Is this game well alive online? What other similar board games would you compare this to?

[Xcogumelo]

thinking on giving it a go

[noctilucus]

It's been a few months since I played it online, but there were plenty of multiplayers going on at that time, never had to wait long to join a new game.

I don't immediately think of similar board games because it's a mix of worker placement, combat and some deck management. I'm sure more knowledgeable people than me will have answered this question already at Boardgamegeek.

For what it's worth, I would definitely recommend it because it has plenty of replayability, allows different tactics and stays exciting down to the last round (compared to a lot of board games where you end up in situations where half-way through the game it can be very obvious who will win)

[Twelvefield]

Dune reminds me quite a bit of Puerto Rico, although Dune is more advanced. The multiple uses of the cards and the combat also throws back to Twilight Struggle for me. So: Dune = Twilight Struggle + San Juan. Considering how great - but dated - those games are Dune does well to modernize old game mechanics.

The downside to Dune and San Juan in particular is that if you have fewer than the optimal number of players, the games sag. Fortunately online and AI play both remedy that.

[Doctor_Acula]

I found Everdell to be very similar in concept. I can play both games back to back and they seem to fire the same logic centers in my head, lol.

[Twelvefield]

Yeah, sure Everdell. I play that quite a bit, but honestly it never makes me think of Dune at all. But you're not wrong.

[Scyamus]

The closest thing that comes to mind in terms of game mechanics is Lost Ruins of Arnak. Worker placement, deckbuilding, using cards in multiple ways.