We’re back for an extra Dune Talk show this week and excited to welcome special guest Jack Reda, from Future Pastimes, one of the designers of the Dune board games published by Gale Force Nine. We interview the game designer about both the “re-imagined” Dune: Classic board game (reissued in 2019) and this year’s brand-new Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy—latter features the beautiful visuals of Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 movie adaptation. Jack takes us behind-the-scenes into how these two games were created and we discuss what makes each of them so unique.
Also, of course we get into the big Dune movie news from the past week, a stunning final trailer has dropped online (see show notes). Garin, Jack, and Marcus share their immediate reactions and look ahead to the film’s imminent premiere.
This podcast (59 minutes) is available below in both video and audio formats. Enjoy and spread the word to fellow Dune fans!
Dune Talk: Episode 15 – A Game of Conquest
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Show Notes
News stories covered in the ‘Dune Movie News’ segment of today’s show:
Warner Bros. has released an epic final trailer for Dune: Part One, ahead of the movie’s domestic release on October 22. Watch it here.
Interview questions answered by Jack Reda during the ‘Duniverse’ segment:
CLASSIC GAME
- What led to the decision for Gale Force Nine to reprint the original 1979 board game?
- What inspired the team to create the first expansion (Ixians and the Tleilaxu) and what can players expect from the upcoming, second expansion featuring the CHOAM and Richese factions?
- Which of the factions do you choose when you play and why?
MOVIE VERSION / CONQUEST
- What drove the vision to make a brand-new board game for the upcoming movie, rather than reskin classic game?
- When creating Dune: A Game of Conquest and Diplomacy, what sort of materials did you have access to from the movie and how did these influence the team’s design process? Is there anything you learned, from the visuals of Villeneuve’s adaptation, that inspired the team to create new game play mechanic(s) or take the design in a different direction?
- For those familiar with the classic game or those just learning about these board games, what would you say is the most unique characteristic this new movie version?
- What creative process did you take, when it came to designing the unique strengths of each of the Houses / factions?
FUTURE
- Considering that the Dune movie is doing well and likely to get continuations(s)—not to mention the future Dune: The Sisterhood TV series—where would you like to see the games go next?
Thanks to Jack Reda (@redamedia on Instagram), our special guest on this show, for sharing all of these great insights about the board games and its design. Visit the Cosmic Encounter website, for more information about Dune and other board games from Future Pastimes.
For those interested in discussing and/or playing the board games online, via Tabletop Simulator, check out the Dune Tabletop discord server.
On this episode:
- Marcus Gabriel | @DuneNewsNet
- Garin Granata | @DuneCompanion
Do you have a question or suggestion for future episodes of Dune Talk? We want to hear from you! Tweet out to @DuneTalkShow, reply to our Instagram posts @DuneTalkShow, or simply leave your note in the comment section below.
Special thanks goes out to Ashton GIeckman for music and Sheldon Lee for voice overs.
