The Dune: Part Two Delay Gives More Time To Play These Games

VENICE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 03: (L-R) Javier Bardem, Zendaya, Stellan Skarsgård, Chang Chen, Oscar ... [+] Isaac, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, director Denis Villeneuve, Dave Bautista and Josh Brolin attend the red carpet of the movie "Dune" during the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 03, 2021 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Daniele Venturelli/WireImage)

The first major release date casualty of the ongoing strikes in Hollywood has fallen. Dune: Part Two was originally supposed to come out on November 3, 2023 in most parts of the world. Now, it is slated for a March 15, 2024 release.

While this is a disappointment to many fans, there are a few ways they can pass the time. Rereading the books is never a bad option. They can also check out a new Dune themed board game as well as new expansions to two of the most popular Dune themed tabletop games.

The Fremen of Arrakis are the humans on the planet Dune who consider it their home. They play a pivotal role in the story as Paul Atreides leads them in a revolution not just against House Harkonnen but against the entire Imperium. While they are united behind Paul it wasn’t always that way.

Arrakis: Dawn of the Fremen sets itself up as a prequel to the main storyline of Dune. Players take control of a small group of Fremen and battle for resources on the unforgiving desert planet. The winning player is the one who ends up in control of the most sietches, either by building these communities or taking them from other players.

The classic Dune board game was rereleased in 2019 in advance of the release of the original film. This game has a huge following among big strategy board game fans as it offers an epic experience full of intrigue, drama and conquest. Each expansion adds new factions as well as new rules options to customize the play experience.

The first expansion, Ixians & Tleilaxu, adds two tech based factions to the game. These groups can take credit for victories and manufacture smaller but tougher forces for battles. They also intoduce an extra bit of technology control into play.

The CHOAM and Richese expansion brings in two background players in the main storyline. Their houses offer good choices for players who love treachery cards or who want to add in alternate technology to the game. It also adds advanced leader and stronghold cards to change the game.

With the Ecaz and Moritani expansion the game now has double the playable factions of the original. The new houses encourage players to make alliances and play out the game as long as possible. New rules include randomized spice discovery and homeworlds influencing player power bases.

The first few products for the official Dune roleplaying game naturally focused on Arrakis. With Dune: Part Two broadening its scope to include the emperor and action elsewhere of the galaxy, the designers have also zoomed out a bit with their most recent releases.

One of the most exciting parts of Dune: Aventures In The Imperium is creating a House for the players to control. The Great Game: Houses of the Landsraad expands this process with new options and suggestions on how to use the house as a way to generate plot. It also offers several other houses that can be used as allies and rivals to the players’ creation.

Powers and Pawns: The Emperor’s Courts details the Imperial homeworld of Kaitan and shifts focus from Arrakis to the galactic intrigues that occur everywhere in the Empire. It also includes player options for everything from the Saurdakar to the Face Dancers. The book ends with a brand new adventure that throws the players and their house into the deep end of soothing a rivalry between two houses that might bring the galaxy to war.