Dune: Imperium – Bloodlines Design Diary 2: Sardaukar Commanders

November 19, 2024

Dune: Imperium – Bloodlines is the latest expansion for both Dune: Imperium and Dune: Imperium – Uprising. It’s available for pre-order now, and will hit your Friendly Local Game Store in early 2025.

In Dune: Imperium Uprising, we got to experience the fun of mighty sandworms storming directly into the conflict on Arrakis for the first time. When we started designing Bloodlines, we started with two main goals that we wanted to accomplish: to create more diversity for the battles being waged, while making sure this new element was also able to create a fresh experience for the base game, Dune: Imperium.

Developing a New Combat Unit

Throughout development, this idea took on many forms. One experiment was a unit that destroyed enemies when it entered the conflict, with the caveat that it had to be deployed whenever possible. I enjoyed the waiting game this created, delaying combat plays in order to catch unsuspecting opponents. Ultimately, it was too punishing and left players feeling too bad when their forces were decimated. We experimented with other combat additions and with subtly incentivizing other strategies, but most mechanics ended in similar ways, being either too devastating, or too niche to use well.

The team eventually landed on what would become Sardaukar Commanders. The early versions of this combat unit were fun to pursue and acted as a strong alternative to worms, requiring a different path of taking turns that required off-world setup and recruitment. So thematically, we decided to explore the strength of the Emperor’s Sardaukar to help bring it to life. After many cycles of iteration, Sardaukar Commanders were honed to become a sharp addition to games of both Dune: Imperium and Uprising.

Sardaukar Commanders

Sardaukar, the Emperor’s elite fighters, are feared throughout the Imperium for their unrivaled training. In Bloodlines, some board spaces allow you to buy the use of the Emperor’s Sardaukar Commanders. Use them to craft a fearsome fighting force, trained in the skills you might need to aid your plans on Arrakis.

Sardaukar Commanders are special 2 strength troops that work like a normal troop, but come with a unique skill when acquired; these skills become active when you have one or more Sardaukar Commanders in the conflict. Depending on the skills you have, deploying a Commander may give you extra strength, an extra troop in your garrison, or even resources during your Reveal turn.

So, for example, if you have the Charismatic skill for your Sardaukar Commanders, you’ll get an extra persuasion in your Reveal phase when you have one or more of them in the conflict!

During setup, Sardaukar Commanders are each placed at different Emperor, Spacing Guild, and Landsraad board spaces. When you visit a space with a Sardaukar Commander, you may spend 2 Solari to acquire it, choosing a skill to acquire alongside the unit. Once acquired, you keep that Commander for the rest of the game. When it is lost in battle, it returns to your supply, and you can pay 2 Solari on a future turn to recruit it again.

Sardaukar Commanders can be used with Dune: Imperium or Uprising to add a new dimension to the board spaces and Factions. (For Dune: Imperium, one skill type is removed, and the remaining six skill types are used.) Playing the base game with this new unit adds interesting choices throughout the game and provides unique Commander experiences. We’ve seen players have great games with an early visit to Wealth to acquire a Commander and set up quickly for a strong combat game. I like to acquire the one at Foldspace, because it’s one of my favorite spaces, and getting a Commander makes it that much better. If I’m getting a Commander later, I like to stockpile Solari for a big trip to Rally Troops to refill my garrison.

Daunting Opponents

Sardaukar Commanders are formidable in battle, providing you extra strength and other benefits at the cost of Solari. If you acquire multiple Commanders, all of their skills stack together, even if you have only one of them in the conflict. The extra strength from their skills can be pivotal in winning key battles. One skill, Fierce, even prepares your Commanders to face off against worm riders!

You can also build your Commanders to take advantage of retreating opportunities. Many Sardaukar skills give you something during your Reveal turn, and some cards even give you a bonus for having Commanders in the conflict. These Reveal turn bonuses become extra powerful when you can gain them and later retreat your Commander. Lady Amber Metulli especially benefits from these bonuses with her ability to retreat Commanders for later use.

For example, you could gain a spice from Driven and 2 Persuasion from Quash Rebellion during your Reveal turn before retreating your Commander with Lady Amber’s Desert Scouts ability. Then you’d have the unit ready in your garrison for the next round. We liked to call this retreat trick “the Metulli shuffle” during development.

The Emperor’s Forces

Commanders aren’t the only new trick up the Emperor’s sleeve. In this set, we wanted to challenge players’ Faction priorities by adding some incentive to visit Emperor spaces. Various cards in Bloodlines reward you for befriending the Emperor, and Sardaukar Commanders are available to be acquired at both board spaces, which means a well-placed visit can set up your future combat turns. You can acquire Commanders with the Loyal skill, which rewards you for high Emperor Influence, and there is even an Emperor card that allows you to gain a Sardaukar Commander when trashed.

Build Your Commanders

The Sardaukar Commander skills you acquire each game will greatly affect your strategy, letting you build your own pathway to a strong combat force. Whether you choose to acquire skills that give you conditional strength, extra resources, or some combination of both, we hope you enjoy finding new lines of strategy through your games of Dune: Imperium and Uprising with Sardaukar Commanders.

We’ll be back later this week with a look at new Technology available in Bloodlines… get your pre-order in now!

-Caleb Vance

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