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Review #26: Dixit

# of Players: 3-6
Playtime: 0-30 Minutes
Core Mechanic: Voting
Theme: Story
Type: Party
Weight: Light
Year: 2008

Rating: 6.5*

When I first started playing board games, this was the party game that everyone was talking about. As I was new to board games, I got swept right into the hype. Amazing artwork combined with seemingly solid mechanics, it definitely appealed to me more than the popularity driven games of Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity. However, the biggest problem I saw was myself and that I could not picture myself as a creative or clever person and that could potentially hold back my enjoyment of the game.


Each player has a set of cards with wacky illustrations on them. Each round, one player, the storyteller, will select one of his or her cards secretly and put it face down in the middle of the table and say a word or phrase that has to do with the illustration on the card. The other players will then select a card from their hand that they think the word or phrase could apply to and puts it face down as well. The pile of cards are shuffled and everyone except the storyteller tries to guess which card the storyteller played.


Players get 3 points if they can correctly guess the card that the storyteller played but also get 1 point for each other player that guesses the card he or she played. The storyteller gets 3 points for each correct guess by the other players, but if everyone is able to guess correctly or if no one can, the storyteller does not gain any points for making it too easy or hard and everyone else gets 2 points. Players then replenish their hands and the game continues until the deck is empty.

The key of the game is being able to come up with good clues that some will understand and some will not. I am terrible at this. But I can see some people being great at coming up with clues and like I previously mentioned there is logic to the game and it isn't a popularity contest over which picture fits the phrase best. It is a very light game, perfect for parties, but not perfect for me. I prefer Mysterium over this game, which adds more structure to the game but also at the expense of making the game heavier. But as intended, this makes a great game to add to the Gateway collection. And because of its reputation, even though it may not be my favorite, I think many would consider it a must-have and so I will put it into the Essential and Collector collections as well.


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