Dune Imperium Bloodlines

Did Dune Imperium needed some fresh blood?

Dune Imperium Bloodlines is another expansion for one of my favorite games. Though I’m not quite as excited anymore when new expansions are announced. After all, how many additional modules can you really buy, especially considering their price? But let’s set that aside for now and see what’s new in Bloodlines.

The Emperor’s New Garb

What should you do if you have too much spare change (solari)? Hire Sardaukar mercenary commanders. This is a new unit type that, once recruited, will grant you a special ability whenever it participates in combat. Their abilities are very diverse. Sometimes they’ll give you extra money to buy cards, shower you with spices, or grant you a one-time effect that you’ll have to destroy. Their main advantage is that once you’ve acquired a commander, you can always recruit them for 2 solari. You could say they’re like mercenary dreadnoughts with an extra bonus, but without the same level of strength.

Since you have to keep paying them, plan to acquire 3rd agent can take a back seat. However, once we have a cash surplus, their presence will actually be welcome. By the way, the fact that their ability only triggers on the battlefield makes it more motivating to constantly participate in conflicts. As far as I’m concerned, this module is definitely a plus.

Spicy Technologies

I remember the first time I played the base game of Dune Imperium with the Rise of IX expansion. It really added variety to our battles for spice, because we could finally spend our excess spice on something more interesting.We get something similar in Bloodlines, where spice is literally pouring in from everywhere. This time, however, it’s easier to acquire new technologies, and all you have to do is go to an action space with any green symbol, and boom, you can start shopping.

New technologies provide one-time bonuses upon purchase, passive abilities, and abilities that can be activated once per round. For me, this is the best aspect of the expansion, as it significantly impacts gameplay and somewhat balances out the power of the worms. It also makes the green locations more appealing, which is another plus.

Mamoa leaders

The expansion also lets us play as 9 new leaders. I’ll say right off the bat that the developers have really diversified their abilities. For example, Duncan can send an agent into combat, Piter has his own intrigue cards, and Steersmann Yrkoon starts without water or a signet card, but in return receives special navigation cards that provide powerful bonuses.

As far as I’m concerned, the more asymmetrical characters in games like this, the better, so I’m pleased. I’m especially happy with Piter, whose intrigue cards allowed me to “stir things up” more often during my turns.

I have a contract

Contracts have always been optional content for Dune, and these new ones aren’t likely to make them a must-have.

More deck building

Expanding deck-building options is always a great thing. That’s why I was most excited about the new card pool this expansion offers. There are really some cool gems whose awesome abilities will further deepen faction synergies. There’s also a comeback for keyword, Command, which lets you trigger a card’s special ability when you reveal it if you have 6 or more influence for purchases.

Which version of Dune?

I’ve implemented Bloodlines into both the standard Dune and Uprising. I can say right away that the content fits more naturally into the newer version of the game about collecting the spice. You can just throw practically everything in, and there’s no need to worry. If we wanted to add Bloodlines to the original Dune, we’d have to make a few exceptions to ensure everything works together.

However, having added the expansion to both versions of Dune, I can say that it worked well in every version. Bloodlines modified various areas on the board, preventing me from sticking to my usual strategy, and the presence of the Sardaukar greatly influenced my willingness to participate in every battle.

Summary

Dune Imperium Bloodlines is simply another expansion for Dune Imperium We’ll use most of it in the Uprising verison, but we can definitely mix and match everything. I was most excited about the new cards, which added variety to the deck-building options. It’s just a shame that the “nuke” option from Immortality wasn’t included, because it would sometimes be useful to clear out the sand clogging up certain market cards. As usual, the technology tiles have boosted the power of Dune and the green fields on the board, and the Sardaukar will always be an interesting option for fighting sandworms. Though I still think the Dreadnoughts do it better.

A major downside of this expansion is its price. It costs a bit less than Uprising, and considering the price-to-content ratio, it’s not worth it. For that amount, you could buy a whole new game. That’s why this is really more for Dune fans, who’ll buy anything released for their favorite game anyway. So, it’s perfect for me.

Final verdict: The more blood is pumped into Dune Imperium, the more eagerly I’ll play this spicy game.

Pros
Fresh Blood
Sardaukar
The return of technological might
Spicier deck building
More commanders

Cons
Price

[self bought]