One of the last decade’s most staggering cinematic achievements, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune took an all star cast and superlative special effects to create a huge sci-fi drama as a series of houses fights for control of the planet Arrakis.
If the thought of a colossal desert planet conjures images of sand in your shoes, though, there’s a better way to prepare yourself for the sequel than carving up parts of your local beach – the Dune: Imperium board game. Or, you know, you could watch it again using our Dune streaming guide.
Taking cues from both the movie and the initial book series, Dune: Imperium puts between one and four players in charge of four political factions; the Emperor, the Spacing Guild, the Bene Gesserit, and the Fremen.
Each player begins with an identical deck, but from that point on you’ll add to it so that it evolves and affects your playstyle.
Rather than playing all of your cards in one fell swoop, you’ll play Agents to place units on the game board, before revealing your Persuasion and Sword cards; the former adds to your cards, while the latter lets you compete for the current rewards with your military units.
User reviews are positive, noting the attention to detail of the set and the potential for plenty of strategic depth and options from one session to another.
It’s not just Dune that’s been reduced, either. Amazon has also slashed the prices of some classic board games, including the comical Exploding Kittens (£14.20 down from £19.99), classics like Articulate (£15.99 down from £32.99) and Scrabble (£14.99 down from £20.99), and another movie tie-in in Jumanji (£12.99 down from £19.99).
If your weekly game night rotation is in need of an overhaul, now’s a great time to pick up some new sets.
If you’re after more unique board games and savings, be sure to check out guide on the best board game deals.