Today, Gale Force Nine unveiled a first look at their CHOAM and Richese House Expansion. This second expansion set for Dune: A Game of Conquest, Diplomacy, and Betrayal—the classic board game republished in 2019—adds two unique factions to the mix, in addition to new gameplay mechanics. Fans can look forward to enriching their Dune gaming sessions starting from February 2022 (expected release date).
Strategic Choices
The upcoming expansion allows players to take control of CHOAM, greatest economic power of the Dune universe, or House Richese, a declining noble family that still wields some of the most advanced technology available to humanity. Alongside these factions, this set introduces advanced strongholds and new leader skills. These mechanics, that are accessible for all, allow players to gain advantages over their rivals.
Combined with the original six factions from the core board game—which is required for play—and an additional two from its, optional, first expansion set (Ixians and Tleilaxu), players will be able to choose from 10 playable factions. That means there’s a total of 210 different combinations possible in a six-player game, offering even more strategic depth and variety.
This short clip (15 seconds) offers a peek at the box and contents, featuring the new faction sets:
Following are more details on the two factions:
CHOAM
The Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles (CHOAM) holds a virtual monopoly over economic affairs throughout the Imperium and have a keen interest in Arrakis, above and beyond spice production. Due to the organization’s control of inter-planetary commerce, CHOAM is the largest single source of wealth in the known universe.
Influence in CHOAM is a major focus of political maneuvering amongst the powers of the Imperium, both to maximize dividends and also to skim profits. Their leaders and bureaucrats were dedicated to controlling vital products that enriched the Great Houses, and of course CHOAM itself…
House Richese
House Richese, in a similar vein to the Ixians, were widely renowned for their ingenuity and have developed countless technological innovations. After being ousted from governing Arrakis however, they have been reduced to selling off those key creations simply to raise enough funds to continue their efforts to compete…
Exploring “What If?” Scenarios
Gale Force Nine had the following statement regarding their upcoming release:
Gale Force Nine are excited to build on the legendary tabletop world of Dune: A Game of Conquest, Diplomacy, and Betrayal with an additional expansion, featuring two new factions to spice up the game play.
With this expansion, we want to let players explore “What if?” What if the Richese leveraged their unique technology, and took a more aggressive approach to affairs on Arrakis? What if CHOAM capitalized on their economic advantages and raised an army to increase their wealth and power by directly meddling in the business of spice production?
The unique faction abilities of CHOAM and Richese will let players shape the narrative of Dune in new and surprising ways.
The expansion set carries a recommend retail price of $25 (USD) and the following items are contained in the box:
- Rulebook,
- Two player faction shields,
- Two player sheets,
- 49 cards,
- 59 tokens.
A digital copy of the rulebook is already available to download for free.
CHOAM and Richese House Expansion is designed by the same creative team—Peter Olotka, Jack Kitteredge, Bill Eberle, Greg Olotka, and Jack Reda—that worked on the core game and its first expansion, as well as the brand-new Dune movie board game that we reviewed earlier.
For behind-the-scenes insights on the design of both these board games, as well as the classic’s expansion sets, check out our recent interview with Jack Reda on Dune Talk.
Source: Gale Force Nine
