Dune: Imperium – Uprising

With two players you face a third "rival" run by a deck of cards, and many players find that this works surprisingly well, some even call it their favourite two player game. Others feel something is missing at two: the bot picks random spots and always commits troops to combat, which makes the battles feel predictable. With three or four at the table, most players say the game shines most.

Yes, and most players are really keen on it: the Rival cards give each opponent its own powers and tricks, so it truly feels like you are facing a real person. You can also pick a difficulty level, so you decide how tough your evening gets. One player does find all the extra bits a bit more fiddly and prefers the first Dune: Imperium for solo games.

Players are divided on this one. Some play it mostly with two and find it great fun with lots of replay value, using the bot player that the rules include. Others miss reading the table with two and feel the game really shines at four.

Players see this differently. Some say yes: you can drop around 38 Imperium cards, 24 intrigues, 4 leaders and the new Spice Must Flow cards straight into your base game. Others feel the new board with spies and sandworms is the real highlight, and wouldn't buy it just for the cards.

Players are divided on this one. Some really enjoy the solo mode and find it exciting, with rivals that each have their own tricks, and after some practice they win about half of their games. Others find it a bit fiddly and miss the freedom of a normal game, because the road to victory feels rather fixed.

Players feel quite differently about this. Dune fans mainly enjoy all the extra cards and atmosphere, while others say it costs a lot and that Uprising on its own already feels nicely balanced. A middle road people often mention: stick to one combination, such as Uprising with Bloodlines, so you never have to juggle piles of rulebooks and separate boxes.