Dixit is a competitive game of tricking other players and benefiting from your deception through enchanting art and creative story telling
Total Game Play: 30 minutes
Designer(s): Jean-Louis Roubira
Artist(s): Marie Cardouat
Publisher: Libellud
Many games use abstract art as a key component of their design and Dixit leans hard into the world of abstract art and storying telling. Each card in Dixit has its own unique art that can be interpreted in many different ways and that’s just what the game wants!
The storyteller will tell a story around one card and the other players have convince the table that their card belongs to the storyteller. But there’s a catch! The storyteller wants to be caught but not by everyone at the table so the story has to be just abstract enough.
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Gameplay Overview
This is a general overview to provide context for the review, not an in-depth how to play. Some rules may be glossed over or missing.
Dixit is a game for 3 – 6 players. I have only played the base games but there are expansions for the game including: Dixit: Mirrors, Dixit: Chilean Way, Dixit: Anniversary, Dixit: Harmonies, Dixit: Revelations, Dixit: Memories, Dixit: Daydreams, Dixit: Odyssey, Dixit: Origins, Dixit: Journey, and Dixit: Quest.
Dixit feels like a party game, played when you want to relax and focus on enjoying the company of the other players. To really get this feel of the game, I would recommend playing it a higher player count. More players means more options. And more options generally means more confusion. So, the ultimate conclusion of the game is pure chaos.
Game Flow
The game is player turn by turn, going in rounds until the game ends. During a players’ turn, they become the storyteller and will take the lead for that moment.
Setup
The setup for Dixit is pretty easy. The board should be placed somewhere on the table where everyone will be able to see the card display (on the side with listed numbers). Each player will choose a color and will place the corresponding bunny on the points tracker. They will also take the number tiles of their colors (listed 1 through 6). The last step of setup is dealing each player their hand of six cards.
Player Turns
During a player turn, they will be the storyteller. The player will choose a card from their hand and come up with a phrase that loosely matches the card. This could be either a world or a sentence. It could even be a sound! What is allowed is really up to who you are playing with.
After hearing the phrase, the other players will choose cards from their hand that they think also match the phrase. One card from each player will be placed in the center and shuffled together before the storyteller randomly places them out into the card display.
All players except for the storyteller will then secretly vote on which card they think belongs to the Storyteller. This is done by placing the corresponding number tile facedown. Points are rewarded to the players and/or the storyteller depending on how many people found the storyteller’s card.
Concept: Deceiving Some but not All
If everyone finds the storytellers card, then everyone except the story teller will be able to earn points. If no one find the storytellers card, then everyone except the story teller will be able to earn points. The storyteller wants some players to find their card but not all players. When this is the case, the storyteller and whoever found their card will earn points.
One thing I find as a fun incentive is that players will also gain points for the number of votes their card receives. It really incentivizes the players to be crafty in their choice of cards.
End Game
The game ends once a player reached the end of the points track (or whenever you feel like the game has run its course). Whoever has the most points, wins!!
Who Will Like it?
Dixit is a great, light game perfect for a party setting or with newer gamers. This game has a similar vibe to Mysterium but with a competitive spin. This game is great for family get togethers as well as it can work with players of all ages!
What I Think
Dixit is a fun light game that is great for a party but maybe not so great for those who are into a heavier type of game.
What did I like?
I love the art of the Dixit cards and the conversations they can produce. This game can get people talking once everything has been revealed and start some pretty interesting dialogues.
What didn’t I like?
The replayability of this game can feel a little stagnant as you begin to see the same cards over and over. I am not sure if this is offset by the expansions as I have never played them. One of the more inherent problems with the game is if two people are on the same wavelength, they can propel each other forward with inside jokes and sayings. I find that this breaks the spirit of the game.
My Take
Dixit is something lighter than a gamer of any experience can enjoy. The game has an even playing field as someone with experience holds not advantage to someone without experience. That being said, I found it has limited playability with just the base deck and it can be hard to come up with so many unique phrases that can fit a lot of cards.
Breakdown
Rulebook/Learning the Game
The rulebook for Dixit is simple, well laid out, and easy to learn. The rules are easy to understand and since the game is so simple, there isn’t a need for too many pages. In fact, it’s really just a one page, double-sided sheet.
First Play
The first play of Dixit was a lot of fun as discovering new cards felt refreshing and the game pushed me out of my comfort zone by making me a storyteller. The game definitely felt like more of a conversation as I learned the reasons behind some of the phrases that other players associated with cards. It was thought provoking.
Subsequent Plays
After that first play, I did get a little more into the strategy of the game and I found myself trying to find stories and phrases that went with multiple cards in my own hand. I thought that if it could fit two cards within my hand, then it more than likely could fit cards in other players hands as well. There was a find balance between finding descripting sayings that weren’t too specific or too vague.
Rating
4/10
While I do think Dixit is a well put together game, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. I would much rather play other games that had a little more intensive thinking and direction. But, that being said, I can very easily see why this game would be enjoyable for many others especially those who like lighter complexity games.
*See my rating scale Here
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