How to Play

Dune

2-6 players 60-180 min 7.6 Board Game Geek Rating

In this futuristic strategy game based on Frank Herbert's novels, players control competing factions vying for dominance over the desert planet Dune. Through negotiation, bluffing, and combat using hidden bids, factions gather valuable spice while navigating sandworms and storms. Victory comes from controlling enough strongholds on the planet.

Published 1979

Dune

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Place the board on a flat surface and put all Spice tokens in the Spice Bank
2
Shuffle the Spice Deck, Treachery Deck, Storm Deck, and Traitor Deck; place face down
3
Place the Game Turn Token on space ONE of the turn track
4
Place the Storm Marker in the Sector marked "Storm Start"
5
Randomly assign Factions to players (remove Leaders, Troop tokens, and Traitor Cards for any Factions not in play)
6
Bene Gesserit makes their secret Prediction (Faction and turn number) before piece placement
7
Randomly assign Faction tokens to Player Dots around the map
8
Faction Starting Positions:
9
Traitor Cards:
Deal 4 cards to each player; each keeps 1 and returns the rest (Harkonnen keeps all 4 and may redraw if they have 2+ Harkonnen leaders)
10
Place Leaders, Spice, and tokens behind player screens
11
Each player draws 1 starting Treachery Card (Harkonnen draws 2)

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
*1. Storm Round**
2
Advance Game Turn token one space
3
Turn 1
Two players nearest Storm Start dial numbers (0-20 total) on Combat Wheels; move Storm that many sectors counter-clockwise (no losses Turn 1)
4
Subsequent turns
Reveal Storm card, move Storm that many sectors counter-clockwise
5
Troops on Sand terrain in Storm's path go to Tanks; Spice in Storm's path returns to Bank
6
Place new face-down Storm card for next turn
7
Distribute bonuses (Ornithopters, Harvesters, Carryalls, Smugglers) to qualifying Stronghold controllers
8
First Player is whoever's Player Dot is next approached by Storm
9
*2. Spice Blow Round**
10
Draw Spice cards into two discard piles until a Territory card is drawn for each
11
Place indicated Spice on Territory's Spice Blow icon (none if under Storm)
12
Shai-Hulud cards trigger Nexus Round
13
*2a. Nexus Round (when Shai-Hulud drawn)**
14
Players may form or break Alliances (max 2 Factions per Alliance; 3 if all agree at game start)
15
Worm devours all troops and Spice in the previously drawn Territory
16
Continue drawing until Territory card drawn
17
*3. Bidding Round**
18
Players with 0 Spice may claim CHOAM Charity (2 Spice from Bank)
19
Deal face-down Treachery Cards equal to number of players allowed to bid (hand limit
4 cards, 8 for Harkonnen)
20
Starting with First Player, auction cards one at a time; highest bidder pays Emperor (or Spice Bank if Emperor wins)
21
Auction ends when all cards sold or one card receives no bids
22
*4. Revival Round**
23
Each player may revive up to 3 troops from Tanks (costs vary by Faction
0-2 Spice per troop)
24
May revive 1 face-up Leader by paying their Strength value (Leaders flip face-up when all 5 are/have been in Tanks)
25
*5. Movement Round**
26
Shipment Phase:
Make one shipment from Reserves to board (1 Spice per troop to Stronghold, 2 Spice elsewhere; paid to Guild or Spice Bank)
27
Cannot ship into Storm-covered sectors
28
Cannot enter Stronghold with 2 other players' non-Co-Existing troops
29
Manoeuvre Phase:
Move one group of troops to one adjacent Territory
30
Cannot move into/out of/through Storm-covered sectors
31
Fremen move up to 2 Territories; players with Ornithopters bonus move up to 3
32
*6. Battle Round**
33
Battles occur in all Disputed Territories (more than one player's non-Co-Existing troops)
34
First Player is Aggressor, chooses battle order; then proceeds in Player Dot order
35
Choose Battle Plan secretly:
36
Battle Resolution:
37
*7. Collection Round**
38
Players collect 2 Spice per troop in Territories with Spice (3 with Harvesters bonus)
39
Carryalls bonus
+2 Spice from Bank per bonus controlled
40
Smugglers bonus
+1 Spice from Bank
41
Return all Leaders to player reserves
42
*8. Control Round**
43
Collect any Spice Bribes placed in front of screen
44
Check for victory conditions

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
*Victory by Conquest
**
2
At end of any Control Round, control required number of Strongholds
3
Allied players' Strongholds count together for victory
4
*Victory by Subterfuge
**
5
Bene Gesserit Prediction:
If predicted Faction wins by Conquest on predicted turn, Bene Gesserit wins alone (even if part of an Alliance)
6
Fremen - Liet's Plan (end of Turn 15):
If Fremen (or no one) occupies Sietch Tabr and Habbanya Sietch, and neither Harkonnen, Atreides, nor Emperor occupies Tuek's Sietch, Fremen (and Ally) wins
7
Guild - The Spice Must Flow (end of Turn 15):
If no other Faction or Alliance has won, Guild (and Ally) wins
8
*Game End
**
9
Game lasts maximum 15 turns
10
If Turn 15 ends with no winner and Guild is not in play, game is a stalemate (everyone loses)

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FULL rules

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