Duna: Válka o Arrakis – Pouštní válka (Dune: War for Arrakis – Desert War CZ)

The scorching dunes become a separate battlefield: lead scouts, destroy transporters, summon worms and seek a decisive advantage away from the main clash of the legions.

This game is an expansion only. You must own the game DUNE: War on Arrakis to play it.

Desert War is designed for players who are already familiar with DUNA: War for Arrakis and wish to expand its asymmetrical combat with further ways to weaken their opponent. It can be played by 2–4 players aged 14 and over, and you should allow approximately 120 minutes per game.

You can add Desert War directly to the base game without needing to own the first expansion, the Spacing Guild. In a 3–4-player game, the new units can also be used by the Fremen and Corrinian allies. If you own both expansions, you can combine them to further expand the capabilities of each faction.

This new release will appeal primarily to more experienced groups who enjoy planning several moves ahead, the distinct options offered by both factions, and those moments when seemingly minor actions alter the situation across the entire map. However, the expansion is not compatible with the Mahdi solo mode.

The base game, DUNA: War for Arrakis, pits the Harkonnen power structure against the Atreides resistance and their Fremen allies. Desert War expands this conflict to include sabotage operations outside the main legions. The new desert soldiers do not take part in regular battles: they move or attack according to their own rules, carry out reconnaissance, eliminate the opponent’s specialised units and, at the end of the round, usually disappear from the map. You must therefore time their deployment carefully.

The Harkonnens gain suspension soldiers who can cross up to two areas, remove worm alerts and can detect scythe units and drop tokens. Their support ornithopters extend the legion’s movement or attack range and then join it as more resilient anonymous commanders.

The Atreides deploy hidden Fremen camps and, from these, send out rocket launchers to target mining vehicles, karyolas or ornithopters. Sand riders allow you to summon a worm earlier, escort it across the map and increase its range and the number of battle dice. This gives rise to a battle for mobility, information and logistics, which runs parallel to the war between the legions.

You’ll expand the strategic options for both factions – alongside legion movements, recruitment and mining, you’ll begin planning short operations capable of disrupting the opponent’s logistics or laying the groundwork for a main assault.

You’ll gain truly distinct tools – the Harkonnens rely on technology, reconnaissance and legion support, whilst the Atreides utilise hidden camps, rocket ambushes and a closer bond with the sandworms.

You’ll transform empty desert areas into strategic locations – sectors away from the main armies will become crucial for the safety of transporters, the positioning of worm alerts and access to points of clairvoyance.

You’ll test your timing – most desert troops leave the map at the end of the round, so every deployment has a clear purpose and delaying an action can cost you a precious opportunity.

You’ll disrupt your opponent’s plans without a direct clash of legions – rocket launchers can destroy Harkonnen transporters, whilst suspension soldiers seek out hidden targets and eliminate Atreides desert fighters.

You’ll utilise sandworms in a new way – sand riders allow you to summon a worm, move with it over greater distances and attack with a larger number of dice, so this threat takes on an even more significant role.

You’ll also be battling for information – uncovering spies, drop tokens and the locations of hidden camps brings new opportunities for deception and reconnaissance, which can influence the entire faction’s next moves.

You’ll add new miniatures to the game board – sixteen miniatures represent all the new units directly on the map, so you can easily identify their positions, tasks and the areas in which they can engage.

You can combine it with the Cosmic Guild – Desert War works independently of the base game, but combining both expansions gives you further opportunities for teamwork and planning the actions of individual factions.

• You’ll add to the atmosphere of the book with a small-scale war in the dunes – rather than just large-scale clashes, you’ll also become the commander of scouts, saboteurs and riders who make use of the terrain, the element of surprise and speed.

As with the base game and the Cosmic Guild expansion, the original publisher is CMON Global Limited. The expansion was designed by Italian game designers Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitelo, long-time collaborators and creators of the base game. The illustrations were created by Italian concept artist Stefano Maroni; Michele Garbuggio and Marco Maggi contributed to the development, whilst Paolo Parente oversaw the art direction.

Game components:

• 16 miniatures – 2 support ornithopters, 6 Harkonnen suspension soldiers, 2 Fremen sand riders and 6 Fremen rocket launchers
• 2 plastic bases
• 5 cards – 4 reference cards and 1 Atreides Sand Rider commander card
• 7 tokens – 4 Harkonnen Desert War tokens and 3 Fremen camp tokens
• Czech rules