Dixit merges storytelling with a guessing game for children and adults to enjoy. It turns out that it is hard to play Dixit alone, but also good when played with others. The creativity comes out as people vie for the most interesting story and catchphrases ensue on top of it. That is why the Dixit review is here to tell you the truth about this game!
| Release | 2008 |
| Players | 3 – 6 |
| Playing Time | ~30 min |
| Age | 8+ |
| Category | Storytelling, Card Game |
| Designer | Jean-Louis Roubira |
| Artist | Marie Cardouat |
| Publishers | Asmodee, Libellud |
Overview and Theme
Dixit is a 3-6 player party game designed by Jean-Louis Roubira. It simulates walking through an art exhibit, with players coming up with witticisms or crude humor to enhance their enjoyment of the exhibit.
Each player is dealt a hand of cards depicting odd yet compelling art that they must use to describe other people’s pictures.
Dixit is an easy and entertaining way to participate in a wholesome game of imagination.
Mechanics and Rules
The object of the game is to be the first player to 30 points. Each player chooses a color and takes voting tokens equal to the number of players. In each round, one player is the active player. The active player picks one card from his hand and describes it with as much or as little detail as they choose. Descriptions can be a part of a poem or song, a movie title, a proverb, a noise, a word, a sentence, anything you want. Every other player then picks a card from their hand that they think closely matches the active player’s description. These cards are placed face down on the table.
And once all have been received, the active player shuffles them and flips them over, revealing them to all the players. The cards are placed in the spaces next to the board, starting with number one. Every player except the active player now uses their voting token to secretly pick which card corresponded to by the number it’s on, they think is the active player. Once all the votes are in, players reveal their choices by placing it on the card they picked the active player, then reveals which card is theirs.
If all players find the active player’s card, then the active player receives zero points, and every other player receives two points. If no player finds the active player’s card, then the active player receives zero points, and every other player receives two points. Additionally, every player receives one bonus point per vote on their card if at least one player, but not all the players find the active player’s card.
Then the active player receives three points, and each player who found the active player’s card receives three points. Additionally, every other player receives one bonus point per vote on their card. Move your score token up one. Each point you received, discard the used cards, and every player draws until they have six cards back in their hand. The active player rotates clockwise to the next player. The first player to 30 points wins. However, if the draw deck runs out of cards before, the player with the most points wins in a three-player game. Each player has seven cards in their hand, instead of six, use the voting numbers, one through five, and each round, the non-active players submit two cards instead of the normal one.
Gameplay: Complexity and replayability
There are possibly two weaknesses to Dixit. The first is that the 84 cards are incredible, but I feel that I may get bored of them after seeing those same pictures repeatedly. However, I can get more use out of the game by purchasing more expansions later on down the line.
Secondly, there is some limited creative freedom when it comes to describing your cards. Some players will get stuck with what they are willing or able to say, and thus their game might end quickly while others enjoy playing without all of the fuss. Introducing this game to new people can turn out well even if those people are not particularly “creative” with their descriptions because the board game is all about using your imagination and being creative.
Dixit Review: Components and Setup
A friend invited me to try this new board game they just discovered, Dixit. The box design didn’t catch my attention at first, but once we got started, I really enjoyed it. I was wrong about it in the first place. I thought that it was another party game, but after looking through the rules and cards – and because there were around 200 new party games released every year – I figured that this one would be just like the rest.
Artwork and Component quality
Dixit has a deck of cards with bizarre, unidentified images on them. These games have highly detailed characters. There are a variety of strange things happening with them in each game. The pieces are made up of detailed pictures that could be from any fantasy story.
All components are of good quality. The board is a simple, functional piece but nothing special. It measures 18 x 14 inches and has two rows of 5 spaces each.
The game board itself looks plain; it’s not something that you’ll take out once in a while to show off the artwork on it or anything like that. It’s simply there to track your progress.
Bottom Line
Well, I’ll tell you this Dixit is one of the best party games I played in a long time and maybe the best party game. It certainly doesn’t look like it’s a party game. It has this surrealistic aspect with the cards, but especially when played with an excellent group, this is an amazing game where you’re trying to out-think each other, but not so much that it makes your brain hurt.
- Popular tabletop game made for 3 to 6 players
- Designed by artist Jean-Louis Roubira
It’s just amusing, and it’s an experience that I think board gamers should definitely go out of their way to try. It’s not a board game for everybody, though. It has this abstract art style that is certainly going to turn some people off right from the get-go. But I’m telling you if you play with family or friends you differently should buy it.