The Ixian Jihad
by Kenneth W. Burke

As the Dune story continued, the reader was introduced to a new villianous power - the Ixians of the planet Ix. The Ixians specialized in the development of illegal machines, a practice that started after the Butlerian Jihad, directed against machines as smart as or smarter than humans. While Ix and its sister world Richese were the centers of machine culture, both planets escaped punishment and began to secretly build illegal machinery for profit. Ix became so prolific at this "art" that it eventually took credit for all machines built in its star system.

While Ix played no part in the struggle for Dune, the Ixians were one of the major factions responsible for the dethroning of Paul Atreides as well as the assassination of his son, the God Emperor.

Because the Ixians were not part of the first Dune drama, a scenario must be presented. The Ixians believe that the time has come for a new holy war to take place. A jihad that would restore the importance and popularity of machines lost in the first jihad, as well as again make Ix the center of machine culture. But there are difficulties. The Ixians are no match for the combined strength of the Lansraad or the Imperium, two formidable factions that could reduce Ix to a burnt-out asteroid.

The answer is simple: seize control of Dune. Whoever controlled Dune controlled the Imperium; with such a prize, their jihad could reach undreamed of heights. A protectorate force could be sent to Dune under the pretense of "securing Ixian investments" (that they had none on Dune did not matter), covert negotiations and surprise attacks would do the rest. It would not be an easy campaign; Ix was not known for its leaders, it also lacked stronghold on the Dune surface. Advanced mechanics made their troops twice as fast as even the Imperial Sardaukar; covert machine sales would supply the Ixians with all the spice they would ever need. Nothing could stop their jihad.

The lXIANS:
     A. At Start: 20 spice, 20 tokens off-board.
     B. Leaders and values: Levenbrech-1, Baltern-1, Bronso-2, Bator-2, Vizier-3.
     C. Free Revival: 2 tokens
     D. Advantages: You control the production and distribution of illegal machines.
          1. Your tokens can move up to two territories per turn.
          2. At the start of each spice collection round, you automatically receive ten spice per turn in addition to any spice you would normally receive, CHOAM charity included.
     E. Disadvantage: You must always move first.
     F. Optional Advantage:
          1. In the revival round, all Ixian leaders sent to the Bene Tleilaxu tanks are revived for free (the Bene Tleilaxu and the Ixians were notorious "partners in crime").
     G. Karama Powers:
          1. When played by the Ixian Player, it can be used to allow all Ixian tokens to fight at full strength regardless of whether or not they are supplied by spice. If they are spice supplied to start with, the strength of the units increases by one half per unit (four tokens would have the strength of six, five of seven and one half, and so on).
          2. When played against the Ixian player, it destroys all spice he owns.
     H. Alliances:
          1. Allies can take advantage of the Ixian movement and spice bonuses. The Fremen movement rate would be unaltered.
     I. Strategy:
          The Ixian player must contend with two weaknesses -- always having to move first and poor leadership. Always moving first means almost no surprise attacks; enemy players will be able to retreat almost at will, fighting only when they want or have to. Low leadership values will force the Ixian player to assign large number of tokens to battles, as well as expend several spice points to support them. While their non-stop spice helps, the Ixians should not engage in non-stop fighting -- instead, they are advised to build their strength, prepare themselves for the jihad, then strike!

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