Dixit

I recently received a game that I previously did not know exist. I never saw the game played, but I was really excited about it. When I first played it with some friends, I was absolutely in love with the game. Its party game-style rules, beautiful and vaguely disturbing oversized cards, and the necessity for storytelling were all of great appeal to me. I therefore feel obligated to bring this great game into the eyes of my readers.

GAMEPLAY:

Dixit is, in a way, similar to Apples to Apples. The game can be played with 4-6 players, but I find that four is too few. The rules are simple. You are dealt six cards, like the ones below.

Then one person is designated the "Storyteller". The Storyteller chooses a card from his or her hand and makes a word, phrase, or sentence to describe that card. For example, the Storyteller could choose the card in the bottom left corner (The dice with the devil coming out of it) and say "Fate" to describe it. The Storyteller then puts the card face down in the center of the table. Then all of the non-Storytellers take a look at their hand and find the one that best fits "Fate" and put that card in the pile. The Storyteller then shuffles the cards and places them face up next to each other. The Storyteller then numbers each card. All the non-Storytellers then use their number tokens to vote for the card they believe is the Storyteller's. If he or she is correct, then he or she gets three points, and the Storyteller gets three points. However, if everybody chooses the Storyteller's cards, the Storyteller gets no points. If a non-Storyteller votes for a non-Storyteller's card, then the voter gets no points and the owner of the card that was voted for gets one point. The Bunnies representing the players then move an according number of squares. A new Storyteller is then chosen and the game continues in the same fashion until someone gets 30 or more points.

WHAT I LOVE:

 The best part of Dixit is its innovative storytelling design. You'll never have the same experience more than once. It's also a wonderful conversation-starter (Who wouldn't be interested in the reason for labeling such a card so-and-so?). Another great thing is that, because of the game's nature, it's hard to care about winning or losing, and even harder to win more than once in a row, as the game pretty much puts everyone who plays it on even terms. Therefore, when it comes right down to it, victory is mostly based on luck of the draw, but this is hardly a complaint. Most importantly, you can bring it into any situation, teach it in under five minutes, and play with a group of friends (Or strangers).

WHAT'S NOT SO GREAT:

It can be hard to get a game of four or more interested people together. Also, though this can be a good thing as well (Note that a similar sentiment to the one I am about to express is also in "What I Love"), players start on even terms. Those who like to have an edge through experience will be disappointed. The only real way to have an edge in the game is through a natural storytelling ability. Finally, after many plays through, players come to know the cards, and can sometimes even predict the Storyteller's card (I was able to do this successfully on multiple occasions). However, there is an easy way to solve this. There is a Dixit 2 expansion, which could presumably mix things up a bit.

OVERALL:

Dixit is utterly deserving of the awards it has received. It is my favorite game of all time, with something in it that should appeal to everyone. Even if you're not a big gamer, buy it. It's not terribly expensive, and the oversized images on the cards are wonderful even when they're not being used. Don't pass the game up. Ever.