Herein we shall iron out expectations and important details unrelated to House and character creation. Most published material for Dune: Adventures In The Imperium centers on Arrakis, detailed in the sourcebook Sand And Dust. Campaign settings Agents Of Dune, Masters Of Dune, and Fall Of The Imperium all take place in large part on Arrakis.

In addition to choosing whether to set our game on Arrakis or choose some wider scope, we also must decide on which era we wish to play. The Butlerian Jihad, as detailed in the Legends Of Dune trilogy, takes place more than 10,000 years prior to the original novels. The Reconstruction, as detailed in the Schools Of Dune trilogy, takes place just under a century after the end of the Jihad. Neither of these eras strike me as suitable periods for conducting a game.

Prelude To Dune takes place roughly a generation before the original novels and is a reasonable period for play. The Dune rules roughly default to this era. There is however a 10,000-year gap between the events of Schools Of Dune and Prelude To Dune and that gives us much latitude to build an original campaign without overly concerning ourselves with canon. Agents Of Dune and Masters Of Dune could easily be set in this period or in the Prelude default. Things change after Muad'Dib, and the God Emperor's rule changes everything.

I would agree that starting in the Prelude To Dune era sets us a nice familiar table to work with, without having to worry about the later galactic upheaval. But it would still allow us to have intrigues and adventures. A lot of what would cement this decision is the creation of our original House, though. Because who they are, their culture, location, power, resources, exports, etc all dictate the direction the game will take, no?

A House Major and a House Minor will have very different...spheres of influence, and paths to walk, for instance.

Dune: Adventures In The Imperium is the sort of game that screams for characters who are competent and compelling, so it is my intent that players will create theirs to be on a par with those from the Dune saga (whose game-related stats may be found in Chapter 9 of the core rulebook). Likewise, the players' House will be on a comparable level with those from the saga (in game and setting terms, the characters serve and belong to a House Major). All options presented in the game line as of this writing will be available to players.

Prelude To Dune essentially chronicles the rise of Shaddam IV to the Golden Lion Throne in 10,156 AG. We could opt for a prelude to Prelude and set our campaign sometime after Shaddam's father Elrood IX succeeds his own father Fondil III as Emperor in 10,018 AG. A game set during the reign of Fondil III would likely be very interesting*, as Fondil's reputation was formidable after quelling many revolts — through both military force, cunning, and subterfuge. Nothing of Fondil's reign is described in detail, that I'm aware, so we would have a great deal of wiggle room.

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* — As in the ancient Jewish curse, "May you live in interesting times".

How about setting it during the reign of Vutier II? Even less is written about him, so that would imply a time of some political stability, meaning we'd have more leeway to maneuver. Also, I like the idea of having an Emperor who's a patron of the arts rather than being known for murder or intrigues or hunting.

Vutier Corrino II was the 78th Emperor of the known universe, and father to the 79th Emperor Fondil III. Little is known about Vutier II, though in Dune: House Atreides Shaddam IV remarks that Vutier was a great patron of the arts.

It gives me an idea for a character who communicates coded messages via syndicated, illustrated stories. Certain words, the position of figures in a panel, and colors hide encrypted clues that can be deciphered by those who know the secret language. Everyone else is just reading a comic book.

Don't we want a time of murder and intrigues? For challenges in-game?

[GM EDIT: Not yet time for House discussions and that will have its own thread.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:05, Tue 02 Apr.

Sure, murder & intrigue! I'm just saying having an emperor who also supports artists and musicians might be a nice change of pace. :)

A quote from Fondil III sheds some light on his personality: "History is a tool to be used, a weapon to be wielded. The past must conform to the needs of the Imperium, otherwise an Emperor has failed in his duty." The present also must conform to the needs of the Emperor, so it is possible Fondil's reputation is entirely the result of carefully-crafted propaganda. As for Vutier II, his reputation is almost certainly the result of propaganda, cover-up, or the systematic destruction of records — in my Dune universe.

Honestly, at the end of the day I'm down with whatever you'd like to run, but if you're trying to make me want to work in the employ of Emperor Vutier II and shape that narrative, I kind of do.

Another quote from Fondil III: "Is the life of a king worth more than that of a peasant or thief? Is your own life worth more than that of a person of lower station? Such valuations can be used to determine whether actions are heroic, or cowardly."

Question: Would you rather be aligned with House Corrino or against it? With the Imperium or against it? With any specific factions from the novels or against them? Loyalty and rebellion are important themes in the setting. Duke Leto's loyalty was used to trap and destroy him.

If our House was to ever rebel, I would want it to be because of events that occurred in-game. Starting off rebellious seems to lack the...gut emotion that a rebellious spirit calls for.

So, to start I'd like to be loyal to the throne and the Imperium, if that is okay with everyone?

It's always fun to hate on mega-corporations, so why not have CHOAM as House enemies?

I'm on board with both of Eklo's suggestions.

I'm fine with whatever the people want to play, as I'm not *that* versed in Dune history (I've read the first two novels, watched the movies and read some wiki entries randomly).

Personally I'd be interested in playing the Swordmaster of the house, if people are ok with that.