AVA AND QUINNS: "I dislike how slow and long this game is!" MATT: "I like to intentionally make my turns take longer to mess with people!" Ah, I think I see what's happened here,
@@dirtybird99Existing here two years later to say the same. Just took it out of the shrink last weekend and played my second solo game today. Walloped even on Mercenary (Novice), but ijdc.
Need an episode of The Opener showing me how to make G̸̟͍̜̖̦͓͚̰̖͚̥̳̗͕̏̆̍̋͊̋͆̍̂̀̉̄̿ͅh̴̨̲͕̘̘͕̟̖̾ḁ̵̛͙͈̤̳̙̻̩̇̔͝u̷̧̘̟͈̪̦̘͖͛̽̒͂a̵̦̱̼̗͙̍̊ģ̷͚͍͚̖͖̟̗͍͖͎̝̆̏̈́͂͘h̴̡͍̙̺̙͍͎̜̺̩̙̮͜͝ͅǎ̵̫̮̗͈̓̌̉̐̾̓̌́͋̚͝͝͠͝g̶̪̥͈̞̭̖͈̳̝̝͊͆̌͑͑̃̊̑̅̀̅̈́͂̅͘u̷̼͑͛̾̊̃̎̃̚͘ȃ̶̢̠͓̲̦̙̥̰͓̹͔͘g̸̟̫̮̹̬͚̍̿́̒̉̋͌͘h̷̳̖̜̔̇̾̋ and custard.
My girlfriend and I had a blast with this game. Our games were very tight and on more than one occasion, came down to an intrigue card played during the final combat. There was also one time where I stole an intrigue card that gave me a one point victory during the endgame. I have also enjoyed it solo.
When you mention the Bene Gesserit "Bond" not been displayed like the other one, it is because there is a difference. Bond mean they get activated even if a card is played after. Normally this keyword is used for the Reveal phase. Here, you need to have played another Bene Gesserit card during your Agent phase in a previous turn. This is harder to achieve since you only get 2-3 agents per turn.
I think the sword bluffing reveals and the intrigue cards are what helps save the game as a Dune game instead of just another euro. It could be exactly Lords of Waterdeep + Dominion without it, but isn't some of the Dune theme about outthinking and surprising your enemy? My group all really liked Dune: Imperium. No mechanics are new, but the designer did a great job taking bits from other games and mixing them into something that just works really well. Live it really isn't that long either, our 4p games are maybe 75-90 min.
I agree, my group found the seemingly strange combination of deck building and worker placement to be a lot of fun and the intrigue cards/bluffing create some hilarious moments. Personally, I think I lean toward Dune Imperium now over Lords of Waterdeep for scratching my "worker placement" itch
@@revimfadli4666 To be honest I found it to be a bland worker placement game with a Dune skin on it. Like the game mechanics doesn't really embrace the Dune theme.
Game gets a definite recommendation from me, at least. Full of tough decisions about which cards to use for workers and which to reveal, which fights you should try to contest and which you should stay out of.
That cracked me up so much! I think that last one is celeriac with aubergine sticking out of it, no idea what the weird spikey bits are but overall looks very spacey even though it's just random veg 😆 Reminds me a bit of the Peter serofinowitz Butterworth diet plan foods. "Hoisin owl, bonbon bonbonbon bons"
The alien desserts segment is exactly the kind of irreverent nonsense that makes SUSD the best channel on TH-cam. I'm not even that interested in the game (though I do find the colorful wooden bits strangely alluring) but I knew whatever you had cooked up would be worth the watch anyway and I was not disappointed!
As a big deck builder fan, I'd say this is more of a worker placement game with deck building elements. You can't really play it like a deck builder, as cards only get you so far. It's a lot more driven by worker placement. I'd say it's more fair to compare it to Lords of Waterdeep than Dominion.
@@RickJaeger yes, - that tastes can vary that much while the people in my gaming community all love it despite very differing tastes on many other games and things in general. I enjoy those different views and think it is a plus for the hobby.
I've played Dune 3 times now and have enjoyed it more every time. It really does a great job of simulating the feel of the story with politics, intrigue, and combat woven into almost every decision. I was also impressed at the synergy available in the cards once you understand what it is they're capable of. About the only thing I really don't like is that some of the character powers flat out stink.
11:31 Interestingly my 4-player board game group much prefers playing Imperium with all of us rather than just 2 or 3 of us. Perhaps that's just because we like having the whole group, but personally at least, I found having more spots on the board being taken up, more cards being bought and more people fighting over alliances made the game so much more dynamic. There's so much more that can go wrong with your plans that it really keeps you on your toes. 2 player games on the other hand, always felt a little too independent - there wasn't enough interference and overlap between what the players were planning, meaning often the only change you'd have to make to your plans was how aggressively you wanted to go into a conflict. There's nothing inherently wrong with that of course and 2 & 3 player were still great, it's just that we love 4 player even more.
@@raffaelsteinmann7296 You can get intrigue cards from various sources, and they let you do stuff like recall a worker, go to a space you don't have symbols for, get some extra resources or a combat boost. They're one time use, and don't go in your regular deck. And one of the cool things is that one of the Bene Gesserit action spaces lets you steal a random intrigue from each opponent who has at least 4 of them, so you don't want to hoard them too much.
@@raffaelsteinmann7296 They're cards you get that you keep hidden. There are some that give you bonuses during the Agent Phase, some will give you a boost in combat that you play during the combat phase, and others will give you bonus victory points in the end game. It adds extra tension because if someone has intrigue cards you're never quite sure if you're winning the combat or even the game.
Dune Imperium is a near perfect game almost entirely ruined by extremely random, extremely powerful intrigue cards that are at least as powerful as an entire turn and force the first two players to choose the two spaces that give intrigue cards before being able to make interesting decisions with their following turns (if playing to win). But the game is great!
I played this with 4, and had a blast. The other 3 players also enjoyed it, and I am definitely down to play it many more times especially with the expansion coming out later this year.
When we want more casual deck-building + worker placement, we play Lost Ruins of Arnak. When we want a more tense strategy tussle, we play Dune: Imperium. Lots of fun had by all either way.
This has become a favorite of our group in no time! We’re also frequent players of TI4 and this came across as a shorter, Euro version of it. I think it is a bit of a missed opportunity that the review didn’t mention all the intrigue cards, how combat works, different opportunity cost decisions you have to make etc.
This pleasantly reminded me of the review on Taverns of Tiefenthal. Another nourishing video of Matt teaching us that games don't have to be perfect. I really appreciate those honest nuances. And those desserts looked so much better than anything the replicators in Star Trek TNG ever created!
It feels really bad when you absolutely love a game and you're the only person in the playgroup that does so. It's the main reason I won't touch anything without a solo mode.
I disagree with 2 points here: 1) it is _very_ similar to Lost Ruins of Arnak 2) unlike LRA, it plays _extremely_ well at 4 players. Do be prepared for a 3-hour game but for those 3 hours to feel like 40 minutes (as long as you're all in the room, which team SU&SD unfortunately weren't)
We played a 3-player game of this recently and we all really enjoyed it! Tense, exciting, and satisfying. The theme is worn a little too loosely, but that was the only downside for us.
Dune Imperium reminded me of 2 other games : - Underwater Cities for the 'Worker Placement + play a card with a bonus' part - Arctic Scavengers for the "fight for victory points and other ressources at the end of the round with cards you didn't use during your turn" Great mix ! :) My only complaint is the difficulty to trash cards from your deck...
Just popping in to say, this is an excellent game and I absolutely love it in 1, 2, 3 or 4 player configurations. To everybody that is commenting about how this is an "okay worker placement game" I say unto you: the deckbuilding part is where the magic is happening. You're certainly missing out if you view this within the category of worker placement. I would describe that part as the segment of the rocket that falls away once it has left the atmosphere, leaving you with a sleek deckbuilding spaceship.
No mention of the intrigue cards? Oh well, it is an amazing game... I've never read the books, but I get the theme (it's there, not strong), but the mechanics fit together so very well. What a fun game. SU&SD's opinion on the game was predictable, but being predictable isn't always bad. Keep up the good work, even if this game is much better than you think. ;)
I don't see the Ameritrash comparisons at all, frankly. Like many others, a bit shocked that neither intrigue cards nor the blandness of the cubes and central dune board were mentioned. This felt like a significantly lower effort review than the SUSD standard (though it's still a strong review, their standards are quite unfair). Overall, I have enjoyed the game a lot. I think I haven't played it with quite the right group yet, but it's still been good fun every time. Messy honestly feels like the worst word for it though, my take was that it's tight and crisp while trying to tie together some impressively disparate mechanics.
Two magnificent jokes: "Fremen with Bene Gesserets" - Superb. "Global situation with pandas or something" - I thought we had run out of Covid jokes. This is beautiful
@@andiarbeithb certainly. “Fremen with Bene Gesserets” sounds a bit like “Friends with benefits” a slang term for someone you have sex with but are not in a relationship with.
@@richardkirke thank you! I wouldn´t have figured that out in a million years... although I know who the Fremen and BG are, I am lucky enough to have watched the Lynch movie when it hit the screen back in the 80s and have read the first trilogy when I was younger. Again, thanks for the explanation! The Panda joke made my day yesterday, now I am excited to try the game (already here but not yet unboxed).
I’ve played Dune: Imperium twice in Solo Mode. The choices I faced as a player were delicious, but I definitely felt like it was a little too RNG for my taste. When the plan you’ve been setting up all turn can be ruined by a random flip of a card, that’s a little feel-bad. Still, fun game and I’ll definitely hold onto it for a while.
Wait i just looked up ameritrash and it includes Twilight imperium, war of the rings AMD the original Dune and you reccomded all of them. Whats your definition of ameritrash then? This doesnt seem that thematic pvpey.
I actually think it's quite thematic but to me, it's most definitely more on the euro side. (Although those terms have become kinda meaningless nowadays) It's worker placement and no dice. I think this further emphasizes to me why these terms should just fade away. We've evolved past it.
how i take it. games centered on randomness and not necessarily strategy. distilled: roll dice move around board, winner is the person who rolled the highest numbers.
@@gregoryford2532 I don't think most people who watch SUSD think of Hasbro games when they think Ameritrash. There's very little in common between Monopoly and Twilight Imperium. I generally think of Ameritrash as typically theme over mechanics and often using dice and maybe more hidden information...but again, I think these are not very useful terms anymore and people should just substitute with more descriptive terms (eg: indirect-conflict, direct-conflict, thematic, etc) because they're no longer shortcuts when everyone has different concepts of what makes one a euro vs ameritrash game. They're antiquated terms in our current landscape.
Doon … Arruckus … Dessert Planet …. Covered in sugar and roamed by dangerous giant pretzels, it is the source of the most valuable and addicting substance in the universe, beer. NONE of that sentence can I take credit or blame for - it is from a 40 year old National Lampoon parody.
I have a lot of fun playing this game. My only complaint is that the game is so short/you cant acquire cards fast enough. Building card combos is almost impossible. Once you get the cards you need there's only a a round or two left at best.
If you want another excellent deck building and worker placement game, try Lost Ruins of Arnak. Also, please have Matt get back in his sleeping bag, and crawl around, or just poke his head up from the table as a worm. I need more WorMatt in SU&SD videos. Please and thank you.
The game I play the most from my 50 game collection. Simple, short, and fun. It’s a game to enjoy, to let go off your daily routine. Absolutely love it. And I have only played it with another player (2 players). Can’t imagine with three.
0:40 - It's not excreted by worms. Tiny, plant-like worm-larvae bind together to create a sack around underground water pockets. The fungus these plant-larvae excrete would chemically react with the water, creating a mass and a giant bubble that would eventually explode. The explosion caused the mass to be spread around the area, where it could dry-bake in the sun. And *that* is spice. So in short: it's baby worm fungus with water baked in the sun.
They LITERALLY put a glass of water on the table when they clearly don't need to drink it ONLY to hurt me in my OCD (right next to another table that they DEFINITELY could put it on)
I quite like it and it's in my collection though I only played it once so far due to Covid. It reminds me a good bit of Quinn's favorite Arctic Scavengers which is why I'm so surprised he bounced off it (though that seems to largely stem from the random card selection for him). As a DUNE fan I'm just over the moon to have another good, simpler, game in that setting to play.
Maybe you could've linked this one to Quinn's review of Arctic Scavengers, which is a deckbuilder with conflict. And I know you guys didn't love Lost Ruins of Arnak... Still, good on you Matt for standing up for what you believe.
I agree with the two or three player recommendation. I'd also say burn the right most card from the deck pool at the end of every round. I like the game so much, I'd even consider doing a draft for a full refresh of the card pool in between each round to add some strategic meat. There's a feature in the app that also adds variability into the game which I'm playing with. It's a fun game and one of my favorite more recent titles. I'm hoping the new expansion takes it even higher.
The reason why there is a "fremen bond" key word and not for the bene gesserit : the former can be used retroactively, while the latter is a one way street.
Tom at least is now on board (mentioned it on the podcast). Need an updated review / review of the expansions and/or Dune Uprising. I wasn't on board in my first game but it's quickly become my favourite game
I totally loved this game. One of the things that I really liked was the thematic feel of the game, the importance of spice. And the immense difficulty of getting 💧. I absolutely recommend it.
Dune is one of those games that you can basically teach as you go. At first it seems so complex, but after we "try" a first turn everyone just agrees to keep playing since now they now the rules. And the game has got just standing ovations across every group i have introduced it to
I’ve found the game to overstay its welcome (which may also be due to having some ap prone friends…). As for player count, I think there is a real problem with market stagnation especially if you play with less than 4 players (which is also something pointed out many times on BGG). However, I’ve found this house rule to be absolute gold in making the game better: “IF you buy 2 or more cards in the same round, you get to trash a card.” Meaning you get to take the trash action as explained in the game. This will make the deck building aspect more interesting and exciting, while it seems to balance well as the powerful and expensive cards are still as powerful and expensive. It also does not diminish the value of other Trash actions, since your deck size remains the same compared to buying just one (powerful) card.
I will agree the potential market stagnation is the game's largest flaw. The slow moving market does make planning easier and less market draw luck swingy, but also less interesting. However, most of the proposed variants feel like they move it too fast, so it's really just down to preference. I have the same issue with games like Everdell that I also really enjoy, but sometimes you get that stall in the market and have to accept you're playing around it. Heck, this weekend was playing Barrage and we had the same issue where the contract market stalled, it can happen in any game with a common market.
And btw that bluffing part…. That is so thematic to the Dune Universe. When I was listening to the How to Play of this, it sounded to me that the theme is just put on top of the mechanics, and we might as well be feudal lords and knights fighting over a medieval land. But there is something that feels Dune in this that goes beyond art and names. It’s that tension you mentioned, and bluffing for the end of the round, and building a clever deck that represents your influence and alliances… The game has its problems for sure and its nowhere near perfect, but I was honestly surprised how wrong I was about it from my initial impressions.
IMO people who think market stagnation is a big problem, are trying to play this game as a pure deck-builder. It's more like a euro with some randomness. You aren't trying to build an engine. It's better to think of this a worker placement game.
@@drob128 I don't really care what it is or is trying to be. If a small tweak makes it feel more enjoyable or exciting, at the cost of one mechanic becoming a bit more prominent over the other, then so be it.
@@SamiPaju Sure do what you want. Use a fork to cut your food instead of a knife. If you do that and then complain forks are terrible utensil you'll sound silly.
4:13 Oh, so it's actually quite a lot like visiting Grandma. Although I think maybe my relationship with Granny Galactic-standing-track was different from most people's
I found the game satisfying both as a deck builder and worker placement. The theme is well balanced with the actions, spaces, and the Intrigue cards to create the "wheels within wheels" feeling from the books. Is it the best game ever or in my collection, no. Would I play it again, anytime someone asks. The 3 player games we have played just barely break an hour of game time and all have been competitive to the end and final reveal of Intrigue cards. I'm a little surprised the Fremen don't become locked after a player reaches a certain reputation. The only issue I have with the game is that the leaders don't necessarily force a playstyle, Leto is Just or Vladamir is more scheming, but I don't know how that would have been accomplished so its a very minor complaint.
Most of my plays were with 4, maybe when there are a lot of new players it doesn't work well with 4. What I love about this game is that there is a learning curve, even if there is some luck with cards and intrigue you need to play them right to win the game.
I know nothing about Dune and I don't usually get into worker placement (a bit too technical for my liking) but the deckbuilding aspect and the fact that cards have value if you don't play them on top of worker placement that doesn't look too complicated and plays 2-3 comfortably might be up my alley.
I agree with most things said here, even the criticisms, but what really makes me like this game is how it makes me feel like the head of a house in the Dune universe. There's no best decision and the varying shop can make your strategy fall apart, as if betrayed by someone. Your always not quite able to do what you want which forces you to adapt and change your plan based on what happens.
The Matt in a Sleeping Bag "worm" is my favorite SU&SD running joke and might be my favorite Crawling Joke of all time.
a Crawl-back joke, if you will
I want to meet Matt once and let him sign my sleeping bag!
"we've got matt-sign!"
AVA AND QUINNS: "I dislike how slow and long this game is!"
MATT: "I like to intentionally make my turns take longer to mess with people!"
Ah, I think I see what's happened here,
Yeah it seems like if 1 player does a bit of tomfoolery like this it's going to drag it out a bit lol
That's boardgames!
😅 lol lol
played this at the weekend with 3 others. was fun, brisk and tatical. I lost but I understand why I lost and want to play again
I always seem to understand HOW I lost and still unable to do anything about it the next time . . . And I want to play again . . .
@@dirtybird99Existing here two years later to say the same. Just took it out of the shrink last weekend and played my second solo game today. Walloped even on Mercenary (Novice), but ijdc.
Mighty big of you to include the rest of the team’s thoughts despite them being Wrong About Games, Matt. Downright upright of you, I’d say.
I do hope that panda situation gets resolved, but it's rare there's a black and white solution.
👏🏻 👏🏻
In america some of the blame can go to the fox community for the panda situation.
@@TheErnieforss is that what the fox says?
🥁
Need an episode of The Opener showing me how to make G̸̟͍̜̖̦͓͚̰̖͚̥̳̗͕̏̆̍̋͊̋͆̍̂̀̉̄̿ͅh̴̨̲͕̘̘͕̟̖̾ḁ̵̛͙͈̤̳̙̻̩̇̔͝u̷̧̘̟͈̪̦̘͖͛̽̒͂a̵̦̱̼̗͙̍̊ģ̷͚͍͚̖͖̟̗͍͖͎̝̆̏̈́͂͘h̴̡͍̙̺̙͍͎̜̺̩̙̮͜͝ͅǎ̵̫̮̗͈̓̌̉̐̾̓̌́͋̚͝͝͠͝g̶̪̥͈̞̭̖͈̳̝̝͊͆̌͑͑̃̊̑̅̀̅̈́͂̅͘u̷̼͑͛̾̊̃̎̃̚͘ȃ̶̢̠͓̲̦̙̥̰͓̹͔͘g̸̟̫̮̹̬͚̍̿́̒̉̋͌͘h̷̳̖̜̔̇̾̋ and custard.
I'm not sure a raw eggplant/aubergine covered in custard is that hard to make....or delicious.
My girlfriend and I had a blast with this game. Our games were very tight and on more than one occasion, came down to an intrigue card played during the final combat. There was also one time where I stole an intrigue card that gave me a one point victory during the endgame. I have also enjoyed it solo.
The way this reads it sounds like she flipped the table and left you to play on your own.
Just amazing game
Just saw the film yesterday. Immediately noticed a minor spoiler from a card.
When you mention the Bene Gesserit "Bond" not been displayed like the other one, it is because there is a difference. Bond mean they get activated even if a card is played after. Normally this keyword is used for the Reveal phase. Here, you need to have played another Bene Gesserit card during your Agent phase in a previous turn. This is harder to achieve since you only get 2-3 agents per turn.
I just wanted to mention the same.
I think the sword bluffing reveals and the intrigue cards are what helps save the game as a Dune game instead of just another euro. It could be exactly Lords of Waterdeep + Dominion without it, but isn't some of the Dune theme about outthinking and surprising your enemy? My group all really liked Dune: Imperium. No mechanics are new, but the designer did a great job taking bits from other games and mixing them into something that just works really well. Live it really isn't that long either, our 4p games are maybe 75-90 min.
I agree, my group found the seemingly strange combination of deck building and worker placement to be a lot of fun and the intrigue cards/bluffing create some hilarious moments. Personally, I think I lean toward Dune Imperium now over Lords of Waterdeep for scratching my "worker placement" itch
Dune is probably in my top 5 games, maybe top 3 actually.
@@laglover Good to hear. Everyone I've introduced Lords of Waterdeep to has loved it. Dune seems like a tougher sell though.
So it's Lords of Waterdeep + Arctic Scavengers instead then?
@@revimfadli4666 To be honest I found it to be a bland worker placement game with a Dune skin on it. Like the game mechanics doesn't really embrace the Dune theme.
Best space desserts from a dessert planet I've ever seen!
I'm all in for spicy desserts. I believe the slow-passing shields are a direct reference to custard.
I love how much effort clearly went into that throwaway bit :D
Now I'm wondering what comprises those desserts, with equal parts amazement and alarm.
The eggplant shoved into a ... I don't know what at the end, it's like an emoji dessert.
looks like a celeriac and some spring onion/shallots
Space Flan - cheesecake + aftereffects ($537/wk, no option to cancel)
Caramel Neutrons - dihydrogen monoxide, cerium-doped phosphor, and chocolate sauce
Quobric Splodge - Pleurotus ostreatus, Lycium barbarum, off-brand smurf, and sugar syrup
Profiteroles - [censored by The French]
ត̵̨̰̫͎̗̳̜̣̖̺̟̈́ែ̷̧̨̹͕͇̥̉͊អ̶̢̛̘͊͂̒͑͒̎ͅម̴̧̭̺͉̞̈́̽̃̃̽ត̷͙͍̠͓̓ៈ̷͕͓͇̜̜͎͔̼͆͝ ̵͍̞̳̭̭̝̺̲̀̄͆̆̊̓̊̍̈́̈ and Custard - (hopefullly non-poisonous variant of) Solanum melongena, Apium graveolens v. rapaceum root, and custard.
The long awaited return of the worm costume!
"costume" :D
I didn't realise how much I wanted to see those clips again...
Its been a tough couple of years.
After 5 months, I finally got the "Fremen with Bene Gesserits" joke. Bravo, well done.
what is the joke here?
@@akos544 A bit of a stretch, but it kind of sounds like "Friends with Benefits."
@@am19228 hmm ok. Can't say I am rolling on the floor :)
Game gets a definite recommendation from me, at least. Full of tough decisions about which cards to use for workers and which to reveal, which fights you should try to contest and which you should stay out of.
That desserts gag at the end may well have the highest effort:payoff ratio I've seen in a SUSD vid and it is well appreciated
I am conflicted - a great gag, but also such a blatant waste of custard, a crime second only to allowing a cup of tea to go cold.
That cracked me up so much! I think that last one is celeriac with aubergine sticking out of it, no idea what the weird spikey bits are but overall looks very spacey even though it's just random veg 😆
Reminds me a bit of the Peter serofinowitz Butterworth diet plan foods.
"Hoisin owl, bonbon bonbonbon bons"
You might say it was a little... over-dune
[ducks for cover]
Nothing I love more than cozying up by the fire on a rainy day and reading gripping tales from Herbert Heberberpt
He's the pherbpehbect scifi author
I've enjoyed this game immensely each time I've played it.
The alien desserts segment is exactly the kind of irreverent nonsense that makes SUSD the best channel on TH-cam. I'm not even that interested in the game (though I do find the colorful wooden bits strangely alluring) but I knew whatever you had cooked up would be worth the watch anyway and I was not disappointed!
Terra Mystica has similarly alluring coloured wooden bits if you are interested in something different 😊
They are so funny. In a Monty Pyton style
Believe it was a panda mech. Roving about crushing the elderly. Much safer to stay indoors.
Sounds like you need an Old Glory insurance policy.
th-cam.com/video/g4Gh_IcK8UM/w-d-xo.html
@@bosef1 fantastic. Perfect. Best comment EU
As a big deck builder fan, I'd say this is more of a worker placement game with deck building elements. You can't really play it like a deck builder, as cards only get you so far. It's a lot more driven by worker placement.
I'd say it's more fair to compare it to Lords of Waterdeep than Dominion.
This is one of the games where I am mesmerized that there are people that do not like it .... Such a great game.
But hey, tastes....
Fair review Matt.
mesmerized?
@@RickJaeger yes, - that tastes can vary that much while the people in my gaming community all love it despite very differing tastes on many other games and things in general. I enjoy those different views and think it is a plus for the hobby.
@@hanseathl Ah I see. Out of curiosity, how would you say this game compares to other Dune board games, if you happen to have played any of them?
@@RickJaeger nothing much in common aside of the setting
@@mescaLEO Okay.
I've played Dune 3 times now and have enjoyed it more every time. It really does a great job of simulating the feel of the story with politics, intrigue, and combat woven into almost every decision. I was also impressed at the synergy available in the cards once you understand what it is they're capable of. About the only thing I really don't like is that some of the character powers flat out stink.
Same here. Love the game, but found some playable characters really weak or nonsensic theme-wise (or both, I'm looking at you Memnon Thorvald).
Good to see the colonel's moustache is still getting roles. Oscar-worthy performance as Dr. Google.
lol Herbert Herberberpt what the hell haha
I rewound that several times just to hear that! nice one
I can't stop laughing.
11:31 Interestingly my 4-player board game group much prefers playing Imperium with all of us rather than just 2 or 3 of us. Perhaps that's just because we like having the whole group, but personally at least, I found having more spots on the board being taken up, more cards being bought and more people fighting over alliances made the game so much more dynamic. There's so much more that can go wrong with your plans that it really keeps you on your toes. 2 player games on the other hand, always felt a little too independent - there wasn't enough interference and overlap between what the players were planning, meaning often the only change you'd have to make to your plans was how aggressively you wanted to go into a conflict. There's nothing inherently wrong with that of course and 2 & 3 player were still great, it's just that we love 4 player even more.
My thoughts too. Found thr game too flacid at 1-2 and prefer the tightness of 3-4 players.
You didn't even mention one of the spiciest parts of the game with the Intrigue cards.
Hehe spice
Enlighten me.
@@raffaelsteinmann7296 You can get intrigue cards from various sources, and they let you do stuff like recall a worker, go to a space you don't have symbols for, get some extra resources or a combat boost. They're one time use, and don't go in your regular deck. And one of the cool things is that one of the Bene Gesserit action spaces lets you steal a random intrigue from each opponent who has at least 4 of them, so you don't want to hoard them too much.
@@raffaelsteinmann7296 They're cards you get that you keep hidden. There are some that give you bonuses during the Agent Phase, some will give you a boost in combat that you play during the combat phase, and others will give you bonus victory points in the end game. It adds extra tension because if someone has intrigue cards you're never quite sure if you're winning the combat or even the game.
Dune Imperium is a near perfect game almost entirely ruined by extremely random, extremely powerful intrigue cards that are at least as powerful as an entire turn and force the first two players to choose the two spaces that give intrigue cards before being able to make interesting decisions with their following turns (if playing to win). But the game is great!
„I‘m teleporting through Time and Space, mother..!“
How is it not called a "Bene Gesserit scheme" when you play two cards. I demand a reprint!
anything the Bene Gesserits do is a scheme, cards or no cards.
or Molto Bene.
I played this with 4, and had a blast. The other 3 players also enjoyed it, and I am definitely down to play it many more times especially with the expansion coming out later this year.
"Fremen with Bene Gesserits." Oh. My. God. You earned that thumbs up.
I didn't get that joke, could you explain?
@@ahiskali1 listen again to 4:30. The way he pronounces those names makes "Fremen with Bene Gesserits" sound like "Friends with benefits"
When we want more casual deck-building + worker placement, we play Lost Ruins of Arnak. When we want a more tense strategy tussle, we play Dune: Imperium. Lots of fun had by all either way.
Yup that's my thoughts on it as well.
This video looks great! The lighting, colors, framing, etc. are all excellent!
This has become a favorite of our group in no time! We’re also frequent players of TI4 and this came across as a shorter, Euro version of it. I think it is a bit of a missed opportunity that the review didn’t mention all the intrigue cards, how combat works, different opportunity cost decisions you have to make etc.
7:07 "I frankly resent giving the screentime to people who are wrong about board games..." ZING! 😂
Came for the Desert. Stayed for the Dessert.
This pleasantly reminded me of the review on Taverns of Tiefenthal. Another nourishing video of Matt teaching us that games don't have to be perfect. I really appreciate those honest nuances. And those desserts looked so much better than anything the replicators in Star Trek TNG ever created!
It feels really bad when you absolutely love a game and you're the only person in the playgroup that does so. It's the main reason I won't touch anything without a solo mode.
Good thing this game has a solo mode, and it's pretty fun!
I was about to say: Like you. But realising you being a girl i know i have to behave. :-D
@@herzkinenevroing to say you're a weirdo creep
What about intrigue cards? those are the best part about the game
I disagree with 2 points here:
1) it is _very_ similar to Lost Ruins of Arnak
2) unlike LRA, it plays _extremely_ well at 4 players. Do be prepared for a 3-hour game but for those 3 hours to feel like 40 minutes (as long as you're all in the room, which team SU&SD unfortunately weren't)
Damn, that printer has some excellent comedic timing.
We played a 3-player game of this recently and we all really enjoyed it! Tense, exciting, and satisfying. The theme is worn a little too loosely, but that was the only downside for us.
is that... an aubergine stuck onto a celeriac dyed green? Impressive
Celeriac does sound a bit alien.
Looks like it should be served in a Heston restaurant
Dune Imperium reminded me of 2 other games :
- Underwater Cities for the 'Worker Placement + play a card with a bonus' part
- Arctic Scavengers for the "fight for victory points and other ressources at the end of the round with cards you didn't use during your turn"
Great mix ! :) My only complaint is the difficulty to trash cards from your deck...
Just popping in to say, this is an excellent game and I absolutely love it in 1, 2, 3 or 4 player configurations.
To everybody that is commenting about how this is an "okay worker placement game" I say unto you: the deckbuilding part is where the magic is happening. You're certainly missing out if you view this within the category of worker placement. I would describe that part as the segment of the rocket that falls away once it has left the atmosphere, leaving you with a sleek deckbuilding spaceship.
I NEED the return of the Matt board-game/meal episodes after this amazing ‘dessert’ highlight :)
The Angel Delight must flow!
No mention of the intrigue cards? Oh well, it is an amazing game... I've never read the books, but I get the theme (it's there, not strong), but the mechanics fit together so very well. What a fun game. SU&SD's opinion on the game was predictable, but being predictable isn't always bad. Keep up the good work, even if this game is much better than you think. ;)
I don't see the Ameritrash comparisons at all, frankly.
Like many others, a bit shocked that neither intrigue cards nor the blandness of the cubes and central dune board were mentioned. This felt like a significantly lower effort review than the SUSD standard (though it's still a strong review, their standards are quite unfair).
Overall, I have enjoyed the game a lot. I think I haven't played it with quite the right group yet, but it's still been good fun every time. Messy honestly feels like the worst word for it though, my take was that it's tight and crisp while trying to tie together some impressively disparate mechanics.
Two magnificent jokes: "Fremen with Bene Gesserets" - Superb. "Global situation with pandas or something" - I thought we had run out of Covid jokes. This is beautiful
I don't get the first one (my English is probably lacking). Would you mind explaining it?
@@andiarbeithb certainly. “Fremen with Bene Gesserets” sounds a bit like “Friends with benefits” a slang term for someone you have sex with but are not in a relationship with.
Fremen and Bene Gesserets are both factions in Dune, which you also need to know to understand the word-play
@@richardkirke thank you! I wouldn´t have figured that out in a million years... although I know who the Fremen and BG are, I am lucky enough to have watched the Lynch movie when it hit the screen back in the 80s and have read the first trilogy when I was younger. Again, thanks for the explanation! The Panda joke made my day yesterday, now I am excited to try the game (already here but not yet unboxed).
@@andiarbeithb You are very welcome. Happy gaming
I had just finish listening to your dune: imperium pod cast when this showed up in my recommended feed, lol
As it's now #13 all time on BGG, I guess he can say he was right.
I’ve played Dune: Imperium twice in Solo Mode. The choices I faced as a player were delicious, but I definitely felt like it was a little too RNG for my taste. When the plan you’ve been setting up all turn can be ruined by a random flip of a card, that’s a little feel-bad.
Still, fun game and I’ll definitely hold onto it for a while.
The space desserts part was just 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Herbert Herberberpt is a really underrated SUSD joke
Oh boy and it's not even worm month!!
I've only ever played it with four, and everyone has enjoyed it a great deal.
17:20
"This isn't just PARGLPARPGLARPLGPAA and custard...
...this is M&S PARGLPARPGLARPLGPAA and custard."
Wait i just looked up ameritrash and it includes Twilight imperium, war of the rings AMD the original Dune and you reccomded all of them.
Whats your definition of ameritrash then? This doesnt seem that thematic pvpey.
I actually think it's quite thematic but to me, it's most definitely more on the euro side. (Although those terms have become kinda meaningless nowadays) It's worker placement and no dice.
I think this further emphasizes to me why these terms should just fade away. We've evolved past it.
how i take it. games centered on randomness and not necessarily strategy. distilled: roll dice move around board, winner is the person who rolled the highest numbers.
The terms have definitely degraded over time. TI is Ameritrash but Quacks is a Euro???
@@gregoryford2532 I don't think most people who watch SUSD think of Hasbro games when they think Ameritrash. There's very little in common between Monopoly and Twilight Imperium. I generally think of Ameritrash as typically theme over mechanics and often using dice and maybe more hidden information...but again, I think these are not very useful terms anymore and people should just substitute with more descriptive terms (eg: indirect-conflict, direct-conflict, thematic, etc) because they're no longer shortcuts when everyone has different concepts of what makes one a euro vs ameritrash game. They're antiquated terms in our current landscape.
@@ericreck9347 so is every roll and write game a ameritrash? And every deck builder cause you draw cards?
Is netrunner ameritrash?
Doon … Arruckus … Dessert Planet …. Covered in sugar and roamed by dangerous giant pretzels, it is the source of the most valuable and addicting substance in the universe, beer. NONE of that sentence can I take credit or blame for - it is from a 40 year old National Lampoon parody.
I have a lot of fun playing this game. My only complaint is that the game is so short/you cant acquire cards fast enough. Building card combos is almost impossible. Once you get the cards you need there's only a a round or two left at best.
The custard bit got me real good, lol. Great review, man. Cheers.
If you want another excellent deck building and worker placement game, try Lost Ruins of Arnak. Also, please have Matt get back in his sleeping bag, and crawl around, or just poke his head up from the table as a worm. I need more WorMatt in SU&SD videos. Please and thank you.
I don't fully understand why but 'Herbert Herberberpt' made me laugh very loudly.
This is a great game. It can run a bit long though. If you’re not into the sci-fi theme, try Viticulture. I think they feel surprisingly similar.
duinen in dutch are hills made of sand and held together by grass. I don't think dune is made up, but a deviation of other words.
The game I play the most from my 50 game collection. Simple, short, and fun. It’s a game to enjoy, to let go off your daily routine. Absolutely love it. And I have only played it with another player (2 players). Can’t imagine with three.
0:40 - It's not excreted by worms. Tiny, plant-like worm-larvae bind together to create a sack around underground water pockets. The fungus these plant-larvae excrete would chemically react with the water, creating a mass and a giant bubble that would eventually explode. The explosion caused the mass to be spread around the area, where it could dry-bake in the sun. And *that* is spice.
So in short: it's baby worm fungus with water baked in the sun.
with the risk of soundling like the fanboy who loves sand because it gets everywhere; thats not how you get spice...
11:18
"dan lepard pizza dough"
a plan to return to the food portion of the opener?
did i just imply that matt hasnt eaten anything since the opener
Best Matt review, the quirk is in overdrive.
I just picked up this game and look forward to playing it this weekend! I am a huge fan of Clank! Feed the Quinn paper to the worm shredder.
This was the most fun vid you've made in a while!
They LITERALLY put a glass of water on the table when they clearly don't need to drink it ONLY to hurt me in my OCD (right next to another table that they DEFINITELY could put it on)
The jokes in this are phenomenal. I haven't laughed this hard at one of their videos in awhile.
I second your motion pal. Take some spice for the road. Getting to the sietch can dangerous with the Harkonen patrolling.
I quite like it and it's in my collection though I only played it once so far due to Covid. It reminds me a good bit of Quinn's favorite Arctic Scavengers which is why I'm so surprised he bounced off it (though that seems to largely stem from the random card selection for him). As a DUNE fan I'm just over the moon to have another good, simpler, game in that setting to play.
Played this recently with 3 other people. All 4 of us now own this game...
Honestly loving that water glass next to the box through the whole video, I just really like geometric glassware.
Maybe you could've linked this one to Quinn's review of Arctic Scavengers, which is a deckbuilder with conflict. And I know you guys didn't love Lost Ruins of Arnak... Still, good on you Matt for standing up for what you believe.
The first 20 seconds especially of this video were hilarious
I agree with the two or three player recommendation. I'd also say burn the right most card from the deck pool at the end of every round. I like the game so much, I'd even consider doing a draft for a full refresh of the card pool in between each round to add some strategic meat. There's a feature in the app that also adds variability into the game which I'm playing with.
It's a fun game and one of my favorite more recent titles. I'm hoping the new expansion takes it even higher.
Wow, that final bit was fantastic. 😂
Literally no one: "SUSD doesn't like euros"
SUDU: "But what we do hate is Ameritrash"
Buuuut they liked Eldritch Horror and Imperial Assault, so I kinda confused =)
The Space Dessert joke just killed me XD
The reason why there is a "fremen bond" key word and not for the bene gesserit : the former can be used retroactively, while the latter is a one way street.
Tom at least is now on board (mentioned it on the podcast). Need an updated review / review of the expansions and/or Dune Uprising. I wasn't on board in my first game but it's quickly become my favourite game
I totally loved this game. One of the things that I really liked was the thematic feel of the game, the importance of spice. And the immense difficulty of getting 💧. I absolutely recommend it.
It's funny because I've heard plenty people say the thematic elements of the game are weak, but I agree it absolutely shines there. 😁
Dune is one of those games that you can basically teach as you go. At first it seems so complex, but after we "try" a first turn everyone just agrees to keep playing since now they now the rules. And the game has got just standing ovations across every group i have introduced it to
I’ve found the game to overstay its welcome (which may also be due to having some ap prone friends…). As for player count, I think there is a real problem with market stagnation especially if you play with less than 4 players (which is also something pointed out many times on BGG). However, I’ve found this house rule to be absolute gold in making the game better: “IF you buy 2 or more cards in the same round, you get to trash a card.” Meaning you get to take the trash action as explained in the game. This will make the deck building aspect more interesting and exciting, while it seems to balance well as the powerful and expensive cards are still as powerful and expensive. It also does not diminish the value of other Trash actions, since your deck size remains the same compared to buying just one (powerful) card.
I will agree the potential market stagnation is the game's largest flaw. The slow moving market does make planning easier and less market draw luck swingy, but also less interesting. However, most of the proposed variants feel like they move it too fast, so it's really just down to preference. I have the same issue with games like Everdell that I also really enjoy, but sometimes you get that stall in the market and have to accept you're playing around it. Heck, this weekend was playing Barrage and we had the same issue where the contract market stalled, it can happen in any game with a common market.
And btw that bluffing part…. That is so thematic to the Dune Universe. When I was listening to the How to Play of this, it sounded to me that the theme is just put on top of the mechanics, and we might as well be feudal lords and knights fighting over a medieval land. But there is something that feels Dune in this that goes beyond art and names. It’s that tension you mentioned, and bluffing for the end of the round, and building a clever deck that represents your influence and alliances…
The game has its problems for sure and its nowhere near perfect, but I was honestly surprised how wrong I was about it from my initial impressions.
IMO people who think market stagnation is a big problem, are trying to play this game as a pure deck-builder. It's more like a euro with some randomness. You aren't trying to build an engine. It's better to think of this a worker placement game.
@@drob128 I don't really care what it is or is trying to be. If a small tweak makes it feel more enjoyable or exciting, at the cost of one mechanic becoming a bit more prominent over the other, then so be it.
@@SamiPaju Sure do what you want. Use a fork to cut your food instead of a knife. If you do that and then complain forks are terrible utensil you'll sound silly.
4:13 Oh, so it's actually quite a lot like visiting Grandma.
Although I think maybe my relationship with Granny Galactic-standing-track was different from most people's
This looks more like a Dune flavoured game than a Dune game.
You mean a spice flavoured game?
@@koben333 you stole my joke. Give it back!
@@KamiRecca uh oh, it's getting spicy in here. Calm down, calm down.
@@mchamberlain7408 I dont want to calm down! I want to Spice up my life!
Curry on then....
I found the game satisfying both as a deck builder and worker placement. The theme is well balanced with the actions, spaces, and the Intrigue cards to create the "wheels within wheels" feeling from the books. Is it the best game ever or in my collection, no. Would I play it again, anytime someone asks. The 3 player games we have played just barely break an hour of game time and all have been competitive to the end and final reveal of Intrigue cards. I'm a little surprised the Fremen don't become locked after a player reaches a certain reputation. The only issue I have with the game is that the leaders don't necessarily force a playstyle, Leto is Just or Vladamir is more scheming, but I don't know how that would have been accomplished so its a very minor complaint.
I love Dune Imperium and ( In person) find it quick, interesting & fun with 2-4 players (Haven't tried it solo yet.)
For the people who read the books, are the sequels written by Herbert Herberberpt's son Sherbert Herberberpt equally good?
To my caput, the abrupt throughput of “Wyms & Herbs of Lilliput” by Shrebert Herberberpt is surely a surety of kaput output.
Most of my plays were with 4, maybe when there are a lot of new players it doesn't work well with 4. What I love about this game is that there is a learning curve, even if there is some luck with cards and intrigue you need to play them right to win the game.
11:19 I too use Dan Lepard's recipe for pizza dough. It's very good.
Neat, thinking of adding this one to the collection and this helps a lot
We are now living in an alternate reality where Matt is the biggest euro gamer at SUSD
I think at this point I'd quite happily watch several hours of Matt worming around
I know nothing about Dune and I don't usually get into worker placement (a bit too technical for my liking) but the deckbuilding aspect and the fact that cards have value if you don't play them on top of worker placement that doesn't look too complicated and plays 2-3 comfortably might be up my alley.
I agree with most things said here, even the criticisms, but what really makes me like this game is how it makes me feel like the head of a house in the Dune universe. There's no best decision and the varying shop can make your strategy fall apart, as if betrayed by someone. Your always not quite able to do what you want which forces you to adapt and change your plan based on what happens.