Review 5: Dixit

This is the first card game that I have reviewed and it is amazing! I watched it being played by Will Wheaton on his board game review web program TableTop on the Geek and Sundry Channel (have a look but be mindful that the language can be a little colourful at times).  I got a copy and then played it with friends.  Since then at least 2 of people I’ve introduced the game to now have a copy…..both with expansions (that I enviously don’t have).   This game well deserves its award for 2010 for Game of the Year in my opinion:

Name: Dixit

Players: 3-5

Playing Time: 30 minutes

Suggested Ages: 8 and up

Awards: Numerous – most notably 2010 Spiel des Jahres Winner

Game Setting:

Each player is entering into a game of second guessing and careful consideration.  The key is trying to think with the same mind as the other player, but not wanting to be thinking the same as all of them.   Every card is unique and the players move rabbit shaped playing pieces around the scoring track set in the inside of the game box.  

Game Play:

Each player takes a coloured rabbit and places it on the score track and then takes the corresponding coloured numbers depending on the number of players in the game.

Each player is then dealt a hand of cards.  Each card has a different and very bizarre picture on it.  When I say bizarre I refer to a blazing heart in a bell jar or a man on a ladder chiselling clouds.   More examples include two ants sword fighting on top of a stack of coins or an elderly man made of autumn leaves walking towards distant hills.

Each turn the players whose turn it is selects a card from their hand, plays it face down and then uses a ‘sound’, ‘word’ or ‘sentence’ about their card.  The player can say whatever they like about their card.  However depending on what is said will impact on the scoring.  All the other players then choose a card from their hand which they think could be interpreted as the start player’s card and lay it face down also.

Once all the cards have been laid face down, they are then shuffled and turned face up.  Each player (expect the players whose turn it is) then attempts to try to work out which card is the start players card.  Once all the votes have been cast using the coloured numbers the start player reveals which was their card.

The scoring then takes place.  If all the players have guessed the start players card, they all score 2 points and the start player scores nothing, in this example the start player has made their ‘sound’, ‘word’ or ‘sentence’ too obvious.  Similarly if none of the players pick the start player’s card they all score 2 points and the start player scores nothing and in this example the start player has made his card too difficult to work out.  For the start player to score, at least one of the other players needs to pick their card (but not all of them, as outlined above).  When this happens the start player scores 3 points and any of the players that guessed the card also score 3 points.  For anyone who did not pick the start players card, they give a bonus 1 point to the person who laid the card that they thought was the start players card.

After the scoring each player takes a new card and play passes to the left. The game then simply continues from there until either there are no more cards to be drawn or until a player scores 30 points.

It’s as simple as that. 

My Score:

Game Play:  4/4
Components: 2/2
Replayability: 2/2
Theme: 2/2

Total: 10/10

My Comments:

This game is one of my very favourites.  It is brilliant and so unlike anything else that I’ve played.  It’s easy to teach, easy to play and open to anyone.

The key to Dixit is that no single player is left feeling that they are at a disadvantage because of one key factor, each card can and is interpreted in any way that the player wants it to be.  One player will see a card and think of a film quote, another player might see the same card and think of a book reference.  A child may look at the same card and simply say “this card scares me” and another player might look at one some detail in the picture and take something from it.

I’ve played this with lots of different people and even the more reluctant people have enjoyed it, so much so that I’ve found that one game is often not enough and it’s usually played two or three times in a row. 

Different people bring different feels to the game as well, which is a feature of the game I like.  I’ve played one game where almost all the cards were film references and have played another game where the cards were referred to as experiences from our uni past.

The art work feels non-threatening and the fact that the score track is part of the box itself just adds to the planning that has gone into the game.

Why Rabbits, no idea!  Does it make a difference, no.  Is it random like the cards, yes.  That’s why I love this game.  Why is it called Dixit, well that I can answer, Dixit is the French word for ‘he said’ and as it’s a French designed game it all fits.

To give a balanced view however there is a couple of draw backs.  The first is that the more times that the game is played with the same people the more the cards become increasingly difficult to think of new ways of interpreting the cards.  Secondly if you play with groups of people who have played before there are instances where players uses the cards in ways that some have heard before but not the others, therefore creating easier scoring rounds.

The last feature, which I have found, is that the after a while you get to know the cards and therefore you start second guessing what card has been played before you even see it.  The expansions allow for more variation and I think that there is a lot of mileage in this.  

In my view these are only minor issues and only come after playing the games many times.

Overall a score of 10/10 is well deserved and Dixit is a firm favourite by the majority of those who give it a try.

I would absolutely recommend people to pick it up and have a go, in fact I would say this over all the over games that I have reviewed so far.  Christmas is coming and for anyone who wants a great new game to play after the dinner is done, this will go down a treat.  If you’re not celebrating Christmas then you can pick up and play dixit even sooner!