Dune Imperium - Worker Placement Deckbuilding Hybrid at its finest

 My 2nd favorite game in my collection and probably one of the best boardgames of the last few years.

Preface

I was pretty late with my discovery of the 'modern' boardgames era. During my childhood, the only game my family played was Settlers of Catan. Nonstop. To be fair, I enjoyed the game and would still play it today, but it was definitely a contributing factor that lead to me ignoring boardgames for the next 15 years.

A couple of years ago, I read something about Gloomhaven, and I was instantly hooked by the concept. One very expensive purchase later, I was sold on the idea of modern boardgames and I have been loving my time with them since.

Most of my multiplayer gaming takes place online (with Tabletop Simulator), but I much prefer the tactile experience you get with physical boardgames. That's where solo gaming comes into play for me.

I've bought and played a variety of solo games over the last few years, and Dune Imperium has quickly risen to one of my all-time favorites. I still prefer Nemo's War for the more narrative experience overall, but in terms of strategy and decision-making, Dune Imperium is the best game in my collection.

The Game

tl;dr: Do you like Dune and/or worker placement games? Buy it.

I've only read the first Dune novel, but you don't even need to do that to enjoy this game. Sure, it helps to contextualize all the locations and cards, but the production quality and mechanics are strong enough to carry the theme.

The artwork is based on the recent Denis Villeneuve Dune movie, so you can also just watch that to get a less time intensive introduction to the setting.

Setup from a recent game

The game doesn't take up that much table space, and all the components are of a good quality that left me with no complaints.

I've played both the 2 player and solo variant and I have to say, even with the lack of intrigue card bluffing, I prefer the solo variant. With 2 players, you still use the same dummy AI player, albeit with a few rule changes, and it doesn't feel like enough player interaction to justify the longer downtime that comes with multiplayer games. The intrigue cards and the conflict interaction can be a lot of fun, but they probably shine a lot more with 3 to 4 human players.

For solo play, I really enjoy taking my time and thinking through all the options. That's obviously not a playstyle I would use in a social environment, but I can't stress enough how satisfying the planning in this game can be. Sure, there are random elements with the card draw of your own deck and the AI opponent, but working within that framework is a ton of fun.

The interplay between the deckbuilding and the worker placement allows for long term strategy while also making turn to turn decisions meaningful. Limiting your placement options to the available cards in your hand leads to a constant mix of bittersweet frustration and palpable gratification.

Conclusion

All in all, a fantastic package that I highly recommend to any solo player with even a remote interest in the setting or mechanics.

Do you already own it and want to play something similar? Try Lost Ruins of Arnak