Dune: Imperium Uprising Strategy: Spies, Sandworms, and the Wall

The Uprising lesson covered what is new. This one is about playing it well. Every rule here comes from the Uprising rulebook, its Board Space Guide, and the FAQ.

Spies: three uses for one token

You have three Spies. A Spy sits on an observation post, and each post connects to one or more board spaces. Recalling it does one of two things during an Agent turn, and you still play a card either way:

• Infiltrate: send your Agent to a connected space even though another player’s Agent is there.
• Gather Intelligence: draw a card when you send an Agent to a connected space. Decide right after placing the Agent, before any effects.

A third use needs no recall: the Spy Agent icon on some cards sends an Agent to any space connected to one of your Spies.

Where to post them

A Spy is worth most next to a space you will want and others will block. Good posts usually watch:

• A space you need every round, so you are never shut out of it.
• A contested space, one that rivals tend to take before you can.
• More than one space, when a post connects to several. More options, same token.

The Uprising strategy tips add a warning: Spies feel safe, but do not be shy about recalling them to Gather Intelligence, especially when you have several out. A Spy that never comes home paid you nothing.

When to place them

Espionage, a Bene Gesserit space, costs 1 spice and gives Influence, a card, and a Spy. Many cards place Spies too. If all three are out when you need to place one, you may first recall one for no effect. So a fourth placement moves a Spy rather than wasting it.

The sandworm path

Worms are the biggest swing in Uprising, but they take setup:

1. Reach 2 Fremen Influence. Sietch Tabr requires it.
2. Visit Sietch Tabr and choose Maker Hooks, a troop, and 1 water.
3. Summon. Hagga Basin (1 water) can summon one worm and Deep Desert (3 water) two, instead of their base spice. You still take the bonus spice, and the FAQ confirms you do not spend your hooks.

A worm adds 3 strength and goes straight into the Conflict. One or more worms double most rewards you earn, Victory Points included, but not Control or battle icons. When a reward offers to pay a cost for something, a worm lets you pay it a second time.

The rulebook’s strategy tips are frank about the price: becoming a sandrider takes time, and you may fall behind in the middle of the game. The fix is to collect. Summon whenever a worm can secure a reward, and remember that doubling second or third place is often enough.

The Shield Wall decision

While the Shield Wall stands, worms cannot join Conflicts at Arrakeen, Spice Refinery, or Imperial Basin. Sietch Tabr’s other option, 1 water and the right to remove the wall, opens those Conflicts to worms for the rest of the game. Some cards can remove it too. The FAQ adds that removal is optional and permanent.

Ask two questions before you blow it:

• Who has Maker Hooks? If only you do, the wall only protects your rivals. If a rival has hooks and you do not, the wall is protecting you.
• Which Conflicts remain? Count how many of the protected locations could still come up. Removing the wall matters only if a protected Conflict is worth fighting with worms.

Battle icons

When you win a Conflict, you take the card. If it shares a battle icon, Crysknife, Desert Mouse, or Ornithopter, with another face-up Conflict card or your Objective, flip the pair and score a point. A wild battle icon can match any of the three, but only at the Endgame.

That makes some small Conflicts worth a point more than their printed rewards. Before each Conflict, check which icon it shows, which icon you need, and which each rival needs. Denying a rival’s pair counts too.

Contracts

With the CHOAM module, contracts pay you for visits you were going to make anyway. Completing one is mandatory once you meet its condition, and several contracts for the same space complete together on one visit. The best contract is one you will finish on your next Agent turn. A contract for a space you rarely visit is a dead token.

Putting it together

A typical strong Uprising plan uses one of the two investments well rather than both badly. A deck heavy with Fremen icons leans into worms. A deck with many Spy icons and Bene Gesserit cards leans into Spies. Either way, set the payoff round in your head when you invest.

Dire Wolf’s design diary on sandworms and the Shield Wall explains why the designers built worms this way, and is worth reading once you have played a few games.