Dixit: How to make friends and influence people

(Originally posted on BoardGameGeek.)

Three to six players, the more the better. About half an hour to play, but very flexible. Normally it lasts as long as the players are interested.

Think Apples to Apples crossed with Balderdash, and you’ve got a handle on Dixit. It’s a game for talking to friends, for making friends, for learning about friends. The base mechanics of the game only really require the (beautifully illustrated) cards, a way to number the ones on the table from one to however many players you have, and a way to secretly vote on one of the chosen cards; if you have more than six, I believe it would work with up to eight, but I’ve only played it with four at most.

Dixit is a game of inside jokes and references. Everyone has a hand of uniquely illustrated cards. The active player chooses one from their hand, places it face-down on the table, and gives a short description to the other players. The others must then choose a card from their hands and place it face-down with the first. The chosen cards get shuffled and flipped over, and everyone but the active player must secretly vote on one card. After everyone has voted, the active player reveals which one they chose.

The scoring system is where Dixit shines. If everyone chooses the active player’s card, they all get two points and the active player gets nothing. This ensures that your description won’t be overly precise. If nobody chooses the active player’s card, they all get two points and the active player gets nothing. This ensures that your description won’t be overly vague. Between these two situations, the active player gets three points as an award for an interesting description, everyone that guesses correctly gets three points as an award for knowing the active player, and each non-active player also gets a point for each vote their card got.

Because of this system, you’re rewarded for sharing some background with the other players. For example, I once gave the clue “my mom” at a game with my wife. The cards were flipped to reveal a few interesting things, including a ladybug, my mom’s favorite animal. My wife knew exactly which one to vote for, and the other people at the table were at a loss. However, if you only have one person at the table that you share this kind of knowledge with, you’re at a disadvantage: remember, they’ll also get three points, as well as any points other players give them through their vote. Therefore, you must rotate who you choose when making your reference.

Dixit is loads of casual, friendly fun, and lots of conversation comes out of why people chose the cards that they did. If you play with the same people long enough, it gets more and more difficult to come up with a good clue, too – I can never use my mom’s ladybug fanhood again with my friends from Oregon, for example. Points are tracked on a VP track, but could just as easily be written, allowing you to play to a particular time (when the brownies come out) or score, or until the cards run out (recommended). An expansion pack of cards is also readily available (and worth it), but it doesn’t fit well in the original box.

Recommended for a casual group of good friends, as an after dinner snack of a game.