Dune: War for Arrakis Review
The spice must flow in this thematic 1v1 war game.
Dune: War for Arrakis is a streamlined, thematic war game in the world of Dune. 1-4 players (optimized for two players, 1v1). Plays in roughly two hours.
Video published October 18th, 2024
-
![]()
Opportunistically plan your turns via action dice rolls and card draws!
-
![]()
Fight huge battles with famous characters from the world of Dune!
-
![]()
Ride the worm or use air superiority to conquer the desert planet!
The Story
The Atreides and Harkonnen rival houses compete for control over the planet Dune and thus the most precious substance in the galaxy, the spice mélange. The Atreides use guerrilla tactics via their Fremen allies and desert power, while the Harkonnen rule through fear, air superiority, and overwhelming military power.
We played four 1v1s. The game features a 2v2 mode, but it’s very much an accretionary game mode. We have played a ton of the designer’s previous game, War of the Ring, and reviewed it! Dune and War of the Ring share a lot of the same DNA, so we directly compared them.
Need to learn how to play? Or want more reasoning for our points? Our review video’s got you!
Component Pros - Premium Production
Incredible miniatures, including unique sandworm models and transparent standees for flying units that don't block visuals.
Distinct faction-specific units with unique sculpts for various units.
High-quality dice with clear, color-coded symbols for ease of use.
Clean player boards with intuitive spaces for dice, leader cards, and regeneration tanks.
Excellent insert design with labeled storage for miniatures and components.
Starting deployment tokens streamline setup and support Atreides' hidden gameplay mechanics.
Gameplay Pros - Masterful Asymmetry
Harkonnen’s central position and aggressive playstyle contrast with Atreides’ dispersed strategy and guerrilla tactics.
The Harkonnen leaders feel powerful, with Baron Harkonnen upgrading three units to elites each round, allowing him to squeeze Arrakis hard.
In contrast, Atreides’ fewer but more mobile forces leverage worm riding, creating tactical opportunities.
Muad’dib can set up ambushes with worm sign tokens, enhancing strategic gameplay.
The sandworms serve both mechanically and thematically, fitting the narrative of the source material perfectly.
Gameplay Pros - Strategic Depth
The combat system maintains tension through card discards and special unit abilities.
Fedaykin and Sardaukar can negate enemy blocks, simplifying battles without adding complexity.
Family Atomics can shift the map dynamics and create new tactical opportunities.
Harkonnen must balance their spice economy to maximize action dice while potentially sacrificing spice payments for more ornithopters and military control.
Hidden sietches encourage scouting, as attacking without knowledge can waste efforts.
Bene Gesserit tokens enhance action economy for both sides as they pursue victory.
Gameplay Pros - Flavorful Progression Systems
Leaders evolve meaningfully through the game, from Beast Rabban's early mobility to Feyd-Rautha's mid-game power spike.
Emperor's arrival transforms Harkonnen armies with elite Sardaukar troops.
Short game length makes every leader deployment and ability use impactful.
Limited action dice and Bene Gesserit tokens keep randomness in check.
Component Cons - Rulebook Issues
Confusing rulebook with vague terminology and poor examples.
Ambiguous definitions for "desert" vs "minor erg" areas, requiring players to infer differences.
Index entries often redirect to map references without explaining key concepts.
Complete lack of player aids for crucial game concepts.
No combat reference guide despite it being a central mechanic.
Missing quick reference for leader abilities and acquisition.
Absent overview of common actions and their restrictions.
No player aid summarizing victory conditions or scoring.
Poor indexing makes rule referencing difficult.
Key terms often lack clear entries or explanations.
Unclear territory definitions and board space designations.
Deep desert areas visually indistinguishable from regular desert.
Wormsign tokens blend into desert board locations, leading to gameplay errors when worms spawn in seemingly safe areas.
Gameplay Cons — Imbalances
Atreides victory conditions feel more challenging and less intuitive than Harkonnen's straightforward approach.
Must complete specific prescience card tasks each round.
Need to defend existing bases from Harkonnen attacks.
Forced to adapt strategy based on RNG prescience cards.
New players get punished for focusing on wrong objectives.
Lots of prescience cards feel like they only pay lip-service to the theme.
Randomly getting early access to Feyd or Muad’dib via card pulls can have a huge impact on the combat and game as a whole.
Two-player optimal design makes other player counts feel tacked on.
Gameplay Cons — Thematic Disconnection
Spice economy lacks thematic weight, serving just as basic resource conversion (3 spice = 1 VP).
Missing the political intrigue and power of spice from the novels.
Hidden sietch battles feel disconnected.
Battles become dull comparisons of army size vs sietch value.
Lacks the narrative weight of iconic locations.
Missing the epic feel of War of the Ring’s key battles at places like Helm's Deep.
Leader progression issues:
Short 4-5 round game length limits leader impact.
Leaders drawn late like Chani feels very anticlimactic.
Environmental hazards lack impact:
Storms deal minimal damage (0.5-1.5 on average).
Desert dangers feel more like minor inconveniences instead of terrifying natural forces.
Recommender Score: 7/10
As us being long-time fans of War of the Ring and Rebellion, Dune: War for Arrakis is a solid 7/10 experience. While it has its share of standout moments, it doesn’t quite reach the heights of its inspirations.
The most substantial aspect of this game lies in its streamlined design and accessible length. It takes the traditionally sprawling, heavy 1v1 thematic strategy predecessor and condenses it into a manageable two hours. Unlike the marathon sessions of War of the Ring, this is a game anyone can realistically play more often. The movement system is smooth, and the action economy keeps the pace quickly without sacrificing strategic depth. Combat is clean and fast, with dice rolls and leader abilities adding enough tension to keep it engaging. Iconic elements like Sardaukar troops, family atomics, and worm-riding capture the flavor of Dune and provide exciting tactical options. Few things are more satisfying than commanding a sandworm to wipe out a group of Harkonnen forces.
However, the thematic presentation sometimes feels underwhelming. The board design lacks the evocative geography and narrative tension of similar games. Hidden sietches often feel like abstract victory point generators rather than vital locations in a grand conflict. This makes many battles feel like mechanical exercises instead of climactic showdowns. Similarly, spice is reduced to a generic number rather than a life-or-death resource that drives the story.
The Atreides faction suffers from these thematic gaps the most. Their objectives can feel disconnected from the narrative and are more challenging to achieve than the more straightforward goals of the Harkonnen. This imbalance and reliance on randomized objectives make them more demanding and less rewarding to play, particularly for new players. Leaders too sometimes feel like little more than ability tokens. While Paul and Feyd are impactful, other leaders can often enter the game too late to leave a meaningful mark.
Dune: War for Arrakis can still deliver epic moments, think deploying family atomics or sandriding straight into the fray, but don’t expect that level of drama in every game. At just around two hours of playtime, the shorter format amplifies the impact of dice rolls and card draws due to fewer rounds. It’s a decent compromise for Dune enthusiasts, especially with the patched rules, though it’s not groundbreaking. If you’re not particularly attached to the Dune universe, you might find better value investing a few more hours into games like Star Wars: Rebellion for its cat-and-mouse dynamic of hidden bases or War of the Ring for its more complex, strategy-heavy approach. For hardcore War of the Ring fans, Dune: War for Arrakis can serve as a lighter supplement for dice-driven wartime gaming.
If you’re exploring other Dune-themed games, we strongly recommend Dune: Imperium – Uprising. A full review is coming soon, but it’s a solid choice for a wide range of players, offering better replayability and value. However, its design leans more toward a strategic and streamlined experience, rather than the visceral action of direct area control combat. If you’re looking for something even more accessible for a group of four players, Dune: Conquest remains our top quick pick for its simplicity and engaging gameplay.
