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| The Fall of the Imperium |
The Fall of the Imperium sourcebook for the Dune Adventures in the Imperium RPG is the book that I've been waiting for in the line. I was disappointed that the focus on the main canon storyline in the initial QuickStart was replaced with an alternative timeline where House Nagara took over the Governorship of Arrakis rather than House Atreides. The material was excellent, but I hadn't bought the game to play in an alternative timeline. That said, the weight of canon is heavy and it is challenging to set adventures where the characters' actions feel meaningful. Fall of the Imperium rises to that challenge, and doesn't shy away from the brutality of the rise of the Atreides as the Fremen Jihad sweeps out across the ten-thousand worlds of the Imperium.
TL;DR: Fall of the Imperium is an epic campaign that will see the characters rubbing shoulders with the key movers and shakers in the Imperium. It doesn't shy away from the hard choices and horror that the Atreides victory brings with it. Choices have consequences, and the fate of billions will be in their hands. The scenarios are sufficiently open to allow them to be adjusted based on the decisions of the players. The writing is strong, and the book is beautifully illustrated. It is let down by poor proofreading, with too many errors that should have been trapped before production marring what would otherwise be a stellar product.
The book is a 144-page full colour hardback with excellent, evocative artwork. The layout follows the same lines as other books in the product line, so is clear and easy on the eye. However, the book feels rushed and there are multiple typos (from the hard-to-spot 'Brain Herbert' through to easily-spotted gibberish words) and layout faults where text from previous headings or stat-blocks has been duplicated. This leaves a sour note, detracting from what is otherwise a strongly-written and quality product. I wonder if Modiphius rushed this out to make sure that it hit the stores while the film was showing? If they did, it's a shame as it wouldn't have taken much time to have sorted this out.
The campaign consists of twelve scenarios across four acts. The first act addresses the arrival and fall of House Atreides on Arrakis. The second act deals with the rumours and rise of Muad'Dib, as spice production starts to collapse. The third act sees the Emperor and Landsraad act, and all eyes turn to Dune. The final act deals with the aftermath, as Emperor Paul Muad'Dib Atreides secures his throne and the Fremen Jihad sweeps across the Imperium. It is entirely possible that the characters and their House could end up wiped out or forced to go renegade and flee. There is brief guidance on how to use the campaign if you've been playing with House Nagara from Agents of Dune and Masters of Dune.
The tone is set immediately with some boxed text about 'Goodies and Baddies'. It points out that while the Atreides are far better than the Harkonnen in how they treat their subjects, they still live in a life of luxury, exploiting their followers in the feudal system of the Imperium. The characters represent a House that has similar advantages and will have to make decisions about who they ally with and how they behave. There is no correct way through the campaign, and decisions matter. The players will make choices which will hopefully mean that their House can thread the eye of the needle and avoid falling from favour with the Emperor or having their homeworld absolutely destroyed with atomics and the arrival of the Fremen Jihad. Their people will suffer from the mistakes that they may make.
The first two Acts can easily be fleshed out with some of the additional scenarios that have been published; I think that I would be tempted to use a few to get the players more invested, but the actions in the final two acts accelerate as the nexus point is reached and House Corrino and House Harkonnen fall.
The initial act, 'The Gathering Storm', is focused around espionage around Arrakis as the character's House is asked to support House Ecaz in covert action against. The players will be forced to make decisions; it may be easier to side with the Corrino/Harkonnen plot against the Atreides than walk a path of opposition or neutrality. The end of the Act sees the assault on Arrakis, and the characters will have to work hard to survive and make choices who they support. These choices are the way that the players will start to feel that their actions mean something. Will they help Gurney Hallack escape? Will they assist Rabban the Beast as he takes his revenge? Will they try and protect their retainers and allies on planet? This sets the scene the rest of the campaign; they will meet the both the Emperors of House Corrino and House Atreides, and they will have to make decisions on how they respond that will have consequences. How will they deal with the dangerous secret that they learn from their operations?
The second act, 'Muad'Dib', has the characters trying to secure spice for their House. Most of the Act takes place away from Arrakis. Whispers of a new Fremen leader are heard, and it becomes apparent that something is wrong on Arrakis. The characters are drawn into covertly trying to find out what has happened on behalf of CHOAM, the truth of which will again put them at risk. Once they find the secrets, they become the focus of the Emperor through Count Fenring and his Bene Gesserit wife, Lady Margot and will have to decide what to do with the knowledge. A mistake could put them out of favour at the Imperial court.
The third act, 'Fall of the Imperium', sees the drop in spice production causing discord in the Imperium. The Bene Gesserit approach the character's house to try and find out more about who this 'Muad'Dib' is, while at the same time House Ecaz try to get the Harkonnen governorship of Arrakis removed in the Landsraad. This escalates, and the characters are despatched to assassinate Rabban, arriving to find Arrakeen and Carthag in chaos. The act concludes with the landing of the Emperor at Arrakeen, where the uprisings are brutally put down by the Sardaukar. However, this is the moment that Paul Atreides strikes and the characters will have to choose who they ally with.
The final act, 'War Across a Million Worlds', is brutal and challenging. The opening scenario sees them told to give an allied house notice of their upcoming eradication by the forces of Muad'Dib. Will they just deliver the notice (being seen as lapdogs of the new Emperor) or will they try and save the noble family or even their people? You rarely see this level of moral challenge being thrown at players; the Fremen legion's leader just wants to execute the will of Muad'Dib, a matter of faith. The second scenario was the one in the book where I felt I'd need to find a better hook than that presented; the characters arrive at Kaitain, the former capital, as the Fremen arrive to suppress the unbelievers. What will they do? Will they rescue people, recover priceless artefacts that will likely be destroyed, or just try and escape? I can see what the objective is (putting the characters in the middle of a planet being sacked and having to make decisions) but I think this once needed a little bit of focusing.
The final scenario sees false evidence planted against the character's House, for which they are condemned. Will they be able to prove that there's a conspiracy against their house, or will they try to escape as a renegade house? Will they leave their subjects behind to face the wrath of Muad'Dib. Their choices in the previous scenarios will influence who will help them and the likelihood of convincing Paul Muad'Dib that they are loyal to his regime.
Overall, it's a fantastic campaign arc which cleverly allows players to make the choices who they ally with and then live through the consequences. They may want to play the meta-game and stay loyal to the Atreides, but this will cause problems and also be seen as odd to the other factions in the Imperium as loyalty to an eradicated House makes no sense. They may ally with the Harkonnen, but the Emperor doesn't trust them, and the pendulum will swing back against the Baron and his House. The challenge is to try and find a way through this so their House survives, finding their own Golden Path without the benefit of prescience.
The book concludes with a chapter that describes the changes to the Imperium once Paul ascends, which will help the GM to identify hooks and plot ideas.
In conclusion, this is an epic campaign that will see the characters rubbing shoulders with the key movers and shakers in the Imperium. It doesn't shy away from the hard choices and horror that the Atreides victory brings with it. Choices have consequences, and the fate of billions will be in their hands. The scenarios are sufficiently open to allow them to be adjusted based on the decisions of the players. The writing is strong, and the book is beautifully illustrated. It is only let down by the poor proofing. There are too many errors which should have been trapped before production; none of them affect the usability (except in one stat block) but they mar what would otherwise be a stellar product.
Recommended
2 April 2024
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