The 4 Squares Dune: Imperium Review

[@nicolaibendtsen]

Thanks guys, something i noticed about Toms Blue Yeti is that he doesnt have the front of it turned towards him. For the cardioid mic setting (optimal setting for 1 person) , this is important for getting the best sound/voice. Zees microphone is just a bit too far from him and he sounds distant, the angle is correct though. Roy has the right distance to it but kinda talking into the top, should be angled a away from him, like Zees is :) I hope my input is useful for you guys :)

[@ValueRobot]

Hey man they're only professional video content creators :rolleyes:

[@RagingOwlbear]

Then they should be fine with constructive critique to improve their craft.

[@rawkyle9385]

YESSSSS! You brought back the Miami Dice music!!! Thank You!

[@goyasolidar]

I agree with Tom here; this is the better Dune game by far in terms of pacing and ease of play. And worker placement plus deckbuilding? Yes please.

[@tigerpjm]

I agree in terms of pacing and ease of play but... ... does that actually make it a better game? I'm not so sure. 😊

[@MisterAbysmul]

I have zero complaints about the graphic design and art. The board is clean and really works well and is organized well. I like it. The tension and tightness of the game is fantastic, that last round tends to be very tension filled for us.

[@KabukiKid]

I love, love, love the original Dune game... so I am extra excited to try this one. So happy it got a great review! :-D The world needs more great Dune games! ;-)

[@richardscales9560]

I like the look of the base game. It's nice and clear without being too mimimal. I'm getting tired of over saturated graphic design boards. It also keeps the price down.

[@RagingOwlbear]

I actually agree. I'm OK with the clean look of the board, especially when there are a lot of options to play. Too much graphic design can hinder game play due to visual distractions.

[@21cabbage93]

@@RagingOwlbear I do think the board is very great practically but I agree on some parts like some worker placement locations don’t have any pictures but some do? And the combat spot is 2 swords that’s it, it could’ve Atleast been like a graphical picture of a dune battle and this wouldn’t of costed anymore

[@brikov68]

I love that these are now called the 4 Squares ... Review because it describes both the format and 3 out of 4 of the participants!

[@ImperatorZed]

It's rectangles damnit!!

[@ESCTom]

Sooooooooo glad you did a 4 square review for this, as Im very much anticipating this game and wanted to get all of your opinions on it

[@eggenberg4ever]

Cheers guys. First thing I thought was "man, that board's a bit bland". Three quarters of the way through I get carried by the guys obvious enthusiasm for the whole package. Truly, more than the sum of its parts. Ordered!

[@Skarpo89]

I've gotta say, I took a look at that board and was immediately not interested even though it's Dune, your review made me wanna buy the game, the combination of deck building and worker placement like that sounds very interesting

[@wiotrpolski6449]

THE music is back! :) And the series title is great!

[@DanielHolding]

Amen, I was gonna comment the same.

[@mrbastos]

I hope when we don't need to socially distance, you guys just webcam it up in the same room to keep up the 4 squares lol

[@michaelhagerman1074]

Agreed I really like this review format

[@DeltathRiylaan]

Do they all live near enough for that?

[@RichardBreen]

This review is more than the sum of its parts

[@necrotoaster94]

Long live The 4 Squares! The music was frosting on the cake. Love the layout, keep this review format going! The original "Dune" game is not really my style but this one is right up my alley. I knew very little about this game but having seen this I'm very tempted to head to the pre-order page. Thanks for the thoughts!

[@tommyglisten6501]

This is a great review and I’m glad they mentioned the difference of the deck building in this game compared to others. What Zee said about deck builders playing themselves is what turns me off about deck builders in general, they all feel the same. This one seems like it’s up my alley especially since I like the theme.

[@justicebolt5293]

Man i love when you guys(4) do a review for a game! Keep them coming !

[@justicebolt5293]

@@AltarenGalil But man you get basically 4 different opinion at the same time. At that point 4 opinions is certainly better than 1 to know if this is a game you could like.

[@alecgalbraith5604]

@@AltarenGalil the audio issue is due to COVID. Before this whole Pandemic thing, they did the review all at the same table, which helped their synergy as well.

[@IdlestHands]

Best intro music is back

[@dominichelgoth8181]

I just got the game and I have to say I actually enjoy the board it looks clean organized and crisp and has a goodly amount of "stuff" on it without being cluttered it looks sophisticated to me but obviously others don't share this view

[@BorgLeo]

I am really happy that I have pre-ordered the game and deluxe upgrade. I totally agree with the opinion about the game board, would have liked them to upgrade that.

[@Vorpal_Wit]

I love the game. My only complaint was how suddenly it ends. Its pretty easy to get 6-7 VP by the mid game which puts you in striking distance of a one turn win, where you get 3-4 VP and end the game. I feel like the end game should have been triggered at maybe 12 VP with the score tracker going to 15 or so. This would probably need one or two more conflict cards (probably an extra tier I at least)

[@21cabbage93]

I do think the board is very great practically but I agree on some parts like some worker placement locations don’t have any pictures but some do? And the combat spot is 2 swords that’s it, it could’ve Atleast been like a graphical picture of a dune battle and this wouldn’t of costed anymore

[@fubarbox]

Mike or anyone else @The Dice Tower ...Any chance you can comment further on how 2-player feels compared to the other player counts? I love Dune, but often it's just my wife and I playing. Thanks!

[@michaeldilisio557]

Unfortunately I can’t speak to the 2-player mode specifically. However, I did review the solo game that uses the same Rival AI deck system as the 2-player game. That review will go up tomorrow at noon, but suffice to say I found it very good.

[@fubarbox]

Thank you very much for the reply. If you consider it very good solo I cannot see how 2 player could be bad. Looking forward to your review tomorrow. Thanks again!

[@ericfinley220]

I ordered it as soon as I saw it was from the same company as Clank!

[@O.G.Alphaborn]

I see what you mean about the board not being flashy. To me it's clean not distracting. Also I am with Tom the upgrade kit is looking good. I already sleeved the Deck cards. Have not played the game yet.

[@raykempinski7689]

Was listening to an old podcast, the state of gaming 2012, and Mr. Vassel was asked what two mechanisms he didn’t want to see combined in the future. Seems it was deck building and worker placement (and ASL and Twister). Can’t wait for the later now.

[@DF-qv3bb]

Even though I have already pre-ordered the Dune: Imperium Bundle, this review reassured me that I won’t have buyers remorse! I am so looking forward to playing this game. I wonder if there will ever be a cosmetic upgrade to the board alongside future card expansions? One can only hope, because just by looking at the size of the miniatures compared to the board, it seems like it maybe a little cramped when substituting those pieces in for the pieces included in the standard issue of the game. Regardless, all is well; and I seriously can’t wait to play this game and see how this game develops over time based on other player’s strategies. 👍🏿🤙🏿✌🏿

[@algathrac2304]

I like the idea of offering a base game and an upgrade pack although i kinda think the base game is already on the more expensive side for what you get but i don't know what the price here in EU will be. The only thing which buggers me why they aren't upgrading the board and the resources. I don't mind the base agents and the cube warriors but the resources look so bland. I wish they had upgraded that with metal coins, spice crystals and nicer looking water droplets. Miniatures i'm not a big fan of. They make the box bigger for no reason and i'm forced to paint them, cause i can't stand unpainted miniatures (that's why i quit TT wargaming almost completely and still have a bunch of miniatures left for some systems).

[@fan-i-am]

My only problem with the game is with the Market, Turn order, and the Intrigue deck as a whole: randomness that negates all ur hard choices for combat, influence track or endgame just because someone plays a card. Every advantage should be earned as proven by ur foresight/choices not because of luck! Which is why I propose 3 changes: 1) Have the Market be 8 cards instead of 5 OR flip/refresh all unpurchased cards at the end of the round OR both! 2) Fix the Intrigue deck somehow, like drafting display 3 to choose from, so others know what u got, (if they remember), but don't know WHEN you'll play it! OR take out the Endgame VP cards & Plot pay for VP cards (there's only 4) 3) Have a mechanic that allows players to affect turn order! Such as: Have the CHOAM Secure Contract space also have a 1st Player icon meaning u get to give the 1st player coin to ANY player and they immediately become 1st player OR will be 1st player next round. OR each round Player lowest on the VP track goes first then 2nd lowest goes 2nd etc. ties broken per normal endgame rules

[@jeffm840]

Don't worry about the graphics, they are toally fine. The game looks and plays very smoothly. You'll love it. Artwork on cards is great too.

[@daviblight]

i love the The 4 Squares reviews, keep em' coming!

[@declanschubert4250]

Am I the only person who likes games that use cubes for pieces and sometimes prefers them to miniatures? If the option for getting this game with miniatures didn't cost anymore beyond the base game I would choose to just have the cubes.

[@terrencesoltz8943]

I generally prefer cubes, as they are easier to manipulate and don’t block the view of the game board. I even got the special “no minis” version of Mezo.

[@JonnyLuscious]

been waiting all week for this review... and was not disappointed. I had already preordered based on yalls playthrough, but now i'm tempted to preorder the component upgrades as well.

[@olebrommm]

do you guys belive this game was developed with no ip inmind and then dune came and fit the mechanics so that they made it fit dune, i feel the mechanis working together her works so nice that its a bit short time from when they could get the dune info onto the game when you see how solid the gameplay is, was this game made with someother theme from the start maybe?

[@DanielHolding]

Tom mentioned that it really fit the theme, so I have a feeling Dune was always in mind.

[@TerrierHalo]

Hope this one shows up in stores here around Christmas as it seems to hint at at the moment.

[@thomasromanelli2561]

I love the Hollywood Squares motif! Great review, thanks. 🖖

[@vladycavret2886]

I think we can not say that this game is better than the first dune game because they are differents kind of game. So it depends on what kind of game you like. If you like better area control / negociation, you will probably like the first game better. Personnaly, I like both kind of these games. I did not play this one yet, but from what I see, it is more abstract then the first game. I hope that the mechanics will makes me feel in.

[@RadishTheFool]

Great review, guys! But could you please remove that screensaver border? It's making me queasy. Also, I agree that the board looks so ugly and bland. Plus, to me the images om the cards look too bluish for a game taking place on a desert planet. They also have that odd digital look that leans into the uncanny valley and is too clean for the gritty world of Dune.

[@Fissi0nChips]

Very much looking forward to this. Have the same feelings about the look. Find the art to be meh. Big problem with the board. Reminds me of Tyrants of the Underdark board which seemed like a huge missed opportunity.

[@miguelitos]

Desert planet. Large and barren. Board is thematically sound!

[@alex_lian]

Super excited to try this game. But I don't think miniatures will help a lot with the look. IMO the graphic design of the board is just atrocious. I agree with Tom that it looks like a prototype.

[@bertman4]

Great review! Love the format.

[@jeffm840]

There's nothing pretentious about the Dice Tower, Tom specifically. This is why their reviews are much more honest. They are not falsifying their opinions to say something 'cool' or 'controversial'. If they love a very popular, new game, they'll straight out come and say it. They don't pretend to dislike it because it's 'too' popular, unlike other, lesser reviewers. Dice Tower is King.

[@crain1rr]

Is there any indication that maybe the production of this game was rushed? I’m thinking “desire to get the game out to market around the time of film release” meets “global pandemic.”

[@ImperatorZed]

The film was delayed due to pandemic as well

[@raymyers700]

I'm curious to what other people's thoughts are on this. I'll compare this and Lost Ruins of Arnak for one idea. Do you feel like both of these games are dopamine generators for board gamers? I'm not saying that it's bad, but I look at the overall arc of both games and it seems like that there isn't one really. That the parts are full of little combos that give that small sense of accomplishment. We like "getting stuff" it it seems like both of these games really capitalize on that constant rush rather than an overall strategy/arc?. Does that feel that way to anyone else? Again, it's not a put down but just a thought

[@mrbastos]

Awesome. I have this pre-ordered and cannot wait to get it in my hands. Based off the rules and such that I've seen it looked like a good time, but it is good to hear everyone's impressions on it.

[@cerealkiller195]

did you add the expansion pack for the figures? that was my biggest toss up lol

[@mrbastos]

@@cerealkiller195 Yes, I got the "bundle" which has the upgrade pack coming later and sleeves.

[@ElQuemico]

Excellent review format 👍🏽

[@BobbyReichle]

Hall of Oratory icon looks like a DJ getting a crowd amped up. DJ Faded-Rautha is a good enough Dune DJ name I think.

[@JarradShaw]

Roy’s voice and volume is great with that blue mic, but he either needs to turn his volume down, step back 3 inches, or add a pop filter. Or... the others step closer to their mics, lol.

[@stukahen]

Needs more flavor text. 🙂 Preordered btw

[@jeremiahhammer2282]

Pre-ordered before this video came out, and I’m stoked there’s a Dune game with a solo mode. Looking forward to Mike’s review!

[@joeri-ithaigamliel6109]

Hey Guys!! Nice review again! Witch did you like more? Dune or Vindication??

[@gamesafire4744]

I like the editing and graphics in that video. Nice job as always. Thanks g gg or sharing your thoughts on this fame. It looks good

[@j-plarouche9959]

is there any localisation (translation) planned for this game i would love to get in in french even if there is not a lot of texts on the cards ?

[@lastburning]

Theme comes from mechanics. Not components. Theme is about how closely the mechanics relate to what the game is representing. What the game is simulating. A very strong theme would come across even with very abstract looking components.

[@DanGalarzaCyber]

I'm buying this physically but due to the pandemic, and Dire Wolf being digital-friendly, I hope it goes digital.

[@kenjin42]

It looks interesting but I'm worried it won't be as good with only 2 players.

[@haukionkannel]

Definitely a multiplayer game! I would not play this below 3 players... But 3 to 4 seems to be really good! 3 player is more related and 4 player seems to be tighter... so for my taste 4 player seems to be sweet spot, but definitely worth of it with three. With one and two there is only that timer element, but not sure how the board part works in there...

[@truemrfu9673]

It wasn’t

[@AAhmou]

The bot deck is really interesting.

[@minottechtutor9715]

Love the throw back Miami Dice music.

[@troyajohnson26]

I suppose with the board, they could have gone with a TM-esque approach. Make places you can go to actual locations on a planet...Dune, rather than just these squares on the board.

[@garyfaust6769]

I like this format for reviews! The board is very unilateral favoring the single person it faces. What's a Mentat?

[@RoyAnderson]

In the Dune novel, a mentat is a person trained to be a human computer, essentially. This is because all electronic computers were outlawed after a Terminator-style machine uprising.

[@garyfaust6769]

@@RoyAnderson Interesting, thanks for the the explanation!

[@TheDiceMatrix]

Unanimous Dice Tower Seal of Excellence!

[@alecgalbraith5604]

@@Ironhawx ? Marketing ploy for what? The DT don’t get any kickbacks from giving a good review.

[@thedicetower]

This doesn't make any sense? I've only given out about 20 of these over the years, out of almost 400 reviews.

[@freek204]

Does anyone know where to get those plastic token trays?

[@redpaperfox]

Seems to be a spicy game

[@Shoitaan]

Been hanging out for this review since last week! Edit: funny to think that after all the buzz about Arnak and Endless winter, this comes relatively out of no where and steals the crown for best deck builder worker placement

[@DoppelgangerF02]

dude same literally been waiting for this review

[@DoppelgangerF02]

yeah im on the feence about endless winter... that stretch goal for the wash on the minis is super nice and thematic too... i dunno though something is holding me back maybe its the fact that ill already have this?

[@Shoitaan]

@@DoppelgangerF02 I was interested in endless winter but after trying it out on tts I realised my draw to it was The Mico's art and the theme. The game play is fine. Good even but I've come to prefer more interactive board games than the solo ones. Endless winter has mild interaction on the main board, mild interaction on the monolith board and mild on the map. But somehow it just felt like a lot of wheels to spin for comparatively poor payoff. I skipped and I don't have second thoughts. ESPECIALLY since Dune seems like it will be the better game for cheaper.

[@adriang6259]

Nice work guys.

[@thebigbammer4240]

Tom talks amidst 3 bobble heads! Love it lol

[@snowren24]

Would have really liked to hear a comparison to Lost Ruins of Arnak

[@thedicetower]

They don't feel remotely the same.

[@snowren24]

@@thedicetower really. I’m surprised after listening to the mechanics of both being a worker placement combined with deck building.

[@Vascariz]

@@snowren24 I sense this is more cut throat than Lost Ruins of Arnak or Endless Winter

[@MatheusVenti]

I was amazed by the deckbuilding and work placement mix in Arnak and specially by the art. But after seeing they playing both, I thougth that Arnak seems way less strategic, while Dune seems to have more paths that are plannable and more interactive.

[@dall1786]

I have played Arnak and i have seen playthroughs of Dune now and i don't see much in the way of similarities. Even the Deck building and worker placement in both is applied differently. Zee pretty much hit right on the head that Dune is like BSG in that there is lots of intrigue and player interaction is a huge part of the game each round. Arnak is more of a solitaire feel with a huge point salad to pick from for scoring. I enjoyed playing Arnak but watching Dune played out i can almost guarantee i will enjoy that one more for the tension and interaction it provides.

[@terrybaileysr.3714]

Why are the four squares four rectangles?

[@ImperatorZed]

To piss off people like us

[@christophegert7271]

I love these 4way reviews. I prefer them on the same table in the same room, but we can’t always get what we want.

[@nothing3376]

Is 4 squares the name of the official dice tower gang

[@saintsalieri]

The restrained board art is beautiful, I think. I also love the wooden resources, and prefer cardboard tokens to miniatures (I never have and likely never will buy a game with miniatures, they are garish to me). I'm actually quite annoyed because the game is beautiful and I like the mechanisms and by chance I am reading Dune now (haven't read it since a teenager, so I forgot just about everything that happens). I was going to get Arnak, now I need to either decide or get both because I'm weak and let's face it the most exciting thing I have during the pandemic is pre-ordering a game. Someone talk me down.

[@shanerion]

Did you end up ordering arnak lol?

[@saintsalieri]

@@shanerion I got both, but Dune hasn't arrived yet. I am weak indeed.

[@kellybowey3901]

Hurray for Miami Dice music 🎶

[@xragg]

I find this game is lacking choices. Sure, you have several options, but the game itself just restricts what you can do. Every turn I just felt like my hands were tied with most options just out of reach. I even had a turn where I didn't play any of my agents for lack of anything useful to do, and I even won that game.

[@EfrainRiveraJunior]

I'll have to check it out.

[@jaykarhunen6568]

is this based on the 70s version? or the other dune game thats out?

[@befirmbefair6674]

No

[@DanielHolding]

I don't mind the wooden cubes and needles... The board however is quite ugly...

[@ralelunar]

The Miami Dice theme! Literally makes me dance

[@dant2933]

I think it looks fine. It will probably share the fate of Terraforming Mars. Everyone will pile on and critique it. (Not saying either is a masterpiece :))

[@PuertoGeekan]

The upgrade pack is actually more expensive than the game.

[@mikewest235]

Where did you find pricing?

[@ningaubleotse171]

Interested in playing it if the opportunity should arise but that gameboard is absolutely not enough to inspire a "buy before you try" approach.

[@terrencesoltz8943]

Looks interesting, but I really tend to get frustrated with shuffle-and-draw deck builders for exactly the reason Zee mentions. You can do pretty much everything well and then draw a crap hand at a crucial moment.

[@LeeKenshin7]

Played a 3-player game last night and the exact thing that Zee said happened to me. Could have won the game. But actually I wasn't frustrated but rather started to think about what I could've done differently. The decision space in this game (vs most other deck-builders that I don't like) allows for that. Gonna try to play a 4-player game this weekend.

[@salmanqaisar7377]

Better than the original Dune (or now by GF9)... er, No. I used to respect Tom ;) The depth and layers in that game feel neverending! In my top 3 of all time (and I only got into it in the last 2 years) But that is best at 5-6, can take long and is mentally taxing (in a great way). The designer diaries for this game specifically wanted lower player count, so that's good. Plus interesting deckbuilding built into a greater game. So I think theres space on my shelf for both. Pre-ordered :)

[@haukionkannel]

Dice tower ques don`t like deep, complex and long games... original Dune is all three. So no wonder why They don`t like it! To most casual board gamers I agree with Four squares. This is better Dune game. Faster, needs less players, much, much simpler rules aka models, more palatable game! And Yes I love original Dune, but I would dedinitely not try to play it with most people I know and play with. I know people with whom the original Dune is blast and best thing after scothic whiskey, but it definitely is not good choise for big majority!

[@salmanqaisar7377]

@@haukionkannel I think we're both agreeing with each other :) Regards, Salman

[@Diabolik771]

Cubes rule, no need to have minis.

[@wroot_lt]

Yeah, triangle, circle. Definitely looks like a prototype iconography..

[@joseg.6187]

Yay series name!

[@DanieleMazzoni]

I like the title, I would have loved some innovation in the format introduced with the new title as well. I saw many many reviews from you guys and would welcome some change in the way you entertain, just to refresh the way you present content. However if instead it's only about informing then the current way is good.

[@dankelly]

It looks fantastic! But... the fact that it's only to ten points is scary. Sounds too tight. 🤔

[@imetrichard]

Great series name!

[@petergross7235]

It's a planet made of sand....I mean you can't really dress that up. A ball of sand with better renders is still a ball of sand.

[@ImperatorZed]

You need to go see this movie man!

[@otubrabnad]

Wish you had kept the Miami Dice 80s vibe going, but the 4 Squares is an equally bad (and by that I mean good) pun.

[@kylethieman4254]

Played twice last night at 3 players and it fell flat for all 3 of us. Flet like there was no middle game. If you have a bad round early very little you can do to catch up. Rated a 6 for me

[@JarradShaw]

Sold

[@FalkFlak]

I don't know, man. Maybe its Toms presentation but I can't see anything exciting in it. I'm kind of in the Zee camp. The game appears to be 5-6 yrs too late to the deck-building party. As if the designers just took the IP but had not a single creative Idea what to do, so they just made a good deck-builder.

[@ilqrd.6608]

Too bad...it really looks like it would have deserved some more love visually...looks like Spartacus goddamnit

[@HALOX30]

9:25 those are not points but spice

[@joeduffy3470]

I’m liking this just for the return of the Miami Dice theme. 🙌🏼

[@johnpanagos5835]

If this game had better art on the board, i would consider to buy it!

[@baraka99]

Buy the deluxe version. Contains impressive miniatures. There's an expansion coming in 15 days as well.

[@Calistake047]

Funny how we're getting 3 (+1 on KS to ship out next year) deck building/worker placement games within few months from each other! Is this the start of a new fad? Roll n write craze all over again? :D

[@harrijust86]

Oh Fancy

[@derrickoakes4879]

I bought it ugh

[@eleven-elevenmusic9930]

Too good points