Board Games
How to play Dixit
Blend an illustrated card with decoys under an evocative clue. The storyteller wants some, but not all, players to identify it.
What you need
Illustrated cards, numbered display slots, voting dials and scoring pawns
Set up the game
- Deal six cards each; pawns start at zero. The first player with a clue becomes storyteller.
- At three players deal seven; each non-storyteller submits two decoys, not one.
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Playing Dixit
- Storyteller secretly chooses a card and gives a clue. Each opponent submits a fitting card. Shuffle submissions and display in numbered slots.
- Non-storytellers secretly vote for the storyteller’s card, never their own. Reveal together.
- If some but not all find it, storyteller and correct voters score three each. If all or none find it, storyteller scores zero and each opponent two. Opponents also score one per vote attracted by their decoys.
- Discard displayed cards, refill hands, and pass storytelling left. After a turn reaching thirty, highest total wins; tied leaders share victory.
An imperfect clue succeeds
In a five-player round two of four voters find the storyteller. Those two and the storyteller receive three each. If a wrong voter picked your decoy, you also earn one. A clue everyone understood perfectly would have given the storyteller zero.
Discuss after votes
Let everyone commit before explaining pictures. A short discussion after scoring can make a round memorable without altering its result. Different interpretations are part of the challenge; insistence that one association is objectively correct misses the purpose of the game. Next time, use what you learned about the group without simply recycling a clue.
Check older boxes
Some earlier editions use different player limits or end conditions. The Refresh three-player adjustment changes both hand size and submissions; merely playing the six-card format with three people misses an important rule. Count the number of displayed decoys before voting so a card does not disappear accidentally into a hand.
Beginner decisions
- A clue should allow more than one plausible reading. Naming the obvious object may reveal your card to everyone; a completely private memory may help nobody.
- Match a decoy to the clue’s mood or idea, not just one pictured item. Think why someone could believe it inspired the storyteller.
Common rule mix-ups
- Voting for your own card.
- Giving the storyteller points when every opponent guessed correctly.
Questions about this game
Must clues be single words?
No. Phrases, sounds, songs or mimes are permitted.
Does thirty interrupt scoring?
Finish the turn’s scoring, then compare totals.
Sources and edition notes
Dixit Refresh, Libellud 2021 rulebook, three to eight players. Includes the three-player adjustment.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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