PAUL
When I first read Frank Hebert's 'Dune', I was amazed at the visual depth of the story. Every now and then, especially when I smell cinnamon, I see an ocean of sand beneath a clear sky of stars and two moons, I hear the static hiss of an approaching sandworm and the distant melody of a thumper. I designed this simple board game to reflect the struggle to control Arrakis. I hope the reader finds joy in its appreciation. ------------------------------------------------------------ The board is standard 8x8 squares. The forces consist of: Atriedes(Blue) 1 Duke(DU) --represented by a signet ring with an Eagle 1 Mentat(MT) --represented by a bottle of red liquid 2 Fremen(FR) --represented by hooded figures wearing goggles and air filters 2 Ornithopers(OR) --represented by an winged vehicle 2 Harvesters(HA) --represented by tracked vehicle 8 Troops(TR) --represented by a sword Harkonnen(Red) 1 Baron(BR) --represented by a signet ring with a Griffin 1 Mentat(MT) --represented by a bottle of red liquid 2 Sardaukar(SR) --represented by space-helmeted figures 2 Ornithopers(OR) --represented by a winged vehicle 2 Harvesters(HA) --represented by tracked vehicle 8 Troops(TR) --represented by a sword Desert(Neutral) 2 Sandworms(SW) ---grey with an open mouth of teeth 16 Spice(SP) ---Reddish brown 4 Seitch(SE) ---Black with a flower Setup:
The Sandworm(SW) tokens are placed on top of a Spice(SP) token. Movement: "Who controls the spice, controls the universe." One player acts as Feyd and controls the Harkonnen forces, the other acts as Paul and controls the Atreides forces. Both can utilize the neutral pieces. The Harkonnen move first. Each player makes one move in turn. Piece movement: The Baron, Duke and Mentats all can move and attack the adjacent squares, both diagonally and orthogonally. The Fremen and Sardaukar move orthogonally any number of vacant squares and can capture on their final.(Like the Rook) A Fremen which lands on a Sandworm, may ride the Sandworm, it may move and capture with and as the Sandworm and cannot be captured while on the Sandworm. Sardaukar may capture and destroy the Seitch. The Sardaukar do not have to capture the Seitch which they land on but if they do they must capture upon landing on it. If an opponent's piece occupies a Seitch and the Sardaukar capture the piece, the Seitch is also captured and considered destroyed. The Ornithopers move diagonally any number of squares whether occupied or vacant and can capture on their final. They can carry either 1 Troop or 1 Harvester. If they carry a Harvester, they must land on either a vacant or Spice-occupied square, they cannot attack. If they carry a Troop, they can capture on their final square. The Ornithopter picks up a Troop or Harvester by landing on it. It may carry a Troop or Harvester for as many moves which the player wishes but if captured, so is captured the Troop or Harvester. The Harvester moves one square orthogonally and only captures Spice tokens. It may be moved under an Ornithopter for pick-up. The Troop moves and captures one square diagonally. It may be moved under an Ornithopter for pick-up. The Sandworms move one adjacent square, diagonally or orthogonally, and only onto Spice-occupied squares. They capture one adjacent square, diagonally or orthogonally. This capture may be to a non-Spice-occupied square. They may not move or capture onto Seitch-occupied squares. Sandworms cannot be captured. Sandworms may be moved by either player. Only Ornithopters may pass through a Sandworm-occupied square. The Seitch are non-moving pieces. They can be occupied but not captured, except by Sardaukar. Only Ornithopters may pass through a Seitch-occupied square, all other pieces must stop on the Seitch. Any piece, except the Sandworm, may land on a Seitch. The Spice are non-moving pieces. They can be captured by Harvesters only. Except for the Sandworm, no other piece may land on them. An Ornithopter carrying a Harvester may land on a Spice-occupied square since the Spice is considered immediately captured. Using the Spice: "The spice must flow." With the harvesting of Spice comes an added bonus. The player may buy back any captured piece under the following conditions: If the Baron/Duke are still on the board, 1 Troop = 1 Spice 1 Fremen/Sardaukar = 5 Spice If the Mentat is still on the board, 1 Harvester = 1 Spice 1 Ornithopter = 5 Spice To summarize, if the player's Duke/Baron is still present on the board, manpower may be ransomed. If the player's Mentat is still present on the board, equipment may be ransomed. Once a Duke/Baron or Mentat are captured, they may not be ransomed. Ransom is paid to the opponent who then may also use the Spice tokens. Pieces taken by the Sandworm are considered 'killed' and are not eligible for ransoming. They are place to side for the next game. Ransomed pieces are dropped onto any vacant square as a move. Goal: Harvesting Spice gives the player the ability to ransom captured men and equipment. Capturing the Duke/Baron and Mentat, keeps the opponent from ransoming any men or equipment. When the game reaches the point where there are no combatants, no Troops, Ornithopters, Fremen, Sardaukar, Mentats or Duke/Baron, the game is over and the players may determine the winner. If one player has no combatants and there is still Spice to harvest, the game continues as long as the player has Harvesters. Of course when there is no more Spice to harvest or the player loses all Harvesters, the game is ended. Determining the winner. Each player totals the value of men and equipment left on the board plus the amount of Spice held. Each Mentat, Duke or Baron is worth 10. The one with the most wins, of course. If the totals are equal, the game is a draw. If all the spice has been harvested and there has been no captures within twenty moves, the game is considered over and the players total their holdings. Send all questions and comments to: [email protected]
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