New Dune Board Game Announced

Gale Force 9 has announced a new Dune board game, this time focusing on the Fremen long before their planet became the center of Imperial intrigue and politics. Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen is a new game in which players battle for control of Arrakis’s scant resources. Players will attempt to control sietches through battle, bargaining, or cooperation, which can include harnessing the sandworms against other players or developing advanced weaponry. Players win through one of two ways – either by controlling a certain number of sietches or through unanimous consent when the other players feel that one player’s victory is inevitable. 

One of the most popular sci-fi book series of all times, Dune has reentered the public’s eye thanks to a successful high-profile film directed by Denis Villeneuve, with an all-star cast that includes  Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. The opening book/film is set primarily on Arrakis, a desert planet valued for being the only source of spice, a potent psychedelic drug. While the noble House Atreides becomes rulers of Arrakis at the beginning of the Dune saga, they are quickly overthrown in a coup, setting off a struggle that has enormous consequences for both the universe and all of mankind.

Gale Force 9 is the publisher of two other Dune games. The first is the famed Dune board game, which has been republished multiple times over the last 40 years and features players taking on one of the franchise’s many factions to vie for control of the entire galaxy. More recently, Gale Force 9 also developed a more streamlined version of the game, titled Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy. Both games were co-designed by Peter Olotka, Jack Kittredge, Bill Eberle, Greg Olotka and Jack Reda, who also designed Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen.

Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen will be released this June. No retail price has been announced.