Board Games, RPGs

ON THIS PAGE:

  • Introduction
  • BOARD GAMES
    • Avalon Hill Dune Book Case Game [Vintage]
    • Parker Brothers’ Dune [Vintage]
    • Dune Imperium
  • ROLE PLAYING GAMES (RPGs)
    • Chronicles of the Imperium [Vintage]
    • Dune: Adventures in the Imperium

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Introduction

To be added.

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BOARD GAMES

Avalon Hill Dune Book Case Game [Vintage]

“A sought-after bookcase board game adaptation of Frank Herbert’s DUNE.”

Frank Herbert’s DUNE — “Space Civilization Power Struggle Game” — was published by Avalon Hill Game Company in 1979. It was designed by Future Pastimes (which is also known for creating the Cosmic Encounter board game).

BoardGameGeek page for Dune. This page includes extensive information about the initial Dune game release, and references in magazines. There are also pages for two expansions (Spice Harvest and The Duel).

In 1993, Descartes published a licensed French edition, which integrated the Avalon Hill Dune game and both expansions (Spice Harvest and The Duel), plus three new houses that were published as a Landsraad variant in Avalon Hills’ GENERAL and HEROES magazines. BoardGameGeek has an extensive image gallery for this edition.

For details on the Landsraad variants, see “The Landsraad Manuever,” by Kenneth Burke in GENERAL (Avalon Hill; Volume 26, Number 1).

Contents Include:

  • Instruction manual with basic game rules, optional rules, and advanced game rules.
  • Map board.
  • 6 playing shields, each with a different faction – Atreides, Bene Gesserit, Emperor, Fremen, Guild, and Harkonnen.
  • 30 large discs (2″ – 5 per faction).
  • Small tokens (½” – 20 per faction).
  • 2 Battle Wheels.
  • Deck of 33 Treachery Cards.
  • Deck of 25 Spice Cards.
  • 60 Spice Tokens (½” – numbered 1, 2, or 4) to count spice.
  • Storm Marker.
  • Storm movement markers (numbered 1 through 6).
  • Player Aid Pad with reference lists of factions, key characters, and card types.

Avalon Hill issued two game supplements for Dune — Spice Harvestand The Duel.

Complete sets of these three games often sell on eBay for over $100 each (as of mid-2018).

The Dune game was also issued with an alternative cover design featuring Sting as Feyd Rautha. It often sells on eBay for closer to $200.

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Dune; Ixians and Tleilaxu House Expansion

A Game of Conquest, Diplomacy, and Betrayal.

The Dune board game from Gale Force Nine is an update and re-release of the Avalon Hill Dune Game. Six language versions are currently available: English, French, German, Italian, Polish, and Spanish. The first expansion set features the Ixians and Tleilaxu.

BoardGameGeek page to be added.

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Parker Brothers Dune [Vintage]

DUNE. “Relive The Legend. Fulfill the Prophecy.”

Vintage game No. 0451 from Parker Brothers, 1994.

“He who controls the Spice, controls the Universe!” ~ Baron Vladimir Harkonnen

  • UPC 073000004514.
  • Ages: 10 and up.
  • Number of players: 2 to 4.

From the back of the game box:

DUNE. Relive The Legend. Fulfill The Prophecy.

Enter the world of DUNE. A world of power. Conflict. Intrigue. A place where mere survival becomes a complex struggle.

With every move, you’re forced to employ skill and imagination in this multi-faceted adventure game.

You will rely on strength and strategy to eliminate enemy characters. You will arm your warriors with incredible weapons and mysterious powers. You will gather coveted Spice with the aid of your Harvesters … all while guarding against the destructive sand storms and devouring sand worms that plague this desert planet.

Can you meet Dune’s extraordinary challenges? Will you master its savage forces and emerge triumphantly as the planet’s sole rule?

Your fate is about to unfold. Prepare yourself to relive the legend … to fulfill the prophecy!

Equipment:

Game board

12 Dune character cards

  • 3 yellow (House Corrino) – Emperor, Princess Irulan, Warrior
  • 3 red (House Atreides) – Duke Leto, Paul, Gurney
  • 3 green (House Harkonnen) – The Baron, Feyd, “Beast”
  • 3 blue (Fremen) – Dr. Kynes, Stilgar, Chani

12 character discs and movers [tire-shaped cap]

52 Kanly and Equipment cards

12 character strength clips

24 Harvesters

70 Spice pieces

Six 6-sided dice

Six 8-sided dice

1 game play guide card [8.5″ x 5.5″]

1 Dune Adventure Game instruction booklet [16 pages]

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Dune Imperium

The Dune Imperium board game from Dire Wolf was released in December 2020 (and first printing sold out). A Deluxe Upgrade Pack is in production. It includes miniatures and the option of adding on two types of card sleeves: Arrakis, or The Spice Must Flow.

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ROLE PLAYING GAMES (RPGs)

Chronicles of the Imperium [Vintage]

For description of this hard-to-find Dune RPG, see the RPGGeek page on Chronicles of the Imperium. (Last Unicorn Games, Inc.; Limited Edition edition; 2000). ISBN 9780786920051. There is additional information at Amazon.

It has become extremely rare to find a copy for sale, and on eBay, bidding often starts at $400 or more (as of late 2018), and outright purchase cost for a copy can be over $1,000. I don’t have a copy, and haven’t ever seen more than images of the covers on some of the eBay auctions.

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Dune: Adventures in the Imperium

The Dune: Adventures in the Imperium RPG by Modiphius was scheduled for release in April 2021 (UK) and May 2021 (US). As of early 2025, there are print, PDF, and VTT editions available of most books and individual adventures.

BASIC SET

The full basic game set includes:

  • Core Rulebook–four editions available: one Standard and three Collector’s Editions: Atreides, Corrino, and Harkonnen.
  • Gamemaster’s Toolkit with game screen and gamemaster’s booklet. “[A] striking panorama of Arrakis containing all the tables and charts you need for play, as well as a 32-page booklet containing ready-made intrigues, encounters, and an adventure generator.”
  • Player’s Journal with character and house sheets, and pages for recording experiences.
  • Dice Set of five D20 die–four versions available: Arrakis (“sand yellow with brown rock marbling and cinnamon numbering”), Atreides (“marbled green with gold numbering”), Harkonnen (“blood red with silver numbering”), and Melange (“translucent blue with silver numbering”). Each die has one face containing a Shai-Hulud symbol.

Core Rulebook Standard Edition

RULEBOOK – COLLECTOR’S EDITIONS:

FREE PDFs:

ADVENTURE PDFs:

  • Dune Desertfall
  • Time Becomes a Narrow Door*
  • Desert Flower*
  • Kernels of Doubt
  • Shaitan’s Bargain*
  • Coriolis Storm*
  • Fatal Journey

Those marked with an asterisk appear in Desert Planet Compendium, Volume 1 (see below for details).

Gamemaster’s Toolkit

Player’s Journal

DICE SETS:

ADD-ON COMPONENTS

Sand and Dust

Agents of Dune Deluxe Starter Set

Masters of Dune

ASSET DECKS:

Dune: The Great Game: Houses of the Landsraad

Dune: Power And Pawns: The Emperors Court

This volume contains the following adventures:

  • Heat and Dust
  • Blood in the Water
  • A Storm of Blades
  • Shaitan’s Bargain
  • Coriolis Storm
  • Time Becomes a Narrow Door*
  • Desert Flower*

Dune: Desert Planet – Adventure Compendium Vol 1

Dune: Fall of the Imperium

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