Check Out The First Dune RPG Art Preview

Modiphius has shared its first preview of the upcoming Dune tabletop roleplaying game -- it's a piece of art!

Polygon has some more information. The game will use Modiphius 2d20 System (as expected). You can create your own House or join one of Dune's existing major Houses.

Modiphius has a diverse team on this project. Chris Spivey, who you may know from Harlem Unbound, told Polygon that "The books themselves were very white-cis-male-focused. I wanted to attempt to expand that world, bringing different marginalized groups to the front. My goal was to show the history of humanity is vast and inclusive, and to explore the struggle as one where we must all work together to succeed." Khaldoun Khelil, another member of the team, talks to Polygon of his experiences in the Sahara desert -- "“Herbert was also very concerned with the environment, and the his focus on water and the desert as a living place has a special place in my heart as I’m half Algerian".

 

[TrippyHippy]

I recently re-read Dune (ie the first novel). I was heavily reminded of Lawrence of Arabia/Seven Pillars of Wisdom. It didn't strike me as particularly "diverse" at all.

I think it could make for a fairly interesting RPG setting. I don't have a good sense of what long-term play/reusability might look like.

In terms of long term play, quite simply you will be building the influence of your House - through politics or just in carrying out missions - against the machinations of other Houses. There is at least a passing similarity to Lawrence of Arabia, in allegorical terms, as Arrakis’ spice production - and general geography - is not dissimilar to the oil production that goes on in the Middle East, which makes it a place of importance to competing Houses and the Imperium that is currently the super-power of the known galaxy. Paul Atriedes is a sort of Lawrence of Arabia figure, I guess.

Other notable tropes can be found in Star Wars and also in Game of Thrones, which has a plot structure with a similar arc to Dune. It is very much a foundational, seminal piece of sci-fi/fantasy with a huge influence.

 

[pemerton]

It is very much a foundational, seminal piece of sci-fi/fantasy with a huge influence.

Sure. But that doesn't, on its own, resolve the question about long-term play.

In terms of long term play, quite simply you will be building the influence of your House - through politics or just in carrying out missions - against the machinations of other Houses.

I guess the question is, to what extent will this sort of thing resemble the action of Dune itself?

 

[TrippyHippy]

Sure. But that doesn't, on its own, resolve the question about long-term play. I guess the question is, to what extent will this sort of thing resemble the action of Dune itself?

That wasn’t my answer to that question. It was the notion that you play, long term, to build the influence of your House - which all the PCs belong to. This will certainly sustain a long campaign, not least because the GM can also create their own Houses along with the ones already established in the books, to pit against and create political intrigue. This would very much capture the essence of the action found in Dune itself.

 

[Paragon Lost]

That wasn’t my answer to that question. It was the notion that you play, long term, to build the influence of your House - which all the PCs belong to. This will certainly sustain a long campaign, not least because the GM can also create their own Houses along with the ones already established in the books, to pit against and create political intrigue. This would very much capture the essence of the action found in Dune itself.

Exactly what I took from the information that Modiphius has released so far.

 

[pemerton]

This would very much capture the essence of the action found in Dune itself.

I don't know the rest of the series - but the action in Dune (the novel) itself isn't really about political machination. That provides the backdrop, but the action itself focuses fairly heavily on discovery - discovery of the world as a context and prompt for self-discovery.

I think this can make for pretty rich RPGing. But am not sure about how it works for long-term play.

If the RPG focuses more on politics than persons, that strengthens the long-term play focus but - to me, at least - seems to take it further away from Dune as a story.

 

[jacleg05]

Quinn is a big DUNE fan, and would disagree with Mr. Spivey in areas.

Journalist Attacks Dune: "Paul is a Mighty Whitey" - YouTube

 

[TrippyHippy]

I don't know the rest of the series - but the action in Dune (the novel) itself isn't really about political machination. That provides the backdrop, but the action itself focuses fairly heavily on discovery - discovery of the world as a context and prompt for self-discovery.

I think this can make for pretty rich RPGing. But am not sure about how it works for long-term play.

If the RPG focuses more on politics than persons, that strengthens the long-term play focus but - to me, at least - seems to take it further away from Dune as a story.

The fundamental plot line of Dune tracks the succession of power, based on political maneuvering. It is the machinations of competing Houses trying to outwit each other. The discovery of the world of Arrakis, and the personal development of the characters interacting with it, largely stems from the outcomes of these conflicts - and I’d imagine the Dune RPG will develop both aspects as fundamentals in the game design.

I think the link provided above by jacleg05 gives a lot of context to how the politics of Dune interact with the exploration and self-discovery aspects. The Dune game will support long term play and be faithful to the books.

 

[MGibster]

I think the comments are just a reassurance that the game is inclusive and welcoming to all. The original books, written in the 1960s and 1970s, could be misconstrued as not being inclusive occasionally, but it was not trying to make a statement as such, as far as I am aware.

But what prompted them to make that reassurance? Have there been complaints about the game not being diverse? Are they afraid of the source material?

 

[Fenris-77]

So we got a very cool bit if art to whet our appetites. And we're arguing about representation in a game that no one has read yet? Umkay. Why don't we let them write the silly thing before we get our knickers in a twist?

I'm just going to assume there will be mechanics for maneuvering for political advantage. We'll see how good those are I guess, and that'll be the make or break thing for me I suspect.

 

[MGibster]

So we got a very cool bit if art to whet our appetites. And we're arguing about representation in a game that no one has read yet? Umkay. Why don't we let them write the silly thing before we get our knickers in a twist?

We got more than a bit of art we also got a few paragraphs attached to it.