Dixit: Board Game Part 2

Although the cards’ surrealist design helps each game seem different there seemed to a too small amount of cards. Each card previously played in a former game quickly reappeared but now attached with meaning already. If a storyteller has already defined a card as being sadness in a previous game it is difficult to detach this meaning from the card and come up with a new and different interpretation.

The game is based on how players perceive certain images and word combinations. Unfortunately this also comes with its flaws. Much like Trivial Pursuit is impossible to win if playing against people with a large generation gap. A 15-year old will most likely know much less than a 50-year old would. Simply because the game is based on how much trivial knowledge you have accumulated by the time you are playing. Likewise Dixit has its issues with generation gaps as well as cultural differences. While the older players knew what was meant by the phrase Count of Monte Cristo, players who had not read or seen the book or movie had a slim chance of guessing the correct card. This causes a slight unfairness and some players may try to capitalize on this by using phrases that are largely restricted to their own generation. As with most games like Trivial Pursuit and Jeopardy, Dixit can not fix this issue without rebuilding the entire game and then the purpose of the game would be lost.

While on topic of games like Trivial Pursuit there is actually an issue that Dixit has fixed which Trivial Pursuit still has problems with. Turn based games are bumpy ride, you’re having fun for a couple of minutes and then you wait until it’s your turn again. Who hasn’t played Monopoly and just decided to go make a cup of tea while waiting for it to be your turn again, only to return and play for two minutes before your turn is over again? Dixit’s mechanic of having all players contribute with a card makes almost eliminates the feeling of it being a turn based game. This is definitely something other turn-based games could look at and try to incorporate in their own games, as it is a success in Dixit.

Dixit is in many ways an odd game. While I enjoyed many aspects of the game and liked how the mechanics worked I didn’t feel compelled to buying the game after having played two games. It’s a well-designed game I just wasn’t intrigued or attracted to it. Perhaps it’s more suited as a game that you pull out of the attic when your family comes to visit for Christmas.