Dixit is a card game that has gained in popularity over recent years. First released in 2008, the game relies upon imagination and intuition. It is definitely a family game but could also be enjoyed by groups of friends of all ages. The game, which can be played by 3-6 players, uses a deck of cards illustrated with fanciful dreamlike images of objects and characters.
During gameplay the players select cards that match a title suggested by the ‘Storyteller’, and attempt to guess which card the Storyteller selected to gain points. The game concludes when a player reaches the end of the board with their Rabbit-shaped counter by earning 30 points.
Dixit has won many awards, including the 2010 Games Magazine ‘Best New Party Game of the Year’ Award Winner and the 2010 Spiel Des Jahres. The game’s name is actually the Latin word for ‘he/she/it said’. Both Toby and Millie-Mae love playing and Millie thought it was the ideal game to take along to her next sleepover party.
Dixit gameplay
To play this highly addictive game, each player starts the game with six random cards. Players take turns at being the Storyteller. The Storyteller scrutinises the six images in their hand. From their choice of picture card, they make up a sentence or saying that might describe it. Then they say it out loud to the group without showing the selected card to the other players.
All the rest of the player then choose from their own six cards the one that best matches the sentence from the Storyteller. Each gives the selected card to the Storyteller, without showing it to the others. The Storyteller shuffles their chosen card with the cards from the other players, and all cards are dealt face up. The players then, except for the Storyteller, have to secretly guess which picture was the Storyteller’s, using their numbered voting tokens.
If nobody, or everybody, finds the correct picture the Storyteller scores 0, and each of the other players scores 2. Otherwise the Storyteller and all players who found the correct answer score 3. In addition, all other players other than the Storyteller score 1 point for each vote their own pictures receive.
Skills
The skill of the game is being able, as the Storyteller, to offer a phrase that is not too obscure (so that no other player can identify it) nor too obvious (so that every player is able to guess it). The strength of the game comes from its graphic nature (so there are no language barriers) and anyone can play from any country. Also, because it has become a cult game there are now about ten expansion packs, i.e., different sets of cards with various topics to keep it fresh and interesting. All in all, a very simple but intuitive and educational game. It certainly gets the kids thinking about how to describe pictures and put together descriptive phrases.
Round-up
We played the game as a family about six times and it was a definite hit. We will add it to our repertoire and play it during the dark evenings of winter 🙂 For more information, and perhaps even to purchase, please click here.
Disclaimer
PackThePJs received Dixit as a member of the Asmodee UK Blogger Board Game Club. Are opinions are, as always, our own.
