The 4 Squares Review - Dune: Imperium - Rise of Ix

[@shanefrancis34]

Easily, THE most surprising game of 2021 for me. I originally thought the artwork was bland and had no interest in the franchise. I played it once and boy was I wrong, everything just works, so surprised, wha a game, I’m definitely getting the expansion.

[@DrGeorgeAntonios]

The artwork is indeed bland.

[@shanedbunting]

Lay the tech cards out 7 wonders duel style

[@maxpower8973]

I like it!

[@kylesmorgabord5592]

That’s a great idea

[@Sepher-gm9yo]

Great idea!! Would you still have the facedown cards in that set up? Or all face ip

[@Sepher-gm9yo]

Ie would it be: X X X X X O O O O X X X O O X (O - face up, x - face down). Or would you just put them all face up, so you can see exactly what’s coming up

[@ilariasala9163]

Ll

[@masblas3379]

Love the 4 Square reviews! Thanks all!

[@Skarpo89]

Haven't played this, but you could not flip the new techs until the next round, so more people will hurry to buy them but you won't just give one to the next person

[@iisamu]

Roy! Sporting the Five Iron Frenzy shirt!!! Great album, favorite band!

[@casmx7300]

I agree with Tom. This expansion is an absolute must play, even if you're new to the game. I just got done teaching the game + expansion to a friend of mine that had never seen the game before and being a veteran gamer, he was able to pick up the concepts super quick. It took maybe 30 minutes to teach and after a round or two of actual game play, he had pretty much the entire game down. I mean, there were a few questions to explain here and there but nothing so major that a quick explanation didn't resolve immediately. One more game and he'll have the game 100% down if he doesn't already.

[@StereoMonkey0]

@The Dice Tower not sure if you're aware but the end of your 4 squares template has an outtake of Dinosaur World left at the end. I believe all the 4 squares since Dinosaur World.

[@paulrthesecond]

A double sided board perhaps would be the most elegant solution. Ohh or a full sticker to stick on the back of the original board with the new layout

[@dayz112]

indeed, what they did is shameful, specially for a game that came out 1 year ago and got an expansion one year after.

[@nosrednadnomyar86]

10:55 have not had the chance to play dune yet. But I have watched enough dice tower to know Roy's face there means when I do play, I will not ignore tech

[@TerrierHalo]

Now when we have been able to get our hands on this I return to say that this was a great expansion, never playing without it and it for sure bumped up the rating of the base game.

[@egillis214]

The three card tech pile by cost is a great idea... New house rule 6 cards each pile. How about acquiring each only with corresponding influence levels in the instrastellar shipping ranks? Top tech access only with spice and top IS freighters (no discounts!)

[@Peter-ht7mb]

More important (to me anyway) Than the rating of the expansion, is what is your rating of the game+expansion? For example, If it was a 8.5 before, does the expansion push it up to a 9.5?

[@DrakkanWoW]

This is a great question. Makes me think of Champions of Midgard - the game is probably a 7 for me without Valhalla, but add the Valhalla expansion and it becomes a strong 9.

[@VexylObby]

I thought about this. There is no point in really thinking of rating ONLY an expansion itself, as it is meant to expand something else. Stand alone ratings are a different category of board gaming. So therefore when you rate an expansion, you are rating the game it is expanding with.

[@Chronic.]

14:38 i wouldn‘t necessarily say that this mechanic is bad but rather that the victory point tech card is what is to blame. If the last one on the vp track scoops it up no problem but it could potentially make the rich richer.

[@PadsandPawns]

For me the comparison to Arnak was in using deck building and cards to place workers. Two takes on similar mechanisms. I would say that makes them slightly alike...

[@g8kpr3000]

Yeah but the difference is that Dune is a good game. While Arnak is a mediocre game. ;)

[@kumanight]

Excited to get this and the Arnak expansion as well! Should be getting the upgrade pack in the next few weeks too

[@rollingwithrob6579]

Definitely both are on my Christmas list

[@FelipeRodrigues-vj1zb]

Arnak and Dune may be my favorite games at the moment. I'm hoping Dune gets printed in my language soon because I don't really like to play it on the pc. But it was still the best game I've played on 2021.

[@ESCTom]

i am dying for this expansion . I check for it online every day !

[@richardstraniere205]

“Where’s our upgrade pack” 😕😕😕

[@UKDagnar]

Should have come with a reversible board, one side the base game, one the expansion version. They could have built the tech board into the new board so they could have avoided that cost to offset the cost of the reversible board.

[@tomasxfranco]

They should do that for new copies

[@DeltathRiylaan]

It's cheaper to do it this way for them and the consumer.

[@calenel]

Thanks for teaching this expansion to me at the retreat, Tom!

[@ajw5388]

Just got my deluxe expansion! My only concern with this expansion is that the dreadnoughts will look pretty lame next to the other components now. Even still, this sounds like a must buy.

[@ilqrd.6608]

yeah they really messed it up and screwed people with that move

[@DumahAtreides]

They could always come with an Ix deluxe upgrade with the playmate and dreadnoughts. Sad thing is not getting to use the deluxe before the expansion.

[@LeeKenshin7]

Got my deluxe upgrade pack over the weekend and spent some time organizing it. It's unfortunate about the dreadnoughts but I'm assuming the upgrade pack was designed well before the expansion and due to logistics nightmare and delayed shipping, is arriving near the same time as the expansion. Also annoyed that I bought the custom sleeves but will need to buy an extra pack for the expansion. At least there's enough space in the deluxe box to fit the IX expansion and then some; gonna 3d print some dreadnoughts this week in anticipation when my pre-order releases. Would love an updated playmat as well and maybe even a refreshed look on the battle area.

[@Loxen86]

Just got imperium, excited to hear it's got a good development path

[@mylor1066]

Loved that Tom threw in "Where's the upgrade pack!?" Still waiting for mine in the UK.

[@SPACEB0YZER0]

Got mine last week, in the US (TN)

[@Bleuchz]

Tom jokes about the upgrade pack but its a real issue. I ordered it for the base game and haven't received it. What am I supposed to do with the expansion stuff now? Do I not utilize the pricey upgrade pack, do I mix and match the boring expansion components w/ the upgraded core ones? I'm not one to complain but am pretty sore about this.

[@elqord.1118]

Frankly you should be. They really botched it. Like royally

[@DeltathRiylaan]

I'd do what I did. Not waste money on the upgrade pack to begin with.

[@Bleuchz]

@@DeltathRiylaan what a useful and well thought out reply. Thanks!

[@DeltathRiylaan]

@@Bleuchz It's a legitimate course of action, potentially. If you're not happy with it and haven't received it and you're considering not even using it, maybe you can just cancel or return it.

[@tomasxfranco]

The expansion won't match with the upgrade pack anyway

[@Bada4ever]

Still waiting for it to come. I wish the Persuasion shopping would have more mechanics in the game, like a reset of what you could buy. Does the expansion have that, or does the expansion make me not care anymore? I liked it when I could get on the High Counsel and buy The Spice Must Flow every turn I could and having the End Game Intrigue combo makes it even sweeter.

[@kurlykrenins]

It has an option to swap cards for the Imperium row in the expansion yes...also the app can do it

[@MrOzGunner]

I can’t wait to get my copy , hopefully later this week. So excited to play this

[@mydemon]

The outtake at the end makes the video special :) wish they all had it

[@kayakbrent]

two things i love about this game. 1. Dune 2. Dune.

[@justkevkev]

Does this expansion improve trashing? imo the base game was lacking a trash ability. only one field and like 1 or 2 cards that do that.

[@kurlykrenins]

Yes it does, significantly

[@ajtame]

I wish the row was 6 cards and refreshed more often, id be happy if it was wiped each round, I feel it needs to cycle more

[@SPACEB0YZER0]

I have this preordered, happy to hear the stuff added works as well as the original

[@dankelly]

How do you get Solari now??? That top right placement spot was the primary way to get Solari. Now it's gone.

[@andrewww3389]

I think this is a very much needed expansion, it doesn't fix the game because like zee said it doesn't need fixing but just the added variety, spaces, and the tech tiles making the leader even more asymmetrical is fantastic.

[@robertnagai5149]

Really looking forward to getting my copy. Thanks for all of your opinions gentlemen. 😊

[@diegoosorio5176]

Bought Dune: Imperium, played it, made it my favourite game of the year, and just ordered this expansion.

[@mmccluskey2867]

Does this expansion change anything for the solo experience of the game?

[@Danny_DaKid]

I got my upgrade pack in the mail the other week. Hope everyone gets it soon.

[@dpearson588]

Expansion seems pretty fun but sounds like it opens it up a lot of potential for balance issues. Powers and techs that are clearly better than others.

[@quade9615]

It's not a balance issue if those techs and powers are available to all players

[@ImperatorZed]

Base game already has this

[@davidpepin3017]

Nothing was said about solo (except that there is something), anything interesting?

[@doggosplosion]

Should have had someone superimpose the spice glowing eyes when you all were giving scores.

[@misterbangbang7465]

Solo play. This expansion fixes the game. The old mechanism forced players to get the third worker sooner so players were always performing the same actions every time

[@mrbastos]

Do the new cards have a symbol on them to easily tell them apart from the base in case I want to just teach the base game at first?

[@thedicetower]

They do!

[@mrbastos]

@@thedicetower awesome, thanks!

[@palacsintaz]

Many machines on Ix. New machines.

[@grisuderspielteufel]

4 Squares Reviews are the BEST! THANK YOU GUYS!!

[@petergross7235]

Great discussion guys! But does the expansion fit in the base box!? 😉

[@thedicetower]

It does!

[@VexylObby]

IF you take out the black divider insert.

[@Duxa_]

Please do another playthrough of Dune with the expansion. I want to see more!

[@Draffut2003]

I don't think they mentioned the new Control the Spice cards in the review part at all. Is that part worthwhile with all the accompanying changes and longer game overall?

[@mrTannu666]

It won't make the game that much longer. You get a stronger start, more trashing for a leaner deck and it ramps up faster. It's certainly worth it if you wan't deckbuilding in the game.

[@EvanHalbertDC]

I got my upgrade pack, so hopefully yours isn't too far behind!

[@dankelly]

For the price of this expansion, they could have given us a whole new board. But, I'll get or anyway.

[@petergross7235]

Hoping for a playmate option down the road that incorporated the new boards.

[@anemptyeye]

Very excited to get my hands on this.

[@lasocietedesjeux]

Really nice, waiting for the French version, thanks ;)

[@Hunterko1]

Hey guys, I just played game of Dune base game and after 4th round no one wants to buy any cards because they were like pretty weak we feel and there is no rule to cycle cards if none was bought from display so was this part fixed in expansion or it is not a problem at all ? Thanks.

[@konradkluczynski7041]

Just make a house rule, that after every turn you cycle the display. In Wingspan cards are exchanged after the round.

[@mrmoto66]

The app has a great recycle function that eliminates up to three cards randomly. Not sure how that would be interwoven unless they add some cards to slip in.

[@garylangford6755]

Why would you stop buying cards. You literally them for free

[@mathieuh.1241]

@@garylangford6755 Because it can pad you deck with cards you don't want to use. Which is bad in a deckbuilding game, you want to get your good cards faster.

[@ivanristov5835]

How does this expansion make the game longer ??? 21:12

[@rontalkstabletop]

Played this at the retreat sans expansion. I had fun and am looking forward to playing with Rise of Ix.

[@ilqrd.6608]

thanks for letting us know Ron

[@yanickpilon88]

Great video guys

[@SmidgetPIU]

Dig the shirt, Roy! Oh, and great review too! 😄

[@pinchejuan93]

TOM THE PACKS ARE COMING THEY’RE AMAZING JUST WAIT

[@gelui13]

I disagree with Tom, sometimes we "gamers" lose perspective of how a game like this could be a challenge for many newbish players. Having techs on top of deckbuilding and fighting + the guilds... would be too much for somebody who isn't a person used to this kind of games or somebody who played at least 3-4 times

[@andrewww3389]

I think he just meant players new to the game, not new players to the hobby. This is a hard game to teach if the players aren't familiar with modern board gaming so I would agree with you on that.

[@VilleHalonen]

I played this for the first time last week with the expansion. I don't usually like deckbuilders so I was apprehensive. I made the conscious decision to completely disregard the techs because I knew it would be too much for my first time. At times I felt like I'd have wanted to play the non-expanded version just to get a simpler experience, but at the end of the game, I was extremely happy with my experience (even though I came in last but with only a one point difference to the second spot). Comparing the agent actions of the original to the expanded ones, the new ones just feel more fun and thematically appropriate to me.

[@rollingwithrob6579]

Hyped! But when is this coming out? And yes to Dreadnought upgrade? Or I might scavenge some airships from Scythe ;)

[@DeltathRiylaan]

It was made available to purchase on November 15th, but the company said shipping issues will likely not allow them to arrive until mid December.

[@JohnQSpartan]

Great, now all they need to do is ship my pre-order!

[@FrankEGee88]

MY DUNE.

[@Marinealver]

You know, I haven't picked up Imperium since I got the 2020 version. Might take a look at it.

[@DeltathRiylaan]

The 2020 version of what?

[@alecgalbraith5604]

The 2020 Dune is a reprint of a much older game. Dune:Imperium is a different game entirely.

[@DeltathRiylaan]

@@alecgalbraith5604 They probably know, but I was confused at first too since I was first thinking "But Dune Imperium only has one version and it was 2020". I think they just mentioned it because of the same licensed property.

[@g8kpr3000]

I was worried that this expansion would just add bloat. But it doesn’t sound that way.

[@Raistlin2k]

"The original Game needs no balancing" looks at Helena Richese "No is needs!!!"

[@adamg4912]

Still waiting for the upgrade...

[@nathansutterfield]

Been waiting for this one all week

[@ThymeKeeper]

My upgrade pack arrived last week :)

[@KabukiKid]

Can't wait to get my hands on this! :-D

[@Trae_Lenox]

You can tell I’m not a Dune person when I thought it was “House of 9”

[@phunkysai]

Funnily enough, that IS kinda what it’s named after (because it’s the 9th planet in its solar system), but it’s still pronounced “Icks”. They even get razzed about it some in the later books….

[@piotrjasik2835]

How about revealing tech tiles at the end of a round (meaning you can buy max 3)? So it's even more tense :P

[@thebiggerben1263]

You know Tom, some people have played this game 90 times... :)

[@quincevanorden4935]

Is it Dune or Dune?

[@69robtaylor]

My only beef with this game are the few random end game victory point intrigue cards.

[@fan-i-am]

Yeah I agree. I got to 10 VPs and was going to win, then another guy threw down 2 Intrigue cards that stole the win! My problem is with 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 2 changes: 1) Have a mechanic that allows players to affect turn order! 2) Get rid of the Intrigue deck or fix it 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!

[@VexylObby]

@@fan-i-am Those cards tend to require devoting resources in a way that will only get so many victory points already. You do have to do something to get those points... Also, getting rid of the intrigue deck seems kind of bad, as that would make many actions of the game illegal actions...

[@nateclark7964]

Waiting for my copy to get to my FLGS!

I'll wait for the play mate.

[@g8kpr3000]

Hugh Hefner is behind on those orders.

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

What worries me is that in the base game, about half the cards you could buy were so bad that they clogged up the market every game. Do the new additions fix that? Combat was the be all or end all and now it sounds like it's even more powerful. I want to try with the new stuff but so far Arnak has been an expansion done right.

[@tomasxfranco]

There are variants to fix it, but nothing in the expansion, AFAIK.

[@fingolfinfinwe]

Hm I would say you just need to try some varying strategies, because there really aren't many bad cards in the game.

[@kylesmorgabord5592]

Bad cards?

[@gordo6908]

@@kylesmorgabord5592 as in morally. clearly, they're all pacifists

[@TheBrokenMeeple]

@@fingolfinfinwe There's a bunch, especially the low cost 1-3 options. Anything above that is solid enough or downright broken in a couple cases but no one buys the tiny cheap stuff that barely beats out a starter card.

[@derek_davidson]

Please review the new Dune game!

[@DeltathRiylaan]

They just did.

[@derek_davidson]

@@DeltathRiylaan Dune: A Game if Conquest and Diplomacy. That's the game I'm referring to.

[@tomasxfranco]

@@derek_davidson that's just a graphical update of the old one, isn't it?

[@derek_davidson]

@@tomasxfranco Dune released in 2019 is a reprint essentially of the 1970s original game. The one I'm referencing is a simpler, faster, and more streamlined version of that

[@nshaw1299]

I'll wait for the rise of MCMLXXIV

[@fan-i-am]

With this expansion I don't think we need the Intrigue deck! Hear me out: My problem with the base game is with 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 2 changes: 1) Have a mechanic that allows players to affect turn order! 2) Get rid of the Intrigue deck or fix it 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!

[@wh3elson]

You’re probably better off playing chess 😂. I agree with you that the intrigue deck has a bit of a problem but for a different reason: it has too big of a range of effects, quite a few will give you 2 coin or 3 spice while others will give you a point for 7 coin. Or 7 swords for 3 spice vs 3 swords. They should all be good, as getting an intrigue card of 2 actions is a big deal and when you get 2 coin it feels bad.

[@pontusvongeijer1240]

Is Tom a communist?

[@primusinterpares5767]

No

[@joeferreti9442]

I don't like the expansion so far. It adds a lot of odd stuff that doesn't feel fitting to the base game and the Dune theme.

[@DoppelgangerF02]

HYPE

[@ormstunga7878]

Increased difficulty with the new placement spots and abilities (also on cards), lame and unheard of leaders, and lastly no deluxe upgrade for the dreadnaught. Pass!

[@nydaloth]

I see the small improvements in the expansion. The problem I see is that the game changes too much. Also the new leaders are not interesting enough, from a thematic point of view. I was a fan of the original 6 novels by Herbert, and this is not the expansion that I was expecting. The elegance and simplicity is somehow obscured by this expansion. I think that a small expansion with just more cards, new, more interesting, leaders, and maybe some new small optional modules to enhance the game may have been a lot better than this. I understand these guys enthusiasm since they are mostly talking about mechanisms that add to the gameplay, albeit complicating it. Maybe stronger, better expansions really needs more contents and lore from Dune Messiah and Children of Dune. Obviously these reviewers haven’t read the original material and don’t care about the theme that much. They didn’t mention anything about what the word “Ix” is about. I think that a proper review needed a little more research in order to provide a more complete review.

[@michaeldilisio557]

While I think I understand your point, this is a review of a board game expansion, not a review of Dune lore. I respectfully disagree that any of us needed to do more research into the lore of Dune to properly review this expansion.

[@nydaloth]

@@michaeldilisio557 I understand your position but I disagree of you assessment that this review is not about the Dune Lore since this game is highly thematic. In thematic games theme is very important. Thematic games are so named because of the implementation and importance of theme above mechanism. In a thematic game mechanics supports theme. This game utilices mechanisms from other thematic games like “deck building”, and also euro mechanisms like worker placement but is still and foremost a thematic game based on the hot Dune movie. I’m not saying that your review is not right or that it is not accurate, what I’m saying is that your review is “incomplete” in the sense that there is no opinion whatsoever about the thematic implementation of theme. For the thematic game “Dune Lore” thematic immersion should be number one priority because this is the leading thematic game based on Dune universe now. Of course this review is not about “Dune Lore” because probably you guys don’t know what is the place of “Ix” in the theme. My point is that this review is very weak regarding theme. I really appreciate the very polite way in which you disagree with me. I also appreciate that you have taken the time to reply to my comment. I expect that future “thematic” games set in the Dune Universe will be more interesting thematically, and expansions more modular and more streamlined.

[@NormalTheBand]

@@nydaloth I would be SHOCKED if even ONE THIRD of the people who played Dune Imperium had ever read a Frank Herbert novel, much less any novel outside the first. Every good thematic game needs to be able to stand on its own without the audience knowing the source material, not the other way around. If a thematic tie is getting in the way gameplay, ALWAYS cut the thematic tie. It is always better to have a thematic disconnect in service of the gameplay than it is to make the game less fun for lore most of the audience isn't going to be aware of. Theme is important to set the mood and define the scope but once you are in the game, the only people who would complain about the lore easter eggs not living up to the established canon are the people who can not see the forest for the trees.

[@gordo6908]

@@NormalTheBand many strange categorical claims

[@Draffut2003]

Just reading the leaders: Ilesa, Yuna, and Tessia are all wildly different from any other leader in the game. Also, you want simplicity, but then you demand more drastically complex leaders? Sounds like you just want to imagine up reasons to complain about mechanics since you aren't happy they didn't use material from later books.

[@rb4551]

Im surprised you guys all hate it so much.

[@g8kpr3000]

Like they said. 8-9 out of 10? Literal trash

[@FelipeRodrigues-vj1zb]

I'm hoping this boosts sales even more and someone decides to bring these to Brazil. This was the best game I've played this year, and it wasn't even a pyshical copy which I kinda hate.

[@lessavini]

Galápagos is in the process of translating it. The expected release date for the base game is still in 2022, with the expansion somewhere in 2023.

[@SPACEB0YZER0]

I have this preordered, happy to hear the stuff added works as well as the original