Dune: Imperium Gameplay Overview

Actions

Phase 1: Round Start

Reveal the top Conflict card from the Conflict Deck and place it face up. Each player draws 5 cards from their deck to form their hand.

1. Reveal the top card of the Conflict Deck and place it face up next to the deck.
2. Each player draws 5 cards from their own deck.
3. If you control a space (Arrakeen, Carthag, or Imperial Basin) and the revealed Conflict is for that space, deploy 1 troop from your supply to the Conflict as a defensive bonus.

Phase 2: Agent Turn

Play one card from your hand face up, then send an Agent from your Leader to an unoccupied board space matching one of the card's Agent icons. Gain the board space effects and the card's Agent box effects. If the space belongs to a Faction, gain 1 Influence with that Faction.

1. Play a card from your hand face up. Choose one of its Agent icons.
2. Send an Agent to an unoccupied board space matching that icon. Pay any costs.
3. Gain the board space effects, the card's Agent box effects, and (if applicable) Faction Influence - in any order.
4. At a Combat space: you may deploy newly recruited troops plus up to 2 troops from your garrison to the Conflict.
5. At a non-Combat space: all recruited troops go to your garrison.

• You can't send an Agent to an occupied space.
• You must be able to pay the board space cost before resolving any effects.
• Agent turns are optional - you can choose to take a Reveal turn even with Agents remaining.
• Cards without Agent icons can only be used during a Reveal turn.
• You may play Plot Intrigue cards during your Agent turns.
• Seven Agent icons: Emperor, Spacing Guild, Bene Gesserit, Fremen, Landsraad, City, Spice Trade.
• House Hagal Rival: After each First Player Agent turn, House Hagal takes an Agent turn (if it has Agents left). Reveal the top House Hagal card and send a Rival Agent to the revealed space (if unoccupied; otherwise keep revealing). Ignore normal costs/effects; the Rival gains only the House Hagal card effects (Influence, troops, Signet ability). At Combat spaces, also deploy up to 2 troops from garrison. House Hagal doesn't collect resources, build a deck, earn rewards, or score VP. If it wins a Conflict for a controlled space, it removes the controller's marker.
• Solo Rival Turns: Both Rivals take Agent turns in sequence with you using House Hagal cards. Reveal the top card and send a Rival Agent to the revealed space (if unoccupied; otherwise keep revealing). Ignore normal costs/effects; Rivals gain only the House Hagal card effects. At Combat spaces, also deploy up to 2 troops from garrison. When a Rival uses Harvest Spice, it gains all spice there (base and bonus).

Phase 2: Reveal Turn

When you have no Agents left (or choose not to use them), take a Reveal turn. Reveal remaining hand cards, resolve their Reveal box effects, set your Combat strength, acquire new cards with Persuasion, then clean up.

1. Reveal all remaining cards in your hand face up (separate from cards played on Agent turns).
2. Resolve the Reveal box effects of all revealed cards (in any order). Ignore cards played on Agent turns.
3. Use Persuasion to acquire cards from the Imperium Row (5 face-up cards) or Reserve (Arrakis Liaison, The Spice Must Flow). Acquired cards go to your discard pile. Refill the Row immediately after each acquisition.
4. Set Strength: Each troop in Conflict = 2 strength. Each sword on revealed cards = 1 strength. You must have at least 1 troop to have any strength. Move Combat marker to your total.
5. Clean Up: Place all played and revealed cards into your discard pile.

• Persuasion cannot be saved between rounds. Use it or lose it.
• You may acquire multiple cards if you have enough Persuasion.
• You may pool Persuasion from multiple sources and split it across cards.
• If your last troop is removed from the Conflict, your strength becomes 0 and cannot be increased.
• Once you take a Reveal turn, your turns are skipped for the rest of the phase.
• You may play Plot Intrigue cards during your Reveal turn.

Phase 3: Combat

Players with troops in the Conflict may play Combat Intrigue cards, then the Conflict is resolved based on strength. Rewards go to the highest-strength players.

1. Starting with First Player, clockwise: each player with at least 1 troop in the Conflict may play any number of Combat Intrigue cards or pass. Continue until all involved players pass consecutively.
2. Highest strength wins 1st place reward. Second highest wins 2nd place reward.
3. All troops move from the Conflict to players' supplies (not garrisons). Reset all Combat markers to 0.

• You are not required to pass just because you passed earlier - you can play cards later if you passed before.
• Players with 0 strength receive no reward.
• Ties for 1st: no one wins the Conflict. Tied players each get the 2nd place reward.
• Ties for 2nd: tied players each get the 3rd place reward.
• Ties for 3rd: tied players receive nothing.
• Intrigue cards that trigger 'when you win a Conflict' are played after winning, not before resolving.
• The 3rd highest strength player receives the 3rd place reward.
• If two players tie for 1st, the other two players still compete for the 3rd place reward.
• House Hagal Combat Bonus: Each Rival with at least 1 troop in the Conflict reveals a House Hagal card for bonus swords. Advance their Combat marker by the number of swords shown.
• Solo Rivals gain Conflict rewards (VP, Influence, resources, Control, Mentat). They spend resources to earn VP: 7 Solari = 1 VP, 7 Spice = 1 VP. Whenever a Rival has a choice about Influence, they choose the Faction where they have the least.

Phase 4: Makers

Check each Maker space (The Great Flat, Hagga Basin, Imperial Basin). If no Agent is present, place 1 bonus spice from the bank on that space. Bonus spice accumulates across rounds.

• Bonus spice stacks with any already present from previous rounds.
• When a player later sends an Agent to harvest, they gain the base spice plus all accumulated bonus spice.

Phase 5: Recall

Check for game end. If no one has won, return the Mentat to its space, recall all Agents to Leaders, and pass the First Player marker clockwise.

1. If any player has 10+ VP or the Conflict Deck is empty, trigger the Endgame.
2. If no Endgame: return the Mentat to its space (if not kept from a Conflict reward). Recall all Agents to their Leaders. Pass First Player marker clockwise.

Key Concepts

• Agent Icons: Seven types: Emperor (2 spaces: Conspire, Wealth), Spacing Guild (2: Foldspace, Heighliner), Bene Gesserit (2: Secrets, Selective Breeding), Fremen (2: Hardy Warriors, Stillsuits), Landsraad (5: Hall of Oratory, High Council, Mentat, Rally Troops, Swordmaster), City (4: Arrakeen, Carthag, Research Station, Sietch Tabr), Spice Trade (5: The Great Flat, Hagga Basin, Imperial Basin, Secure Contract, Sell Melange).
• Factions and Influence: Four Factions: Emperor, Spacing Guild, Bene Gesserit, Fremen. Each has an Influence track. Sending an Agent to a Faction space gains +1 Influence. At 2 Influence: gain 1 VP (lose it if you drop below 2). At 4 Influence: gain a one-time bonus AND the Alliance token (1 VP). If an opponent surpasses you on the track, they take the Alliance. The Alliance token moves to whoever is highest.
• Deck Building: All players start with identical 10-card decks. Acquire new cards during your Reveal turn using Persuasion. Acquired cards go to your discard pile. When your draw deck is empty, reshuffle your discard pile. You can trash cards to remove them permanently, improving deck quality.
• Combat Spaces and Troop Deployment: Combat spaces (marked with desert art and crossed swords): Arrakeen, Carthag, The Great Flat, Hagga Basin, Imperial Basin, Research Station, Sietch Tabr, Hardy Warriors, Stillsuits, Heighliner. When sending to a Combat space, you may deploy: all troops recruited this turn PLUS up to 2 from your garrison.
• Strength and Combat: Each troop in the Conflict = 2 strength. Each sword icon on revealed cards = 1 strength. You must have at least 1 troop in the Conflict to have any strength. If your last troop is removed, strength drops to 0 and can't be increased.
• Control: Three controllable spaces: Arrakeen (bonus: 1 Solari), Carthag (bonus: 1 Solari), Imperial Basin (bonus: 1 Spice). Win a Conflict rewarding control to place your marker. The controller gains the bonus whenever ANY player sends an Agent there. When a Conflict for your controlled space is revealed, deploy 1 troop from supply as a defensive bonus.
• Intrigue Cards: Three types: Plot (play during your Agent or Reveal turn), Combat (play during Combat phase only), Endgame (play at end of game). Kept face down, separate from your deck. Gained from Carthag, Conspire, Secrets, and card effects. Steal Intrigue: opponents with 4+ Intrigue cards must give you one randomly.
• Harvesting Spice (Maker Spaces): Three Maker spaces: The Great Flat (3 base, costs 2 water), Hagga Basin (2 base, costs 1 water), Imperial Basin (1 base, free). Each round during Phase 4, empty Maker spaces gain 1 bonus spice. When harvesting, gain base + all accumulated bonus spice.
• Card Anatomy: Each card has: Name, Faction (optional), Agent Icons (which spaces you can visit), Agent Box (effects when played on Agent turn), Reveal Box (effects when revealed), Persuasion Cost (top right, for acquiring), Acquire Effect (optional, gained once when acquired).
• Persuasion: Used during your Reveal turn to acquire cards from the Imperium Row or Reserve (Arrakis Liaison, The Spice Must Flow). Can be pooled from multiple sources or split across cards. Cannot be saved between rounds. The Spice Must Flow costs 9 Persuasion and provides 1 VP when acquired.
• Sell Melange Exchange Rates: At the Sell Melange board space: 2 spice = 6 Solari, 3 spice = 8 Solari, 4 spice = 9 Solari, 5 spice = 10 Solari. Only one exchange per turn.