Dune: Imperium – Rise of Ix

Setup follows normal base game rules with several expansion additions. Place the charm overlay on the main board to introduce new action spaces. Set out the Planet of Ix board, shuffling the 18 tech tiles into three face-up stacks. Integrate new conflict cards into the conflict deck, and shuffle new intrigue and imperium cards into their respective decks. Players choose from new leaders, receive two dreadnought tokens in their color, and place a freighter disk on the shipping track. For the optional epic mode, increase the target score to 12 points, adjust level 1 conflict cards, replace a starting card with a control the spice card, and start with extra garrison troops.

The main objective remains identical to the base game: achieve dominance on Arrakis by accumulating victory points through political influence, fierce military conflicts, and strategic engine-building. Rise of Ix expands these paths by introducing advanced technology tiles, durable dreadnought units, and economic shipping tracks to outmaneuver opponents.

On your turn, you send agents to board spaces, including new Ix and shipping locations, by playing cards from your hand. You can now acquire powerful technologies using spice and negotiators, commission dreadnoughts that provide massive combat strength and control of spaces, advance or recall your freighter on the shipping track for ongoing bonuses, and use infiltration to place agents in spaces already occupied by opponents. New discard and unload mechanisms allow you to trigger card effects instantly.

Victory points are primarily earned by gaining high levels of influence with the four main factions, winning major level-two and level-three conflicts, and scoring points from specific acquired tech tiles, leader abilities, and endgame intrigue cards. Players race to be the first to reach 10 victory points, or 12 points if playing the longer epic variant.

The game continues in rounds consisting of player turns, a reveal phase, a combat phase, and a maker phase, until at least one player reaches the required victory point threshold at the conclusion of a round. Once triggered, the current round finishes, final tie-breakers are checked, and the player with the most points wins.