Dune: House Secrets Board Game Review

Back in 1965, author Frank Herbert wrote his most famous work, Dune. The novel tells the story of a space empire and the planet Arrakis. On this sand-covered world, you'll find melange, a rare spice that extends human life and grants its user extraordinary abilities. It is a cult classic of world science fiction that won the prestigious Nebula and Hugo awards.

The novel has been adapted for the screen several times: first in 1984, then in 2000, and most recently in 2021. The latest film gained many fans who are eagerly awaiting the sequel planned for late 2023. Let's make the wait a little more pleasant with the game Dune: House Secrets.

Dune: House Secrets is a cooperative story-driven game inspired by the latest Dune blockbuster. It was created by Weronika Spyra, Przemysław Rymer, Jakub Poczęty, and Ignacy Trzewiczek, with the Czech translation provided by Tlama Games. The game is for 1-4 players, ages 14 and up, and takes about 90-180 minutes. The box is standard size. You might expect a large game board, a gamebook, player boards, and plenty of other common components found in story-driven games. However, inside the box, we only find 4 scenario sheets, 2 map sheets, just under 100 cards, a few tokens, and 4 character boards. For such a “large” box, there isn't much inside, which is a shame.

How do you play?

To play the game, you need an internet connection. The app guides you through the game and is required for various secret discoveries. The story itself consists of four interconnected scenarios. It is a cooperative narrative game with detective elements, as you take on the role of one of 4 spies trying to uncover what is happening on the sandstorm-swept Arrakis. Only after preparing the scenario do you find out your objective for that chapter. You have a deck of numbered cards on the table. The story always gives you a choice of several cards, and it's up to you which one you pick. After reading a card, you might gain a clue, unlock more card options, or hit a dead end.

Every card you play costs you time – once the time tracker reaches 0, it's time to evaluate the chapter. During the first chapter, the game asks you to choose between story mode and scoring mode. Story mode gives you a follow-up question at the end, and you continue with the story. Scoring mode asks you more questions and tests how much information you've gathered. The system then awards you points based on your answers, so you know how well you performed in the story.

Our impressions

• The story directly follows the events of the latest film, which will surely please all die-hard fans.
• There is a lot of text in the game, and you spend most of your time reading one card after another.
• The plot is written very nicely and engagingly, which fans will appreciate, but someone unfamiliar with the world of Dune will get lost in the names of all the characters and might not grasp all the connections.
• The connection between the game and the app works very well and serves only as a supplement, not as a primary element.
• The decisions you make in the game don't significantly affect the plot; they only help you gain more or less necessary information.
• Replayability is very low. You will know the story after the first playthrough, though it does contain two different endings.
• The character you choose doesn't have a major impact on gameplay.
• It is a very space-efficient game.

Verdict

Can Dune: House Secrets even be considered a game? In my opinion, not really. You'll feel more like you're reading a book where you can slightly influence what happens next, rather than feeling like you are playing a board game.

While the story has a few tense moments, that might not be enough to satisfy demanding players. Personally, I think it's better suited for solo play than for a group, which might be a disadvantage for some and a desired feature for others. It may please fans of the novel, but board gamers who don't know the source material likely won't appreciate the quality of the story, which is the primary element.

I would recommend Dune: House Secrets to all true fans of the novel or the Dune films, or to people who want to read interesting science fiction with a small detective element in the evenings.

author: Daniel Korčák