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Dune how long have we waited for this game. How much where our hopes dashed when it was announced the after the WoTC buy out of Last Unicorn Games they where only going to produce 2000 copies of this game of games and that they where only going to be available at Gencon US.

How chuffed was I when I popped into a gaming store, Leisuregames in London, that I often frequent when in London, to be told by a friend of mine that they had managed to get me a copy.

I tell you. Very chuffed. ;)

Now my personal bit is done with I'll get onto the book.

Dune is presented in the same style and layout as all the other Last Unicorn core rules books. It's very nicely bound, the pages are glossy and it all in full colour. The layout of the book itself is very intuitive and easy to navigate, the index helps a lot with this.

All in all the physical layout and presentation of the information is very good, but I've come to expect nothing less from Last Unicorn Games.

Substance wise the book is fantastic, it covers enough of the pre-history of Dune to enable people who have only a passing understanding of the Dune universe to accurately present the historical events that shape the political and social climates.

The game itself is pitched towards player being memebers of a minor house that is allied to a greater house, this works excellently as a concept because the major house characters are so ingrained in the whole of the Dune series that it is impossible to change them. Besides would you choose to let your players control Paul Atreides or Gurnay Hallack. I'll tell you now I wouldn't.

The character creation is very good, allowing the standard Last Unicorn Games template creation or the 'advanced' point based system. Both systems are good, with the template system being a good choice if your gaming group is full of Munchkins.

The information about the houses and their homeworlds is very comprehensive, the coverage of the Spacer Guild is good leaving just enough in mystery.

The Bene Gesserit are covered very well and I can see a lot a male gamers experimenting with Female characters so they can have the VOICE. This could be a good thing, encouraging people who would usually steer away from playing a Female charater (because only freaks and weridos do that ;) ) to give it a shot.

Mentats, the rules deal very well with the mentat abilities, giving them their own skills. Mentants need to be watched carefully, their ability to predict logical next steps makes them very dangerous to the GM, keep an eye on them. But do not ban them, Dune need mentats. Their are my favourite character class.

Combat, how could I review a book without mentioning the combat rules. ;)

Ok, the combat system is very simple and smooth. It uses a system of option points that allow you to perform certian moves and actions, the options are very well balanced and regardless of your point total you can always attempt a defense. The weapons and armour covered in the book are fine, and leave the GM plenty of room to extrapolate. One word of warning, never shoot someone wearing a shield with a lasgun. That is very very bad.

Overall this book is fantastic. If you get the chance buy it.

The only regret I have is that due to the intervention of WoTC we are unlikely to see any supplements using the ICON system, which (in my opinion) is vastly superiour to the WoTC D20 system.

Well that me done. Just to re-itterate for those of you who have not been paying attention. This book represents the best work of Last Unicorn Games, if you ever get the chance to get a copy, take it.

I expect WoTC to reprint it after converting it to their D20 system, I do not think this will work. I've seen their D20 system in D&D 3rd ED and I do not think it will work for anything other than D&D.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Dune - Chronicles of the Imperium
Author: Last Unicorn Games Category: game Company/Publisher: Last Unicorn Games Line: Dune Page count: 286 ISBN: 9-7807869200-5-1 Capsule Review by Steve Mortimer on 09/11/00. Genre tags: Science fiction Far Future Space Post-apocalypse	Dune how long have we waited for this game. How much where our hopes dashed when it was announced the after the WoTC buy out of Last Unicorn Games they where only going to produce 2000 copies of this game of games and that they where only going to be available at Gencon US. How chuffed was I when I popped into a gaming store, Leisuregames in London, that I often frequent when in London, to be told by a friend of mine that they had managed to get me a copy. I tell you. Very chuffed. ;) Now my personal bit is done with I'll get onto the book. Dune is presented in the same style and layout as all the other Last Unicorn core rules books. It's very nicely bound, the pages are glossy and it all in full colour. The layout of the book itself is very intuitive and easy to navigate, the index helps a lot with this. All in all the physical layout and presentation of the information is very good, but I've come to expect nothing less from Last Unicorn Games. Substance wise the book is fantastic, it covers enough of the pre-history of Dune to enable people who have only a passing understanding of the Dune universe to accurately present the historical events that shape the political and social climates. The game itself is pitched towards player being memebers of a minor house that is allied to a greater house, this works excellently as a concept because the major house characters are so ingrained in the whole of the Dune series that it is impossible to change them. Besides would you choose to let your players control Paul Atreides or Gurnay Hallack. I'll tell you now I wouldn't. The character creation is very good, allowing the standard Last Unicorn Games template creation or the 'advanced' point based system. Both systems are good, with the template system being a good choice if your gaming group is full of Munchkins. The information about the houses and their homeworlds is very comprehensive, the coverage of the Spacer Guild is good leaving just enough in mystery. The Bene Gesserit are covered very well and I can see a lot a male gamers experimenting with Female characters so they can have the VOICE. This could be a good thing, encouraging people who would usually steer away from playing a Female charater (because only freaks and weridos do that ;) ) to give it a shot. Mentats, the rules deal very well with the mentat abilities, giving them their own skills. Mentants need to be watched carefully, their ability to predict logical next steps makes them very dangerous to the GM, keep an eye on them. But do not ban them, Dune need mentats. Their are my favourite character class. Combat, how could I review a book without mentioning the combat rules. ;) Ok, the combat system is very simple and smooth. It uses a system of option points that allow you to perform certian moves and actions, the options are very well balanced and regardless of your point total you can always attempt a defense. The weapons and armour covered in the book are fine, and leave the GM plenty of room to extrapolate. One word of warning, never shoot someone wearing a shield with a lasgun. That is very very bad. Overall this book is fantastic. If you get the chance buy it. The only regret I have is that due to the intervention of WoTC we are unlikely to see any supplements using the ICON system, which (in my opinion) is vastly superiour to the WoTC D20 system. Well that me done. Just to re-itterate for those of you who have not been paying attention. This book represents the best work of Last Unicorn Games, if you ever get the chance to get a copy, take it. I expect WoTC to reprint it after converting it to their D20 system, I do not think this will work. I've seen their D20 system in D&D 3rd ED and I do not think it will work for anything other than D&D. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Dune - Chronicles of the Imperium