Each card in your hand holds a story. How that story unfolds is entirely up to you.
Dixit is a popular tabletop game made for 3 to 6 players (or more, if you own any of the Dixit expansions). Designed by artist Jean-Louis Roubira, it’s a card game that everyone of any age can appreciate because of its beauty and its intrigue.
If this is your first time picking up Dixit, no worries — the game is simple and very easy to learn!
Below we’ve made a guide on how to play Dixit to help you get started.
Overview
- Popular tabletop game made for 3 to 6 players
- Designed by artist Jean-Louis Roubira
The object of the game is simple: for you to be the first player to reach thirty (30) points. To earn thirty (30) points, players take turns in being the storyteller.
The stories you tell must be related to the card you choose. It can either be a lyric, a word, a song title, or even an action. The limit is your imagination!
Setting Up Game
Dixit is pretty simple to set up.
Step 1
Take out the game board from the box and place it in the middle of your table or playing surface.
Step 2
Get everyone to choose a color from the player tokens.
Step 3
After everyone gets their voting and player tokens, you can start shuffling the cards and deal six cards to each player.
Step 4
Place ALL player tokens on the “Start” marker on the playing board.
And now you’re all set up!
Mechanics
As mentioned earlier, each player takes turns being the storyteller for one round.
To start the game, you have to first choose a card from your hand. Your job as the storyteller is to describe this card with as much or as little detail as you can to your fellow players.
Once you’re done describing your card, the other players must pick a card from their hand that they think matches your description. After choosing, players will then place their cards face down on the table and wait for the storyteller to gather all the cards.
The storyteller (you) shuffles the cards and places them right-side-up on the playing surface, revealing the cards to all the players. When all cards are set in place, other players use their voting tokens to vote on the card they think is the storyteller’s.
After all the votes are in, the storyteller can now reveal his card to the rest of the players.
The Point System
If all the players manage to find the storyteller’s card, then all players (except the storyteller) receive two (2) points. Winning players move their tokens up two steps.
If none of the players find the storyteller’s card, then all players get two (2) points and the storyteller still gets zero (0) points. On top of those two points, each player gets one (1) bonus point per vote on their card.
(i.e., If you get three votes on your card, you get three bonus points.)
If at least one player guesses the storyteller’s card, then both the storyteller and the player who found the card get three (3) points. Every other player gets one (1) bonus point per vote on their card.
Once everyone is given their respective points, discard the used cards and gather them in a pile to put aside. Have each player draw from the deck until they have six (6) cards back in their hands.
Winning the Game
Again, the first player to reach thirty (30) points wins the game. However, if the draw deck runs out of cards before any of the players reach thirty points, then the player with the most points wins.
Playing with Three Players
There are some slight variations in a three-player game. For instance, instead of six cards, each player is dealt with seven (7) cards.
Out of the seven cards, the storyteller will choose one card to describe while the rest of the players can choose two (2) cards to guess.
Since there will be a total of five (5) cards in play, each player will be given five tokens (not three) to use during the voting period.
Dixit takes about an hour to complete, but it gets even better when more players are participating. So we suggest you invite everyone you know to game night and get a few expansion decks to create an entirely new experience!
Tips and Tricks for Playing Dixit
Dixit is a simple game and almost anyone of any age can play it, but you can never go wrong with a few tips and tricks to ensure victory.
Tip 1: Focus on the little details
It might not seem obvious at the start, but the little details are what make Dixit illustrations fun, exciting, and memorable. By learning how to see the little things, you can give other players better descriptions of your card. Alternatively, you can also guess other storyteller’s cards faster.
Tip 2: Don’t be too obvious
This goes without saying, but it’s still nice to be reminded: DON’T BE TOO OBVIOUS WITH YOUR DESCRIPTIONS. If you make it too easy for other players to guess your card, you’re more likely to lose points than gain them.
Tip 3: When in doubt, think randomly
There’s certainly no denying that some of the cards in Dixit are a little difficult to understand and decipher — even for the storyteller. But, when in doubt, it’s always easier to just choose a random clue and get on with the game.
Recommendations
If you want to play more games like Dixit, we do have a couple of recommendations you can try.
Detective Club
Detective Club is a four- to eight-player game that is played very similarly to Dixit but in reverse. Instead of being the only player to know what the card contains, one player is left to guess the mystery while the others work together to keep the secret safe.
Mysterium
Full of mystery and mischief, Mysterium is a great game for players who don’t really mind a little scare. The gameplay is a little different from Dixit, however, the storytelling and depth are very similar, making it a great alternative if you want to take a break from playing Dixit for a while.
Conclusion
Dixit can be a great way to pass the time with friends and family. It’s simple and child-friendly, plus the art and illustration are worth every penny you spend on buying the original set and its other expansions.
You can play as three players or you can play as six — either way, you’re gonna have a heck of a time!