Owen Seyler started writing a Dune roleplaying game in 1984, when the movie was released. He was 15 or 16 at the time, and remembers being fascinated by the lush setting Frank Herbert had created.
Fifteen years later, Seyler is a line developer for Last Unicorn Games, a growing company that's won recent critical acclaim for its popular series of Star Trek roleplaying games.
In a roleplaying game, players -- usually fans of a literary genre or some other body of source material -- take the part of fictional characters in much the same way that actors portray roles on the stage. Unlike formal dramatic productions, however, the players are also responsible for spontaneously creating their own dialogue and actions, making the entire process a sort of "let's pretend for adults."
When it hits the shelves in two months, the Dune Roleplaying Game will be a 288-page exploration of Herbert's rich background. As he was writing the book, Seyler focused on what he calls the "old Imperium," the era immediately before the Atreides family were sent to Arrakis at the opening of the original Dune.
"After Paul becomes Emperor, the Imperium changes radically," Seyler says. "We want to give players a chance to enjoy the intrigues and schemes of the Houses of the Landsraad."
To encourage players to get into the web of Imperium politics, the game allows fans to create not only individual noble characters but whole "entourages" as they struggle to advance their Houses while avoiding the nefarious plots of rivals.
These entourages fill out the game's supporting cast in much the same way that Herbert surrounded Duke Leto and his family with trusted advisors like Gurney Halleck and Duncan Idaho along assassins, Bene Gesserit adepts, swordmasters, mentats and the rest of the Imperium's great professions.
Moreover, players get to determine the "personality" of their House.
"You can make your House honorable or scheming," says Seyler. "You can even set up secret allegiences, such as a House allied to the Atreides but secretly working for the Harkonnens."
For fans familiar with Last Unicorn's Star Trek games, the rules still offer a few surprises. Like the Trek games, the Dune Roleplaying Game uses the "Icon" rules system, a set of rules that have proven fast-playing, flexible and easy to learn.
However, Seyler has made minor changes and additions to emphasize the feel of the Dune universe, including detailed rules for dueling and shield techniques, for instance, as well as the Bene Gesserit "weirding way" of martial arts.
The game is expected to hit adventure game stores just in time for the Christmas season. Suggested retail price is $35.
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