Rising to the Top with Ix in the Expansion to Dune: Imperium
Find even more hidden strategies with the shipping track and technologies in the expansion to Dune: Imperium.
I felt like I experienced all I could from the base game of Dune: Imperium, but I mean that in a positive way. Survey says… I’m actually pretty good at the solo mode! So it was an exciting moment when I could mix in all of the expansion content to add new ways to play. Living dangerously, I stuck with the expert difficulty level! Nothing could go wrong…
Game Overview
Game Name: Dune: Imperium
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: Paul Dennen
Artists: Clay Brooks, Raul Ramos, and Nate Storm
Publisher: Dire Wolf
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
I eagerly added Dune: Imperium – Rise of Ix and saw the improvements. Icons on cards and action spaces still ruled the overall experience, but now there were added options. Tech tiles provided unique bonuses, and conflicts looked to be more interesting. Onto the learning phase for me!
First Play
June 22, 2022
Complexity
3
Latest Play
October 27, 2022
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
10
Play Time
50 Minutes
High Score
12
Game Area
40" x 28"
Low Score
6
New Cards and Icons
Although I love expansions for most of my favorite games, the design needs to balance new elements with the core enjoyment from the base game. Without that… No good!
There were all sorts of new aspects here, so it was hard to gauge how everything might come together. The rules weren’t too complex, though, which was a good sign.
New cards provided additional actions along with new abilities and icons. Neat, but again, not overpowering.
Besides, I don’t use the market refresh variant. I don’t see that many cards per play, as I’ve enjoyed the challenge.
The Tiniest Margin
Oh, what a play! I was too wrapped up in the action to take any photos until the very end. With the new options, I felt like I was well behind and clawing my way ahead.
Perfect! The challenge was there again, and I found every part of gameplay difficult, yet still fun. I didn’t quite know what I was doing anymore… Exactly what I wanted!
Before the end, though, I saw how I could win. And I had it all planned out in beautiful order for the final conflict.
And then, I lost the conflict by a single point! No! My very first loss, but not at all out of control. Just a fair defeat.
A Thematic Strategy
Alright. This might have been my main problem… I ended up with all this unused spice! Earl Memnon did call for a spice hoard, though, so I appeased his demand. Ha ha!
I needed another round to convert this spice. It just didn’t quite come together for me, but again, I barely lost!
What the base game lacked for me was a sense of challenge. I knew how to adjust my strategy, yet that always resulted in victory for me. At last, a loss!
That may sound odd, yet losing is an important part of the fun with games. If I win all the time, why am I playing?
Technology Overload
A lot of the fun with games comes from discovering the right strategies and learning. That’s important: It’s not just learning the rules, but learning how a game works.
I was right back at it again, courtesy of a pretty quick reset process. And this time, I had a better idea of what to do.
This was still quite challenging! The solo opponents blocked the best spaces many times, and I didn’t quite get what I needed most of the time. Still, I crawled along…
Technology tiles took more of a central role for me, especially owing to the extra victory point I earned!
Shipping Strategies
The replaced board spaces were much more alluring, and I no longer felt like any action was useless. In the base game, there were a couple I completely ignored. Not now!
Besides the technology tiles and dreadnoughts, the shipping track offered additional bonuses. This was quite subtle, yet each space could be very lucrative.
I actually played incorrectly for the solo opponents, who took their bonuses a little too early each time. Oops!
Even with this accidental house rule, I still kept up on the victory point track. Barely, yet I was right there with them!
The FInal Countdown
Just like with my first play, I knew that this conflict would determine the winner. I was a contender, but this wasn’t going to be a straightforward round at all.
Still limited by my 2 agents, I enlisted the help of the Mentat to give myself an extra card and action.
So much tension! The conflict looked like it was going to be easy, but naturally, both solo opponents entered the fray and I was hampered by my available cards.
And yet… There it was! I flew ahead in the conflict, used some extra intrigue cards, and pulled off an exciting win!
Why Not Start Off Playing with an Expansion?
Except in rare cases, often when an expansion adds a solo mode, I start off with just the base game. It gives me a chance to learn and understand the core rules. That’s a big part of solo for me: I don’t always grasp the strategies right away, so getting the hang of the basics is essential to moving ahead. It’s all about getting comfortable with the game.
I also find that starting with the base game gives me a chance to see how an expansion changes everything. If it’s too complicated, I’ll understand where those issues exist. At the same time, if it’s amazing and adds just the right amount of new content, I have the chance to appreciate it even more! I just feel like I know the full game even more.
For this experience, I knew that many players recommended starting off with the expansion. That meant it was likely going to be great for me, but I wanted a chance to understand just why that was. And hopefully, this entire analysis makes it clear why the base game on its own might fall a little flat for some solo players. The expansion adds so much!
My split experience showed me just how balanced the expansion is, too. It fixed some weak spots in the base game action spaces without adding a cascade of new rules. I might even say that making a great expansion for a great game is harder than making a great game… It’s difficult enough to get the base game right, but how to not break it?!
This succeeded in a way that didn’t surprise me from the reviews out there. Yet again, playing solo is a very personal and subjective sort of experience. Maybe it sounds silly for me to have left out such a great expansion. But I made the right decision! And for those wondering if the expansion is worth it, I feel like I have a useful perspective to add.
Session Overview
Play Number: 7 and 8
Expansion: Dune: Imperium – Rise of Ix
Accessory: Dune: Imperium Deluxe Upgrade Pack
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Expert Difficulty Level
Outcome: 8-9-11 and 12-11-9 (1 Win and 1 Loss)
Such fun! I utilized lots of new cards, but had a hard time keeping up with the solo opponents. There it was! I found the challenge I wanted. And with some additional variants to keep increasing the difficulty level, I know I’m all set to keep enjoying this game for a long, long time to come.
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
9
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
6
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
9
+ Pros (Positives)
- There is just the right balance between challenging decisions and fun turns, especially with the expansion.
- Random card draws mean that the solo opponents are a bit unpredictable, leading to interesting decisions.
- Intrigue cards and tech tiles can help create hidden strategies that might exist separately from the card deck.
- Play time moves quickly and doesn’t drag on with the new elements, as these integrate very smoothly.
- It isn’t always possible to choose the best action spaces each round, so it’s important to have backup strategies.
- Alliances aren’t set in stone, and figuring out how to steal a victory point here and there is quite satisfying.
– Cons (Negatives)
- A lot of the card draws are very random, so making the most of what’s available can be a losing battle at times.
- The expansion adds additional setup steps and solo opponent tech tile management, adding some upkeep time.
- Conflicts can get rather busy with the upgraded components and dreadnoughts creating a massive battle.
- There are a lot of possible strategies to keep track of, and being able to adjust each round can be a lot at times.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game as Earl Memnon Thorvald.
Win at least 1 game as Prince Rhombur Vernius.
Win at least 1 game at the novice difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the veteran difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the expert difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What are your thoughts about Dune: Imperium and Dune: Imperium – Rise of Ix? Did you try out the base game on its own to start with? I’m absolutely thrilled with how this panned out! So many plays, and I finally found the right mixture of fun and challenging. This one is awesome, and I look forward to bringing it back to my table in the future!
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