Dune Spice Wars is a 4X RTS from the French video game development studio Shiro Games. 4X stands for eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate. RTS is the abbreviation for Real Time Strategy. Dune is known from the novel series by Dune1 (Frank Herbert), the first film adaptation “Dune – The Desert Planet” and the miniseries “Dune – The Desert Planet” and “Children of Dune“.
So Dune Spice Wars is a building strategy game with control over an entire faction, that is, not just individual units or armies. The release was on 14th September 2023.
Background of the game
Dune Spice Wars is about the domination of the desert planet Arakis. Mankind lives in a distant future and is distributed among many planetary systems. A feudalistic system prevails. The Emperor is the regent and the noble families support the system.
Spice
The saying made famous by the movie Dune (1984, 2021):
“Who controls the Spice controls the universe. ”
Dune – Frank Herbert
describes the importance of Arakis. Only there the Spice, a spice, occurs. Spice is a miracle drug. It increases cognitive abilities and prolongs life extremely. It is also extremely important for interstellar space travel. Due to the properties of Spice, it is the most valuable substance in the universe. Thus, it is also understandable why there is a merciless struggle between the factions for hegemony on the planet.
Early Access Trailer
Overview of the resources in Dune: Spice Wars
In Dune Spice Wars there is a multitude of resources, which can and probably will seem overwhelming at first glance. The most important resource in itself is Spice. After all, it is only found on Arakis and that is why there is the ongoing conflict between the factions. If the accruing amount of Spice cannot be paid, then there is a threat of a malus.
Other important resources are Solari, the currency (maintenance costs of buildings and army, training of military units, stock purchase, upgrades of the main base) and Water (conquest of villages, maintenance of conquered villages, army maintenance, trade with Sietches).
Subsequently, there are still the resources plastic steel (building construction), manpower (maintenance and training of military units, increasing the crew in the Spice harvester), fuel (maintenance of military buildings, exploration unit – ornithopter), authority (conquest of villages, Maintaining trade with other factions), Influence (votes in the Landsraad) and Knowledge (acceleration of research), Reconnaissance (conducting espionage operations), as well as Reputation (bonuses on sale of Spice, Hegemony, votes in the Landsraad, production of Influence) and Hegemony (faction strength, 30 000points as a victory condition).
After the above listing of resources, it is clear to you that this is primarily about micromanagement of resources. In the beginning it is very challenging to keep track of all resources. But practice makes perfect!
Dune Spice Wars – Playable factions
In Dune Spice Wars you can choose between the noble families Atreides, Harkonnen and Corrino as well as the smugglers and the Fremen, who live on Arakis. Each faction has advantages and disadvantages.
Atreides
- peaceful annexation of neutral villages
- no authority lost for other factions, when they treat with you
- 100 % more lost of Landraad Standing for other factions, when they break truce with you
- not possible to pillage neutral villages
Counselor 1 | Counselor 2 | Counselor 3 | Counselor 4 |
Thufir Hawat * Agents have one additional trait * Can hasten mission progress and construction of village building for extra Solari | Gurney Halleck * Unlocks the Veteran Militia * Military unitsstart with one more experience level | Lady Jessica * Can impose any Treaty upon other factions at the cost of influence * + 10 % Landsraad Standing | Duncan Idaho * after 60 days w/o rebellion or at the end of a peaceful annexation, village become loyal ( – 20 % upkeeo on village and – 20 % militia training cost and time) * – 10 % cost to annex neutral villages for each neighboring loyal village |
Harkonnen
- oppression on Harkonnen villages
- use of corruction on Landsraad resolutions, elected faction will lose Landsraad Standing
- + 5 % of village ressource production for each militia
- – 10% village ressource production
Counselor 1 | Counselor 2 | Counselor 3 | Counselor 4 |
Glossu Rabban * + 1 militia slot (but – 20 % militia power) | Cannon Fodder *30 % of military costs are refunded upon death * instead of leveling up of the military unit, you get + 10 % refunded costs on their death | Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen * while at least one village is under oppression you get: + 10 % influence production and + 100 % agent recruitment speed * + 10 influence upon killing rebels | Piter De Vries * stealth probes generate intel in enemy territory and they don’t need supply * + 20 % resource production on all non-faction field for each agent assigned to enemy faction |
Smuggler
- installation of underworld headquarters in opponent villages
- bounty on Landsraad resolution
- + 30 % resources from pillaging a village
- cannot recruit heavy militia
Counselor 1 | Counselor 2 | Counselor 3 | Counselor 4 |
Staban Tuek * underworld headquartes produce 1.5 solari per adjacent region containing an underworld headquarter * grants 500 Solari if resolving any discovery with military units | Bannerjee * + 5 manpower and + 5 authority after pillaging a village * non-mechanical units heal 5 % of their health after participating in a kill | Drisq * ornithopters gain visible only from close range and + 50 % speed and + 50 % recon speed of POI * infiltration levels cannot be lower than one | Lingar Bewt * water reduces the authority cost to annex villages * water reduces the cost of install underworld headquarters |
Fremen
- harvesting team can be deployed on neutral and controlled spice fields
- form alliances with Sietches outside of own territory
- use of thumpers to perform wormriding
- minus one maximum building slot in cotrolled villages
Counselor 1 | Counselor 2 | Counselor 3 | Counselor 4 |
Mother Ramallo * allows the construction of SHai-hulud temple in villages (+ 20 % production) * enemy neighboring villages gain – 3 % resource production and 1 % chance to rebel every day | Otheym * + 10 % military unit speed * military units gain Sand Killers (+ 25 % power, – 25 % damage received) when there are no allies nearby | Chani Kynes * can use incite rebellion on Landraad resolutions, comes to rebellion if resoultion passes * plus one intel produvtion for each neutral neighboring village | Stilgar Ben Fifrawi * + 10% resource production in controlled villages in the region of an ally Sietch * plus one authority production per village with spice field |
Corrino
- collect spice paid by other factions
- imperial edict to switch the scope of Landsraad resolution
- + 1 free building slot on villages
- + 100 % authority cost to annex villages (due to distance of main base)
Counselor 1 | Counselor 2 | Counselor 3 | Counselor 4 |
Wensicia Corrino * can build one more of every village building * + 50 % Solari upkeep if building has only one copy in the village | Captain Aramsham * – 25 % command point (upkeep and cost) but – 15 % power and health of the military units * grant one additional training slot | Hasimir Fenring * can resolve discoveries with agents anywhere * – 100 % intel production for enemy agents assigned on House Corrino | Princess Irulan * can spend Solari to cancel negative resolution * can use development investment on village of a faction in truce |
Dune Spice Wars – Victory conditions
I divide the aggressive way into:
- military solution and
- assassinations.
The military solution means overrunning the enemy with your army or successfully destroying the enemy’s main base. Assassinations are done via the menu item Espionage and are to be used selectively. Selective means to focus on one opponent / faction. A total of four operations are performed, with the fourth operation, if successful, taking out the leader of the enemy faction. For the first operation, level one in espionage is assumed with the opposing faction. Subsequent operations require correspondingly higher levels in the non-faction guilds, and also in the opposing faction. This makes assassination time consuming.
I divide the non-aggressive path into:
- Appointment as governor and stay for 30 days,
- hold a majority of shares (CHOAM)3 (>50%) and
- Victory by hegemony (25 000 points).
Links
1: Dune – Book, Roman, Frank Herbert
2: dunegames
3: CHOAM (MAFEA)