Steeped in the Dune books lore, “Dune Imperium” has been one of the most popular board game interpretations of the franchise. Now, Dire Wolf is back with a new announcement about an upcoming expansion for the game, “Dune Imperium: Immortality” developed by Paul Dennen and Justin Cohen.
Enter the World of Bene Tleilax and Genetic Advances
The second expansion focuses on the Bene Tleilax faction, which has a particular interest in genetic innovations, which is a prominent aspect of the new expansion, Cohen explained in a video preview.
Dennen fleshed out how the new theme will correspond directly to the gameplay, saying that deck-building will be an even more important aspect of the title now. There is also a new Bene Theilax board that will enable players to progress along different research tiers and unlock new opportunities.
Two “Experimentation” cards are added to the hand of each player at the beginning of the game allowing them to explore the new mechanic right from the start. Board spaces are also updated, says Cohen, saying that the new expansion comes with an update for the Research Station.
By reaching specific genetic milestones through the new board, you will unlock additional abilities for some of the player cards. One of the possible benefits is “genetic specimens” that you can use to acquire cards from a separate Bene Theilax deck.
“Graft” Becomes New Keyword in Dune Imperium
Many of the new cards from the dedicated deck have a new “Graft” mechanic which allows you to play two cards, using the agent icon of either card, but receiving the effects of both cards. There is also a Theilax track where shady dealings are afoot, Dennen tells players.
There will be certain cards that allow players to progress up the track. As you may have noticed, the Theilax are a major focus of this new expansion, so it’s possible for much of the meta to pivot towards them. However, the designers assure that there are new developments for other factions as well, making for a balanced and improved overall content value where players do have much to look forward to.
The 2020 release of the game by Dennen and Dire Wolf has been well-received, which led to the addition of “Dune Imperium: Rise of Ix” in 2022, a fully-fledged expansion for the base game. Both the base game and expansion were rated 8.3 and 8.8 respectively, one of the highest ratings any strategy game has enjoyed on Board Game Geek.