Set in the Dune universe based on the books written by Frank Herbert,[1] the game pits two or more players against each other, each in control of a minor house vying for entry in the Landsraad.

[2] Originally released in 1997 as Dune: Eye of the Storm by a partnership of Five Rings Publishing Group (FRPG) and Last Unicorn Games.

[3]: 23  The license negotiated with the Herbert Estate and Universal Studios[4] was for intellectual property based on the 1984 film Dune directed by David Lynch.

[8] When Wizards of the Coast purchased Five Rings later that year, Dune: Eye of the Storm underwent a major shift.

While intended to keep the pace of collecting exciting, it resulted in high duplicate rates in booster packs and a competitive landscape constantly in flux.

[citation needed] In 1998, Wizards of the Coast released two more complete sets,[10] Dune: Judge of the Change (183 cards, covering the arrival of House Atreides on Arrakis)[11] and Dune: Thunder at Twilight (178 cards, covering the reclaiming of Arrakis by House Harkonnen), but the challenging gameplay proved too difficult for younger players.

Players attack one another through Intrigue, Battle, Arbitration, and Dueling Rites to gain political standing and wealth.