draw, rather than just one. All are in your pay.
- At the start of the game, you are dealt 2 treachery cards, rather than one.
- You may hold up to 8 treachery cards.
- Every time you buy a treachery card you get an extra card free from the deck.
- Every time you win a battle you can randomly select one leader from the loser (including the leader used in the battle, if not killed, but excluding dead leaders and all leaders already used elsewhere that turn). You can immediately turn the leader into the tanks for 2 spice (sell them for their water), or use the leader once in a battle after which you must return him (or her) to the original owner. If all of your own leaders have been killed, you must return all captured leaders immediately to their original owners. Killed captured leaders are put in the Bene Tleilaxu Tanks from which the original owners can revive them (subject to the revival rules). Captured leaders always betray you if used against their original owner.
In an alliance, leaders in your pay may betray your allies opponents, too.

TREACHERY cards:

4 Projectiles — Use as a weapon during battle.
4 Shields — Defends your leader against any projectile used by your opponent in battle.
4 Poisons — Use as a weapon during battle.
4 Poison snoopers — Defends your leader against any poison used by your opponent in battle.
1 Lasegun - A special weapon. There is no defense against a lasegun; it automatically kills an opponent’s leader. But, should you or your opponent play a shield in the same battle, a nuclear explosion occurs and all tokens and spice (even those not involved in the battle) in the territory are lost to the Bene Tleilaxu Tanks as well as all leaders played (no spice is paid for them). All treachery cards played in the battle must be discarded.
3 Cheap Hero(in)es — Play in place of a leader in battle. This is the only time a player may play 3 cards in a battle: cheap hero(ine), weapon and defence. This card has a fighting strength of zero. Discarded when played.
5 Worthless Cards — Kulon, Trip to Gamont, La La La, Baliset and Jubba Cloak. These have no value in play (except to the Bene Gesserit.) To get rid of them, play them in place of a weapon, defence or both.
2 Truthtrances — Play at any time against any player. You may ask that player one yes-or-no question concerning the game, and they must answer truthfully.
1 Weather Control — Play at the start of a storm round, before storm movement is revealed. Instead of the storm’s normal movement, you pick a number from 0 to 10 and move the storm that many sectors counterclockwise.
1 Hajr — Play during your movement round. You can make an extra on-planet group move, subject to the normal movement rules.
1 Tleilaxu Ghola — Play at any time. You immediately recover one leader from the Bene Tleilaxu Tanks, or revive up to 5 tokens from the Tanks to your reserves, free of charge.
1 Family Atomics — Play just after the storm movement is revealed, but only if you have one or more troops on the Shield Wall or in a territory adjacent to it. It destroys the shield wall (and all tokens there) so that the Imperial Basin, Arrakeen and Carthag are no longer protected from the storm.
2 Karama — This card can be used either to cancel one use of an opponent’s special advantage, or to empower one super-strong use of your own advantage, as follows.
- Standard Karama uses:
  1. Prevent Atreides from seeing the future, or from using Kwisatz Haderach
  2. Prevent Harkonnen from taking a free Treachery, or from capturing a leader
  3. Prevent Bene Gesserit from accompanying a shipment, using the VOICE, or using a worthless card as a Karama
  4. Prevent Fremen from controlling a worm (their tokens in the territory are destroyed and sent to the Tanks), or from counting Fedaykin bonus
  5. Allows player to bid infinity for one Treachery card and not have to pay for it, or prevent the Emperor from counting Sardaukar bonus
  6. Allows player to make a shipment of troops at Guild cost with the spice going to the bank instead of the Guild. This takes the place of the player's normal troop shipment for that round. OR Prevent the Guild from choosing when to take their move, which must be taken in normal turn order.
- Harkonnen: Take without looking any number of cards from a player of your choice. For each card you take you must give one of your cards in return.
- Atreides: Look at any one player’s entire battle plan.
- Guild: Stop one player’s off-planet shipment.
- Bene Gesserit: You may use any “worthless” card as a Karama card.
- Fremen: During the Spice Blow round, summon a worm to appear in any territory you wish. The worm is not drawn from the spice deck. A worm cannot devour tokens if not in a desert territory.
- Emperor: Revive up to three tokens or one leader at no cost.

Basic tactics:

Fremen:

Your major handicap is poverty. Usually you can't purchase treachery for several rounds, since the others will outbid you. You must be patient and move your forces into any vacant strongholds, avoiding battles until you are prepared. You can afford when you do battle to dial high and sacrifice your troops since they have a high revival rate and you can bring them back into play at no cost. To your advantage is better mobility than those without a city, and good fighting leaders. Your game plan will be to bide your time and wait for an accessible spice blow that no one else wants in order to build up your resources.

Bene Gesserit:

Your major handicap is your low revival rate. You must not allow large numbers of your tokens to be sent to the tanks or you may find yourself without sufficient reserves to bring onto the planet. Your strengths are that you have the ability to win by correctly predicting another winner and the secretly working for that player. In addition, you can be quite effective in battles by voicing your opponent and leaving him weaponless or defenseless. You can afford to bide your time while casting subtle innuendoes about which player you have picked to win.

Spacing Guild:

Your major handicap is your weak array of leaders and your inability to revive quickly. In addition, you usually cannot buy treachery cards at the beginning of the game. You are vulnerable at this point and should make your stronger moves after building up your resources. If players do not ship on at a steady rate you will have to fight for spice on the surface or collect only the isolated blows. Your major advantage is that you can ship on to Dune inexpensively and can ship from any one territory to any other. This mobility allows you to make surprise moves and is particularly useful when you are the last player in the movement round. If the game is out of reach and well along, try suicide battles against the strongest players to weaken them and prevent a win until the spice deck runs out: the victory is then yours.

Atreides:

You are handicapped by the fact that you must both purchase cards and ship onto Dune, and you have no source of income other than the spice on the planet's surface. This will keep you in constant battles. Since you start from Arrakeen you have the movement advantage of 3 from the outset, and it is wise to protect this. Your prescience allows you to avoid being devoured by the worms and helps you to get some slight head start on the spice blow. In addition, you can gain some slight advantage over those who would do battle with you by your foreknowledge of one element of their battle plan.

Emperor:

Your major handicap is that you must ship in all of your tokens at the start of the game, and often this move requires a battle before you are prepared. Even though you do not need to forage for spice on the surface of Dune often, you still are quite subject to attack since you are likely to concentrate on the cities for the mobility they give you. On the plus side you will never need spice badly, since the bidding will keep you supplied.

Harkonnen:

Your major handicap is your difficulty in obtaining spice. You are at your greatest relative strength at the beginning of the game and should capitalize on this fact by quickly buying as many treachery cards as you can, and then surging into battle. Since you get 2 cards for every one you bid for, you can afford to bid a little higher than most, but if you spend too lavishly at first you will not have enough spice to ship in tokens or buy more cards at a later date. There is nothing so pitiful to see as a Harkonnen on Choam Charity. The large number of cards you may hold will increase your chances of holding worthless cards. To counteract this you should pick your battles, both to unload cards and to flush out the traitors in your pay.

Thanks go to Mordenthal for the rules write-up. One set of house rules will be enacted for this game: Alliances numbering greater than two people are forbidden. If you are in a two person alliance, you need to control 4 strongholds to win.

If we have a bunch of new players, roles will be assigned at random.

Phyphor · April 2013

Always

MrBody · April 2013

Ooooo I wanted to try this one. Good luck finding hard copies.

MrBody · April 2013

An alliance may contain any number of players. The members of an alliance must be revealed to all. Alliances cannot be secret.

One set of house rules will be enacted for this game: Three person alliances are forbidden. If you are in a two person alliance, you need to control 4 strongholds to win.

Does this mean we can have 4-6 player alliances?

Not sure I understand the whole spice/casualty battle rule.

GrimmyTOA · April 2013

I have never played before, but I've heard great things...

Farangu · April 2013

MrBody wrote: »

An alliance may contain any number of players. The members of an alliance must be revealed to all. Alliances cannot be secret.

One set of house rules will be enacted for this game: Three person alliances are forbidden. If you are in a two person alliance, you need to control 4 strongholds to win.

Does this mean we can have 4-6 player alliances?

Not sure I understand the whole spice/casualty battle rule.

For alliances, see the house rule at the end of the second post.

For battle, an example. Let's say that you have 10 troops that move into a territory with my 8 presently in there. In battle, you decide to commit 8 troops, spend 5 spice to enhance them, and you play a leader with a strength of 3. This gives you a total strength of 9.5: Five of your troops are worth their 1 value because of the spice spent. The remaining three are worth half value, for a strength of 1.5, and your leader adds 3: 5+3+1.5 = 9.5. Your opponent's total strength after committing troops, spice and leaders is 8. Leaving treachery out of this example, you would win. You opponent loses all his troops in the territory for losing. You would lose 5 troops, since you had spent 5 spice to enhance them, leaving you with 5 troops left to defend your new territory. This makes it a prudent idea never to go all out on offense, since you need to retain control of the territory.

Farangu · April 2013

Also for new players, I've added some very basic strategy tips near the end of the second post for each character.

Farangu · April 2013

Tagging some potential signups. @admanb @jakobagger @ArcticLancer @Cerberus @stever777 @caliber @Tayrun @capfalcon @jdarksun

jdarksun · April 2013

Who disturbs my eternal slumber?

(( Sure, I'll play. ))

Tayrun · April 2013

Hell. Yes.

GrimmyTOA · April 2013

Is the spice-fuelled battle thing an optional rule that we're using? Seems harsh. Harsh in a good way, I mean. Potentially.

Farangu · April 2013

In a standard game part of it is optional.

Here, it's not.

Farangu · April 2013

Tayrun wrote: »

Hell. Yes.

First TS and now Dune.

This must be a very happy month for you. As well as catapulting me up the ranks of your favorite people ever.

Tayrun · April 2013

Farangu wrote: »

Tayrun wrote: »

Hell. Yes.

First TS and now Dune.

This must be a very happy month for you. As well as catapulting me up the ranks of your favorite people ever.

Tbh yes, I now love you way more than I love @Flimflammery or @Cerberus. Though you're no @Belfast.

admanb · April 2013

Looks like this isn't full? YEAH OKAY

Farangu · April 2013

Signups full. Randomizing player draw and dots.

Farangu · April 2013

Players:

Phyphor as His Majesty the Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV
Admanb as The youthful Paul Atreides(Muad'dib)
GrimmyTOA as The decadent Baron Vladimir Harkonnen
MrBody as Guild Steersman Edric
Jdarksun as Fremen ecologist Liet-Kynes
Tayrun as Gaius Helen Mohiam, Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood

Setup will begin shortly. First, Bene Gesserit to PM me their prediction for who wins the game and when. You cannot pick either the Guild or Fremen end game victories. Once I have your choice, I will deal out treachery cards and traitors, and assign player dots to the table randomly.

Tayrun · April 2013

If you fine gents will indulge me while I familiarise myself with the rules, I shall PM my divinations within an hour or two.

Phyphor · April 2013

BOW BEFORE YOUR EMPEROR

Farangu · April 2013

I'm running the game through Vassal on my home computer, so updates for things that aren't bids will be during nights anyway.

Farangu · April 2013

Bene Gesserit prediction received. Before traitors are drawn, Bene Gesserit must also state where their one troop token starts. Fremen must also state the distribution of their starting troops.

jdarksun · April 2013

5 troops in Sietch Tabyr, and 5 troops in False Wall South.

Do I get to distribute the Feds now, too?

Farangu · April 2013

No, you have to bring the Fedaykin on later.

jdarksun · April 2013

Booo.

Tayrun · April 2013

Based purely on the number of little icons on the map, Arrakeen looks like a fine place to station our only unit.

Phyphor · April 2013

Are you sure? As I read the rules for the previous games fedayken can be part of your initial deployment if you wanted

GrimmyTOA · April 2013

Somebody bring me some grapes. Peeled this time, if you know what's good for you.

Farangu · April 2013

Phyphor wrote: »

Are you sure? As I read the rules for the previous games fedayken can be part of your initial deployment if you wanted

*rechecks* So it is. Fedaykin can be included in starting troops. Feel free to change your layout if you like.

MrBody · April 2013

Oh wow so troops are only worth half value unless spiced up.

Do the original rules really have no limit to alliance sizes? So all 6 players could just ally up and instantly win together? o_O

Phyphor · April 2013

Farangu wrote: »

MrBody wrote: »

An alliance may contain any number of players. The members of an alliance must be revealed to all. Alliances cannot be secret.

One set of house rules will be enacted for this game: Three person alliances are forbidden. If you are in a two person alliance, you need to control 4 strongholds to win.

Does this mean we can have 4-6 player alliances?

Not sure I understand the whole spice/casualty battle rule.

For alliances, see the house rule at the end of the second post.

For battle, an example. Let's say that you have 10 troops that move into a territory with my 8 presently in there. In battle, you decide to commit 8 troops, spend 5 spice to enhance them, and you play a leader with a strength of 3. This gives you a total strength of 9.5: Five of your troops are worth their 1 value because of the spice spent. The remaining three are worth half value, for a strength of 1.5, and your leader adds 3: 5+3+1.5 = 9.5. Your opponent's total strength after committing troops, spice and leaders is 8. Leaving treachery out of this example, you would win. You opponent loses all his troops in the territory for losing. You would lose 5 troops, since you had spent 5 spice to enhance them, leaving you with 5 troops left to defend your new territory. This makes it a prudent idea never to go all out on offense, since you need to retain control of the territory.

I think this is wrong (in the troop losses, not outcome)

A. Spice now plays an important role in the combat
procedure.
1. Each token used in a battle is valued at its full
strength if one spice is expended to support it. A
token used in a battle which is not supported by one
spice is valued at half strength.
2. When formulating a battle plan, a player must
put aside (preferably in his hand) the amount of
spice he intends to expend in the battle. If a traitor
comes up, the winner does not have to expend any
spice. Otherwise, spice used in the battle plan must
go to the , win or lose.

C. When the winner takes his losses he may do so
in any manner as long as it agrees with the strength
dialed and the spice expended. For example, the
Fremen player has one Fedaykin (worth two tokens)
and five ordinary tokens in a territory in battle. He
dials a strength of "3" and expends one spice. He
wins the battle. He may lose one Fedaykin
token at full strength (2) and two ordinary tokens at
half strength (½ + ½) or he may lose one ordinary
token at full strength and four tokens at half
strength (½ + + + ). In once case, he loses a
Fedaykin and two ordinary tokens and in the other
case he loses five ordinary tokens. Either choice
fulfills his spice/strength requirement.

So, from your example you've dialed 6.5 so you must take 6.5 value in losses your 5 roided out guys worth 5 and 3 more worth 0.5 for 1.5, leaving you with 2, not 5 - you lose everything you commit basically

Farangu · April 2013

Correct.

I should not type out battle examples early in the morning. I'll just repeat Phyphors main point - expect to lose anything you commit.

jdarksun · April 2013

2 Feds in False Wall South.

Farangu · April 2013

Map after initial positions:

Player icons, from top clockwise: Atreides - Harkonnen - Guild - Fremen - Bene Gesserit - Emperor

Traitor and treachery cards being drawn and sent.

@Tayrun & @jdarksun - Please PM me a number between 1 & 20. These numbers will be added together and determine how far the storm moves the first turn.

MrBody · April 2013

Private communication is allowed?

How do you differentiate between a Fedaykin and normal Fremen token?

jdarksun · April 2013

You can't.

Until it's too late.

The regular Fremen are all gold. The Feddies have an orange band around the token.

Farangu · April 2013

Yea, I'll try enlarging the map image next time.

Waiting on @Tayrun to PM me his traitor info and storm number, then we can get started.

Farangu · April 2013

As for private communication...I'd like to know what you guys think. There's nothing in the rules that expressly forbids it, but it would be very difficult to do in a tabletop game of this, which I'd imagine is why they didn't feel the need to outright state it. I'd say no, but if the majority of you want to have private communication, I'll allow it.

admanb · April 2013

I'll put in a "yes" for private communication. Dune is intrigue-y enough that in a tabletop environment I'd step away to talk with people.

MrBody · April 2013

Banning it would be a nerf to the Atreides. A big part of their strength is being able to privately sell information or secretly share information with their allies. They CAN share information with public communication, but it would help enemies just as much as allies so there's not much point. Banning private communication is what hobbled them in REX.

If you feel private communication by everyone would muck the game up, I'd suggest making an exception and at least allow Atreides to send messages, if only regarding information he wishes to sell/share.

Farangu · April 2013

I'm fine with private messages as a result of offering to sell information. Someone can say in thread, "For X spice, I'll share storm movement/card info/whatever", and then he can PM the info to any takers. I'm looking more at "having entire strategy conversations without anyone else knowing before a Nexus ever occurs", which kind of reduces the impact of the Nexus.

Penny Arcade

Quick Links

[Dune]Game 3 - You, Shai? Hulud have guessed?

Posts