Sadly with the current state of things out in the big bad world, getting the email from Modiphius saying I’d been chosen to take part in the closed beta/play test for the upcoming Dune RPG wasn’t as exciting news as it should have been.

Despite the relaxation of the lockdown going ahead (even if the what little evidence the Government has released doesn’t really back this decision up), I’m being a lot more cautious. I’m not going to put Nan or Mum in danger because Boris’s mates are losing money.

So in the interest of reducing the risk of exposure to them it’s going to be a few weeks before I’m going to be socialising in a public space, and therefore gaming. Which means I’m not in a position to help out Modiphius and get a sneak peak at a RPG I’m very keen to play.

In the meantime we have seen the release of an expansion for the Dune board game.

Over the years while the game was out of print the Dune board game became this mythic beast that people would speak in awe of, and how much they loved playing it. Last year saw Gale Force 9 reprint the board game with some game play tweaks. Naturally I got a copy and the game did not disappoint.

I’ve been a fan of the books for decades now, along with the David Lynch movie. For me the board game captured the spirit of the first book perfectly.

Last week saw the release of the Ixians and Tleilaxu House Expansion for the game.

So basically we have two more factions to choose from when playing the game.

The expansion has everything you need to add the two new factions to the game, cards, tokens, faction shields and player aids.

Understandably I’ve not played with these yet. Heck it popped through the letterbox yesterday. Plus the social distancing etc (see above). However I can’t wait to get the game to the table and play with these new houses. But there are so many games I want to get to the table when it’s safe to do so.

If you compare what you get for your money to say the Alien RPG Maps and Markers pack, this expansion is amazing value.