Great Games #2: Dixit

Favorite Game #2: Dixit

Dixit is a French game thats a little hard to explain but easy to play. Players are each given a hand of cards with pictures on them. The active player chooses a card and says a word or phrase that characterizes their card. The other players then choose a card they thing fits with the word or phrase. The cards are then mixed together and laid out for all to see. Players vote on which card they think belongs to the active player.

If the rules ended there Dixit would be a somewhat fun, somewhat frustrating game but the scoring method is what really makes Dixit interesting, if everybody votes for the active player's card or if nobody votes for the active player's card the active player gets no points and everybody else gets zero. Non-active players get 1 point for everybody who guessed their card. This sets up kind of a perverse scenario where players want to vote for themselves, however if only some players vote for the active player's card the active player and the players that chose the active player's card get three points plus one point for each player that chose their card. So its more valuable to find the active player's card than to not. Play continues until somebody scores 30 points, score is tracked on a board with delightful little rabbit tokens.

This is another game thats good for younger players and for people who normally claim they don't like board games. Dixit takes a lot longer than Sushi Go and is better in quieter environments. There are several expansion packs and, at least for the version we have, the box is built to accommodate those additional cards. I'll put links to the main game and a couple of the expansions below.