Alliances
Posted by Rob Herman at July 25th, 2007
Nefarious reader Fu Leng pointed me to the way alliances work in Dune. I like it a lot. Broadly:
- There is a formal game mechanic for alliances. Alliances can win as a team, help each other in certain special ways, and allies may not attack one another.
- Intermittently throughout the game, an event happens where all alliances are automatically dissolved. They must be created again–then there is no more opportunity to create then until the next such event.
This appeals greatly to me because it allows for a shifting web of allies and enemies without the constant worry of a knife in the back (or the need to backstab for victory); I think I could get much more into this game than, say, A Game of Thrones or Diplomacy. I would definitely use this mechanic, or something similar, if I wanted to design a game where alliances between players factored significantly.
If there is a game based on Frank Herbert’s Dune I will happily sit through it at least once.
Indeed there is. It’s designed by folks at Eon, the same ones that did Cosmic Encounter, and like that game often considered to be far ahead of its time.
BGG link: http://boardgamegeek.com/game/121
Link to the rules: http://boardgamegeek.com/fileinfo.php?fileid=22201
The factions are Atreides, Harkonnen, Bene Gesserit, Spacing Guild, Fremen, and Emperor, and each one gets lots of faction-specific advantages and disadvantages. (Atreides are precognizant, Harkonnes are treacherous, Sardukar fight well, etc.) You can see how there’s plenty of room for intrigue.
It’s been out of print for ages in the US. It became an Avalon Hill game, so it’s now a Hasbro property, and it’s pretty much expected that it will _never_ be reprinted. Fortunately, the game components are quite simple, so it’s not too hard to put together a homebrew set. Instructions are available on bgg. I’ve almost got mine assembled…
The game looks solid - it contains a lot of eurogame elements like bidding and El Grande style secret planning, which is surprising given that it was released by an American company in 1979. I’m looking forward to trying it out - I even have a nefarious idea to combine the core Dune game with Shogun battletower combat resolution…