The Ludarium Academy · Full course · Free

Agents and Alliances

An unofficial Dune: Imperium and Dune: Imperium Uprising course

Learn Dune: Imperium and Uprising, teach them in ten minutes, and play every card, Agent, and troop like it matters.

Free, one short lesson at a time. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy

Dune: Imperium setup: the game board with every player's cube at the bottom of the four Influence tracks and an Alliance token on each 4 space, three troops in each garrison around the Conflict area, the 10-card Conflict deck, the Mentat, and the score track. Below the board sit the Imperium deck, the five-card Imperium Row, the Intrigue deck, and the Reserve stacks. Each player has a Leader with two Agents, a 10-card deck, 1 water, and a Swordmaster beside the board.Free printable teach sheetSetup, a turn, scoring, and three tips on one page.

Six levels, 22 lessons

Start with lesson one

  1. Level 0 · Learn to play

    Recruit

    After this level: Set up, teach, and finish a game of either version, reading every board space and card without the guide.

    1. 01How to Play Dune: Imperium and Uprising
    2. 02How to Teach Dune: Imperium
    3. 03Reading the Dune: Imperium Board: Spaces, Icons, and Costs

  2. Level 1 · Beginner

    Envoy

    After this level: Plan each hand, run a steady spice, Solari, and water economy, and open toward a third Agent without the classic troop slips.

    1. 04Your First Three Games of Dune: Imperium
    2. 05Planning a Dune: Imperium Hand: Agents or Reveal?
    3. 06Spice, Solari, and Water: The Dune: Imperium Economy
    4. 07Dune: Imperium Openings: The First Three Rounds

  3. Level 2 · Intermediate

    Smuggler

    After this level: Build a lean deck, fight only the Conflicts worth winning, race the Alliance tracks, and count every point in the last round.

    1. 08Buying and Trashing: Building a Dune: Imperium Deck
    2. 09The Dune: Imperium Midgame: Deck, Tempo, and Conflicts
    3. 10Winning Dune: Imperium Conflicts: Strength, Cost, and Timing
    4. 11Dune: Imperium Influence and Alliances: Racing the Four Tracks
    5. 12Dune: Imperium Endgame and Scoring Math

  4. Level 3 · Advanced

    Advisor

    After this level: Time your Intrigue, play Uprising's spies and worms well, put odds on your draws, and beat the Rivals at one or two players.

    1. 13Dune: Imperium Intrigue Cards: Timing, Threats, and Tells
    2. 14Dune: Imperium Uprising, Player Counts, and Expansions
    3. 15Dune: Imperium Uprising Strategy: Spies, Sandworms, and the Wall
    4. 16Dune: Imperium Odds: Shuffles, Hands, and the Conflict Deck
    5. 17Two-Player and Solo Dune: Imperium: Beating the Rivals

  5. Level 4 · Tournament ready

    Warlord

    After this level: Read a full four-player table, play Rise of Ix and Epic mode, and finish a timed game under event scoring.

    1. 18Reading a Four-Player Dune: Imperium Table
    2. 19Rise of Ix and Epic Mode: Dune: Imperium at the WBC
    3. 20Dune: Imperium Tournament Rules, Heat Scoring, and the Clock

  6. Level 5 · The championship path

    Sovereign

    After this level: Choose an event, train with its exact boxes, and walk into a WBC Heat or a Gen Con qualifier with a six-week plan behind you.

    1. 21Competitive Dune: Imperium: Tournaments and Local Play
    2. 22A Practice Plan for Competitive Dune: Imperium

Every lesson is free to read here, any time. Sign up and they also arrive by email, one at a time, so the course keeps you learning between game nights.

Who it is for

  • New players who want Dune: Imperium or Uprising clear before the first Agent goes out.
  • Hosts who teach Dune: Imperium to friends who have never played a deck builder.
  • Players who keep losing Conflicts and Alliance races and want to know why.
  • Anyone choosing between the original and Uprising, or curious about expansions and tournaments.
Players
1 to 4 (Uprising: 1 to 6)
Play time
60 to 120 minutes
Ages
Ages 14 and up (Uprising: 13 and up)
Rules as of
Dune: Imperium rulebook (Dire Wolf, October 2020 file, current on the official rules page), Uprising main rulebook and Rules Supplements (October 2023), and the official Errata and FAQ (January 13, 2025)

Questions

What is the difference between Dune: Imperium and Uprising?

Uprising is a standalone game on the same engine. It drops the Mentat, reworks the board, and adds spies, optional CHOAM contracts, sandworms that double Conflict rewards, and a six-player team mode. If you know one, the other takes a few minutes to learn.

Do you need Dune: Imperium to play Uprising?

No. Dire Wolf calls Uprising a stand-alone expansion, and the box has everything you need. Its rules also explain how to mix in content from the original game and its expansions.

How many troops can you send to a Conflict in Dune: Imperium?

Only when you send an Agent to a Combat space. Then you may deploy any troops you recruited that turn, plus up to two from your garrison. Troops recruited anywhere else go to your garrison and wait.

What happens when players tie in a Conflict?

If players tie for first, nobody wins the Conflict and each tied player takes the second reward. Players tied for second each take the third reward. A tie for third gets nothing.

When does Dune: Imperium end?

Check at the end of every round. If anyone has 10 or more Victory Points, or the Conflict deck is empty, players use any Endgame Intrigue cards and the most points wins. Ties go to spice, then Solari, water, and garrisoned troops.

How does the six-player mode in Uprising work?

Two teams of three. Each team has a Commander, Muad'Dib or Shaddam Corrino IV, who has no troops and activates an Ally on each turn. Allies fight in Conflicts separately, and the team with the highest combined score wins.

Teach sheet · PDF · Rules as described in the Dune: Imperium rulebook (Dire Wolf, October 2020 file, current on the official rules page), Uprising main rulebook and Rules Supplements (October 2023), and the official Errata and FAQ (January 13, 2025); official rules.

Unofficial. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Dire Wolf, Gale Force Nine, Legendary, or Herbert Properties LLC. Dune and Dune: Imperium are trademarks of their respective owners.