Dixit

Dixit is a game of strategy, storytelling, and beautiful imagery. The rules and gameplay are simple: Each player holds six cards, each rendered with unique artwork. On your turn, you’re the Active Player and you’ll give a clue pertaining to one of the cards in your hand. The clue can be a word, phrase, song lyric, anything. The other players will then submit to you (face down) a card from their hand that best fits the clue you’ve given. All of the cards are then placed face up in random order and all of the players (except the Active Player) place bets on which card is the active card, the one played by the clue giver. Once all bets have been placed, the Active Player reveals which card was his and points are distributed based on which cards received votes. The first player to reach 30 points wins the game.

As the Active Player, you don’t want everyone to guess your card (you’ll get zero points) and you don’t want it so that none of the other players vote on your card (you’ll also score zero that way). 

As the non-active player, the best case scenario is to play a card that fits the clue given better than the card the Active Player has played and for you to be the only one who guessed the active card. In that way, you’ll get 2 points for every player who mistakenly picks your card and you’ll get three points for picking correctly, as will the Active Player.

As the Active Player, you don’t want to give a clue so good that everyone immediately knows which card is yours. For instance, my husband played the card below with the clue ‘guilty.’ My daughter and I knew which card was his. His clue was the same as saying, “An owl judge scowling at a rabbit, anteater, and pig.”

As with many board games, it’s best to just read the rules and dive in to get the hang of it. And while it’s nice to have a winner, and even nicer to actually be the winner, the real fun is had with all of the imaginative storytelling and beauty of the playing cards.  There are a few examples below:

If you’re hosting a game night, as we do once a month, I’d suggest playing this game last. It’s the perfect laid back, end of the night game, best enjoyed with friends who have great imaginations.

You can find Dixit at your local game/comics store or on Amazon.com.