You use a mix of deck building and worker placement to control the spice trade. Combat is a tense mind game because nobody knows exactly what combat cards you are holding. It really makes you feel like you are maneuvering political factions against each other in the desert. It is easily one of the most requested titles during our weekend meetups. You will definitely want to try a different strategy on your second playthrough. It provides a nice balance of luck and strategy without feeling unfair.