Sneak Peek of Official Reprint of Dune from Gale Force Nine

ubarose wrote: I think it must be exciting and interesting for designers to go back and revisit a game they designed 35 years ago.

Agreed, especially one where what a large number of people feel is the best aspect of the game, the optional rules that hammer home the asymmetry, they did not originally design. Very curious to see what if any changes are in the pipeline.

Also since it seemed they read the thread earlier I'll put my fanboy hat on. Dune is the best-designed board game of all time. Never before have I seen multiple playgroups just be in awe of the game as it plays out, like they do around Dune. Really looking forward to wherever this body of current work leads. Good Luck!

I can see some small changes being welcome, most specially if they do it in such a way that you can play the original version if you so choose. From the top of my head, all this could be welcome.

- A better ally power for Fremen.
- Simplifying some of the minor powers like Karamas.
- Probably limiting the Voice to be either "play this card" OR "do not play this card" instead of both.
- A limit of 12 turns instead of 15. I'm told it is rare for games to end beyond 10 turns and when they do, it's very rare for them not to end with a Guild default victory. Interestingly enough, all my games have been exceptions but who knows.
- Clear rulings and turn structure regarding timing, bribes, whether the Emperor's ally power actually does something and so on.
- Good player aids

On another matter and like I've mentioned on Twitter, some people get very upset if you say you like this game or think it's great. I wasn't even born when this game came out but accussations of nostalgia and "you only think it's good because you like it" run rampant. I really think the idea of an old game being great offends some people.

Most interestingly, I never get arguments on why the game sucks. The closest I've gotten has been "Powers like the Emperor are outdated" and "the game is punishing". I can't make heads or tails of the former and the second, while true on some degree mostlymakes me think "well, it should be!".

Of all of the "serious" strategy games I've played, Dune is probably the squishiest. The reason its ruleset has been so open to interpretation over the years isn't just the shoddy writing of Avalon Hill (though that's part of it). It's that the design itself leans into complex social interaction so heavily that it's genuinely hard to pin down how to standardize it. I think that element really offends some people. Board gaming today really wants things to be squared away, and Dune is highly resistant to those methods.

Some people are also inherently offended by a game that is not easy to purchase. I can guarantee that with a well-stocked reprint, a lot of people will suddenly love the game because they can now acquire it.

I actually know some people who don't like it because mechanically speaking, the game does not have much under the hood. Its complexity is genuinely based around interaction, not mechanics. This will not work for everyone, and I think that's important to explain to people as this game becomes more widely played, with both the movie and this reprint. This is, in essence, Cosmic Encounter Advance. For a lot of people the quasi-party atmosphere of Cosmic Encounter saves that game from the pile. Dune has some of those same qualities, but is "serious," which isn't what people want from a game like this sometimes.

I am not normally in the habit of repurchasing new editions of games, but this is one game where I think I would make an exception. I have the Descartes version, and one that is a little more playable would be great.

My big wishlist for this edition:
- Keep pads of paper for recording information. It's just easier than tracking all that stuff with chits.
- Create traitor cards (this seems very likely to me).
- I happen to like the 15-turn limit, but I do NOT like 10 turns. I feel like that can cut off games unnecessarily.

I am not entirely convinced my group will like it, but I will buy it anyway, because of its pedigree. There are people in my group who don't like Cosmic. I know.

I don't like Cosmic, but love Dune.

Da Bid Dabid wrote: I don't like Cosmic, but love Dune.

Ditto.

Erik Twice wrote: On another matter and like I've mentioned on Twitter, some people get very upset if you say you like this game or think it's great. I wasn't even born when this game came out but accussations of nostalgia and "you only think it's good because you like it" run rampant. I really think the idea of an old game being great offends some people.

Most interestingly, I never get arguments on why the game sucks. The closest I've gotten has been "Powers like the Emperor are outdated" and "the game is punishing". I can't make heads or tails of the former and the second, while true on some degree mostlymakes me think "well, it should be!".

This is the main reason why I curmudgeonly defend some older games. They are hills I am willing to die upon.

If a game can be made, then forged by thousands (if not millions) of plays through the crucible of time, then it deserves to not only be well spoken of, but continued to be played.

Wiz-War has player elimination that gets your panties in a wad? Don't like player negotiation in Cosmic Enounter? You think Survive! is too mean?

Well, boo-fucking-hoo. Either put on your big daddy pants and play a game that has legitimately proven itself, or put a binky in your mouth and go back to your play pen to pull out your new cooperative Kickstarter shipment with horrible A.I while the entire point of excellence flies over your head like a 747.