Brian Mountford, Liam Dyer, Jack Doughan and Bill Dyer chase worms in the first heat.	The six finalists at work deep in the bowels of the Lancaster Host on Saturday morning.

We had ten qualifying games this year, up from only eight the last two years. It was really great to welcome some new players, even though a few of the regulars were among the missing. Dune players are a small group but very loyal to the game. More than a third of the field played in all three heats. The big change was the addition of a new house rule to address balance of the Fremen. The Fremen were granted the additional ability of always getting full combat value for their tokens in sand territories for no cost. The decision to add this rule resulted from a recent poll. Over the past ten years, the Fremen had been winning only about 20% of their games, compared to an average of nearly 40% for the other factions. In Dune, victories are frequently shared among two or three allies. Although these numbers remained virtually unchanged by the new rule, the feedback was universally positive. The options available to the Fremen player, especially in the early game, seemed to be significantly improved, and consequently the Fremen experience was more enjoyable. As experience with the new ability increases, the Fremen's win record may rise accordingly - or so the theory goes.

The average game lasted 4.1 hours and spanned 6.8 game turns, a slight decrease from last year, but still in the "normal" range. Variation in win percentages among the factions was also down quite a bit: Bene Gesserit, Emperor, and Harkonnen wins were virtually identical in the middle. Atreides took a big fall to fifth place from top faction last year, while Fremen brought up the rear again. The Guild, on the other hand, continued its four-year climb in the standings to emerge as the top faction for the first year on record! Dune is always a game of surprises, and this year was no different. Interesting anecdotes included an Emperor being funded by a Fremen ally, a Turn 2 Guild/Harkonnen victory fueled by traitor calls and hand swaps, and a BG solo win by predicting the Guild in Turn 5!

As always, Best Faction plaques were awarded to the players with the best single-game performance as each faction during the preliminary heats, measured in terms of strongholds controlled per turn. Newcomer James Denam took home Best Atreides; Steve Cuccaro, Best BG; Jim Garvey, Best Emperor; Stephane Dorais, Best Fremen; Matt Fagan, Best Guild; and Joe Doughan, Best Harkonnen. Special note: With this award, Matt Fagan has become the first player to collect a full set of Best Faction plaques, having also won Best Atreides in 2005, Best BG in 2003, Best Emperor in 2004, Best Fremen in 2007, and Best Harkonnen in 2008. Congratulations for having the skill and perseverance to achieve a goal I wasn't sure could ever be possible!

In the Final, Joe Harrison returned as the Atreides (for the third year running!), Matt Fagan drew the Bene Gesserit, Ty Hansen was the Emperor, Joe Doughan (subbing for Steve Cuccaro) took the Fremen, James Denam got the Guild, and Wray Ferrell drew the Harkonnen.

The Emperor made an early move, kicking the Guild out of Tuek's Sietch, while the Fremen held Sietch Tabr and the Atreides and Harkonnen remained in their cities. The Guild returned to the planet in Habbanya Ridge Sietch, and then House Harkonnen took Tabr away from the Fremen. This situation remained relatively stable until mid-game, when the Guild and Atreides began squabbling over Arrakeen. First, the Emperor and then the Atreides replaced the Harkonnen in Carthag, all without the Shield Wall protecting them from the storm. Negotiation was hot and heavy throughout the game, with several looking to gain advantage through creative use of Truthtrances and Karamas. The Emperor took control of the Shield Wall and then regained Tuek's Sietch from the Atreides, but no one was able to build a decisive dominance. Finally, in the late turns, the BG emerged from the shadows and brought force to Arrakis in earnest, allied with the Emperor. Together, they were just able to control four strongholds, wresting HRS away from the Guild, who had held it for nearly the entire game, and barely beating the Harkonnen, who were a mere one spice short of successfully defending the Shield Wall. The Emperor won the second tie-breaker by virtue of retaining nearly his full army intact on the planet.

Congratulations to Ty Hansen for his first Dune title as part of a triple title year, and thanks to everyone for another great year! Let's try to gain a prize level in 2012!