Dixit Journey: Family Edition

             Dixit is an unusual, captivating board game that unleashes the imagination.  It is not a high strategy game and luck isn’t really a consideration.  Dixit is a game based on communication, cleverness, and understanding the minds of your opponents.  This 2010 game of the year winner is very easy to learn and can be played by 3 to 6 people, ages 8 and up.  One game only takes about 30 minutes! If you are interested in Dixit style games, you will be glad to know there are many versions: the original, Jinx, Origins, Family Edition—to name a few.  All offer an enjoyable variation.  My husband and I (and the kids) play Dixit Journey: the family edition.  We have also played this version with our adult friends and it works with many age groups. We enjoy this version a great deal, so let’s learn how to play this thought provoking game. 

                When you open the box, you will find a scoreboard, 6 game pieces, and 6 sets of voting tokens. 

 

          Each game piece is a different color; each player will choose one game piece and place it on the starting space of the scoreboard.    

 

                You will also find 84 cards.  Once these are shuffled, deal six cards to each player. The players should not reveal their cards to the other players. The illustrations on these cards are amazing.  Every card is a miniature work of art! You could spend a great deal of time discussing the nuances of each card.

 

              The game also contains voting tokens.  The voting tokens come in 6 colors and are numbered 1-6.  All players take the voting tokens that coordinate with the game piece they chose. For example, if you choose to be red, you have a red game piece and red voting tokens.  Also, if 4 people are playing, those players only need the voting tokens numbered 1-4.  If 5 play, then you would need tokens 1-5.  

 

            By this point, every person has six cards.  The first player becomes the active player.  The active player chooses one card in his/her hand.  Next, he or she thinks up a clue that matches the card.  A clue can be just a word or phrase, a sound, a group of sounds, or a pop-culture reference.  It can be a line from a movie or its title.  It can come from a poem, book, or a play.  It could be an idiom, metaphor, or proverb. You could even sing a line from a song.  The box of this game says, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”  That phrase rings true for Dixit as each card yields so many, dare I say thousands, of possible clues.

Creating a good clue is the key strategy of the game.  When a clue is done well, it will help you score points.  If not, your opponents score points.  When the active player states his or her  clue, the other players search their own six cards for one card that matches the stated clue.  Each player places his or her chosen card face down with the active player’s card.  The active player then shuffles together these cards and places them on the numbered spaces on the scoreboard.

 

Each player’s goal is to examine the cards and to find the actual card that was described and played by the active player.  This is tricky because everyone has played a card to match the same clue.  A player votes by placing a numbered voting token face-down on the table.  If a player wants to vote for the card in spot 2, he or she places the token with 2 face-down on the table.   The voting token is placed face down so other players cannot see it. The active player does not vote.

Once everyone has voted, the voting tokens are revealed and placed on the coordinating cards.  If voting token 1 is revealed, it would be placed on top of card 1. The active player then tells everyone which card was his or hers.  This part of the game brings so many surprises!

 

Now, it is time to explain how to score points in the game. This is important because it helps you to understand how to create a clue that scores.   The active player scores 0 points if everyone chooses his or her card.  That means that the clue was too easy or obvious.  If none of the players identify the active player’s card, he or she gets 0 points.  That means the clue was too obscure or difficult.  The active player can score 3 points, if 1 or more players find his or her card but not all the players find the card.  For instance, imagine 5 people are playing. If two people find the clue and 3 do not, the active player would earn 3 points. 

The other players can earn points too.  If everyone finds the active player’s card, the other players earn two points each.  If no players find the active player’s card, all the other players earn two points plus one bonus point per vote on their individual cards.  Let’s say the active player’s card is card 1.  No one votes for it but 3 people voted for card 2.  Whichever player played card 2 would score 2 points plus 3 bonus points.  This is a great aspect of the game-- no matter whose turn it is, all the players are engaged in game play.

Now that you know the scoring, you can understand how to create a clue.  Here are some tips for creating a clue as an active player.  Try to choose a clue that some people would know but not everyone—that is how you will score points.  For example, if you are playing with a group of people, some of which you know enjoy or have studied Greek mythology, you might give the clue “Fighting fate” for this card.

 

The clue refers to the three daughters, or Fates,  who determine the life span of every mortal by spinning and cutting the thread of life.  If you are playing with a different group, a clue referencing Greek mythology might not work.  Another possibility is to  use the idiom, “hanging on by a thread.” Another phrase that would go with this card is "Tug o' war."  That might be too obvious and result in everyone finding your card.  Remember, you want to make a clue that works well for your group.  Thus, you see that every card has infinite possibilities determined not only by the mind of the active player but by the minds of the other players in the game.  It takes skill to craft a clue that will score you points. Also, when you are trying to find the active player’s card, consider what you know about the person who made the clue.  This knowledge will help you choose.

           The cards that other players put out can make choosing the correct card difficult. Remember, the other players can only play the cards in their hands.  Sometimes, they really have to stretch to find something the matches the clue. Sometimes they have something that matches just as well as yours.   Let’s say active player’s clue is “fish out of water”.

          Here are some examples of card that might be played for this clue. Which one is the correct card?

 

             The original card is the first card in the 2nd row. 

As I play this game with other people, I am fascinated by how everyone’s mind is unique and different.

Give  Dixit a try.  My friends and I occasionally have Marathon game days (8-10 hours).  After a game of Catan, Carcassone and Lords of Waterdeep, Dixit is the break I need…. before we start a game of Smash-up or Smallworld.  I love that this is unlike the games we usually play and that it doesn’t take very long.  The game is fittingly called Dixit Journey—you never know where the cards will take your imagination!  Have fun!

Two of My Favorite Things

   I don't know about you, but if I can combine my two favorite hobbies together, I think it's a win-win! Well, I figured out a way to do that recently. April 5th is Table Top Day. What is Table Top Day you ask? It's a day to get together with your friends and family and play all of your favorite games. Our family LOVES games!  We decided we were going to have a party and I got to thinking of things we could do for this day. Then it hit me, I should tapestry crochet something for a decoration. 

   I pulled out my IPad and got to designing. First you have to come up with some sort of idea you want to create.I wanted to create something using the Table Top logo so I did a quick search and found one. I decided I didn't really want to do the stuff on top of the table. As cool as it looks, it would be hard to do and adds a few extra colors. The least amount of colors I think the better. Just because it's easier to untangle your yarn as you go along.

 

   I have downloaded a free pixel creator app on my IPad. I started with that. It's easier than erasing over and over on paper. The grid on the app wasn't quite big enough, so I had to do a couple of them so that it would all fit. Once I got it how I wanted it, I transferred it onto the graph paper.I found the middle of the paper and the middle of the picture. I started transferring it from there.

 

   Once it was all transferred, I gave it a quick look over. I decided I wanted to add something to the bottom to make it a little more of a square. I added Day at the bottom with a die on one side and a meeple on the other. I ended up using two pages of graph paper. I had to cut and tape it so it would be the right shape.

   To get started, you are going to count how many spaces are across your design and add one. This is how many you need to chain. Each space is one single crochet. In this case, it was 75 spaces. Once you get your chain done, you are going to lay your color(s) in your design across the top of the chain. In this pattern, I wanted the background red with yellow letters. So I chained 76 red and laid the yellow across the top. In tapestry crochet, the colors run through the inside of your work. This makes a thick sturdy piece.

   To change colors, you start like you would any regular single crochet.

   Put you hook through the stitch and yarn over.

   Pull it through so you have two loops on your hook.

   Next you are going to take the color you are using and pull it up over the second color. After you do this, take the color you had been working with and lay it down on top of your piece.

   
   You then yarn over with the second color

   and pull it through both loops. (I apologize for the poor quality of the picture.) You now have your new color ready to go. Continue until you need to switch colors again.

   As you go, your yarn is going to get twisted up. You will need to untwist every row or so depending on how long your piece of work is.

   If you are anything like me, you will get half way done and realize your design didn't work as well as you had planned. I'm a little OCD with my crafts. (Unless you ask my friends or hubby, then I'm very OCD with my crafts.) I pulled the whole top part out and went back to the drawing board. I wasn't careful and didn't have any uniformity with the letters. Some were wider than others, the circles in the letters didn't line up and there wasn't enough space between my T's. I did a little tweaking to the pattern and started going again. As I was going, I noticed a couple more things I wanted to change. Luckily they were all above where I was working and so I was able to keep going.

   I put little pencil marks on the sides as I went so I could remember which row I was on and which direction I was going. I have used other patterns before and didn't keep track. At times it was hard to remember where I was and would have to take time to figure it out. This system worked really well for me, and I didn't get lost. It also helped that I had put different pictures on it. It was easy to see which way I was reading the graph.

   12 or so hours later, I had this! I think it's amazing how you can create something on paper and make it happen. It is about the size of a place mat. Maybe a bit bigger.

   When I was done, I tweeted the picture to Wil Wheaton. He is after all, THE Table Top guy. And who doesn't like to show off their creations?? After that, I headed off to bed. When I woke up, he had actually retweeted and commented on my picture! I had 86 emails. I get an email for every thing from twitter. I was amazed. So many people had commented, retweeted and favorited it. I couldn't believe it!

    My plan is to try and get 5 more done before Table Top day so that I can use them as game mats for our party. I hope I can get them done in time! Now I need to decide what I want to design and make next!

Lords of Waterdeep Review

   Lords of Waterdeep is a worker placement style game.  When you open the box, you may be intimidated by all of the different game pieces.  Don't give up!  It's fun and easy to learn.  Here's some help to get you started.

   When you open the box, you will see this. Every piece has it's own designated compartment (OCD people may breath a sigh of relief now).

    Here is the empty board before you set up the game.

 

   The top row of meeples are your agents; there are five of each color.  The second row has score markers that coordinate with each players color of agents.  The third row is 100 point victory tokens. A player earns this once he has gone around the Scoring Track once. The final row is building control markers; there are nine of each color.

   The white castle piece is the First Player marker.   If you place your agent in Castle Waterdeep, you get to take the First Player marker and an Intrigue card.  The Lieutenant is brown and the Ambassador is white. These can be added to a users pool under certain circumstances.

   This is the money in the game. The squares are worth one and the moons are worth five.

   These  are the adventurer cubes. The white cubes are clerics.  The orange cubes are fighters.  The black cubes are rogues.  The purple cubes are wizards. 

   The object of the game is to complete quests.  These are the quest cards.  There are 5 quest types: Arcana, Commerce, Warfare, Piety, and Skullduggery.

   This is a Warfare quest card.   To complete it, you need to collect one cleric cube and 4 fighter cubes. When it's complete, you earn 8 victory points. Each quest card requires you to collect different adventurer cubes and yields various rewards (adventurers, points, cards). This particular card is a Plot Quest.   Once this type of quest is completed, it has an ongoing reward.   On this card, the ongoing reward is 2 Victory Points whenever you finish a Warfare Quest.  Most quest cards are not plot quests and their reward is given one time only. 

   These are victory point tokens.

   Here are the building tiles. Each tile has a specific name. The cost to build each card is in the upper left corner.  Under the name is the start-of-round effect (if there is one).  In the center, you will find the instructions.  In the lower right corner, the player who purchases the tile places his/her control marker. The owner benefit can be found in the lower left corner. If the owner uses the tile, they do not get the benefit.At the beginning of each round, a victory point is placed on each building in the building hall.  When your purchase the building, you earn any points piled on top. To build, you place your agent in the Builder's Hall.  You then pay the cost and set up your building in one of the empty building spaces.  Don't forget to move your score marker for each Victory Point piled on top.

   This is an Intrigue card.  These are always kept face-down. These cards can be an attack, utility, or a mandatory quest.  To play an intrigue card, place your agent in Waterdeep Harbor. The effect caused by this card only happens once for the player who uses it. If you place an agent in Waterdeep Harbor so you can use an Intrigue Card, you get to reassign your agent to an empty action space when the round is finished.

   This is another type of Intrigue card.   When another player gives you a Mandatory Quest card, you must complete it before you can complete any of your other quests.

   There are 5 player mats.  Each player chooses one that is associated with an agent of the matching color. This is where you store your items: adventurer cubes, building control markers, gold, agents, and completed quests.

   Every player is given a Lord Card which is placed face down at the bottom of the player mat.  This is a secret so the other players won't know what you have.  These cards score points at the end of the game.  For instance, the following card gives 4 additional points for each Arcana and Piety quests completed.  Every Lord card is different.

   Here is an example of how to set up the player mat. Quests are placed face-up on the left before you complete them.  When finished, they are placed near the bottom of the player mat unless it is a plot quest; a completed plot quest is placed face up on the right. Agents go on the top, control markers are under the agents, and the gold and  adventurer cubes go in the middle, called the Tavern. The Lord Cards are placed face down underneath the bottom of the card.

   When the board is set up, it will look like this.  All the spaces are labeled so it is pretty easy to set up.  Each player places one of their agents in the Round 5 space of the rounds track (every one gets that back in the 5th round.) The Intrigue cards go near the bottom of the board.  The Building Tiles are placed on the other side, opposite of the Intrigue Cards.  Put out one building tile on each building space. The center of the board has permanent buildings as well. Place 3 Victory point tokens on each space of the rounds track. In the corner, underneath the words "Dungeons and Dragons," are the Quest cards.  Place all the cards face-down in that spot.  Draw four Quest cards and put them next to it. The discard pile is on the other side of that.   All score markers are placed on zero. The scoring track goes around the outside of the board. The number of agents you start with depends on the number of players playing. Each player starts with the specified number of agents.  The first player receives four gold.  Each player to the left receives one more than the previous player. Deal each player two face-up Quest cards and two face-down Intrigue cards.
Now it is time to play!

   At the beginning of each round, place the victory point tokens from the rounds track on each building tile in the Builder's Hall. Then the first player assigns an agent to a building on the board and takes the action.  If and agent is placed on Field of Triumph, then the player takes two fighters. At the end of your turn, you may complete one quest if you have all the needed components. Place one agent at a time; play moves left until all agents have been placed. If any agents have been placed in Waterdeep Harbor, their players move them to any remaining buildings on the board. This ends the round.

   At the beginning of the next round, remember to place the victory point tokens on the building tiles.  Continue play as described above for eight rounds.

   At the end of the game, the fun part is scoring.  While you have been watching players' score markers move around the board, now is the time when you really see who has been winning all along! If you have any adventurers in your Tavern, you get one point per adventurer cube. Next, give one victory point per every two gold. Next, your reveal your Lord card and award the points as listed. The player with the most points wins! Here is an example of completed quests at the end of the game and the Lord card.  This player completed 6 Commerce and 2 Warfare.  The card states that 4 points are given for each of those type of quests so the player would be awarded 32 points.

   There are many aspects we love about this game.

• the container organizes all the pieces very well
• the art is colorful and interesting 
• it's easy to learn and fast paced but the game is still challenging
• it has an expansion so more players can participate
• it's fun trying to get what you need before your opponents take it
• it is not based completely on chance; strategy is an important part of this game

   This game is a lot of fun and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Will you be the greatest Lord of Waterdeep?

#DisneySide @Home Celebration

  *I received free products in order to host the Disney Side @Home Celebrations. The opinions expressed here are my own.

   A few months ago, I got an email asking me if I would like to host a Disney Side @Home Celebration. I of course was more than happy, seeing as how I LOVE Disney!

   I signed up and waited to see if I was picked. A while later I got an email saying I had been picked and my package should arrive within the next month or two. I was beyond excited! My oldest was turning 9 during the time frame we had to host the party. What a perfect way to throw a party! Most of the supplies would be coming in my pack.

   I checked the tracking on my package daily. I was watching it travel across the US at what seemed to be the pace of a turtle. It seemed like it was taking forever to get here! I was getting more and more excited to see what was going to be in my special Disney package. I was just positive it would be full of magic!

  The day finally arrived and my package came! I promised the hubby that we wouldn't open it without him here. It sat on my floor for what seemed like hours! I had already waited weeks for it. Surely another couple hours wouldn't hurt, right?

   He FINALLY got home and we gathered around to open it. Here's what we found inside:

   I was so excited! There were plates, napkins, cups, table cloth, decorations, cookie cutters, Bingo, bracelets, an IPhone 5 case... all of it Disney. There were also measuring cups and recipe cards from ABC's the Chew, Photo paper from HP and much more. It all came in a nice suitcase by American Tourister.

  The day of the party came. We decorated with all of the many things Disney. We made Disney shaped Rice Crispy Treats with the cookie cutters. Hung the decorations up and waited for our friends to come.

   We pulled out all of the Disney games we have. The older kids played some Disney Trivial Pursuit. The younger ones played with our Monsters University Dice game. When we had enough of those games (Trivial Pursuit goes on for FOREVER when you are playing with 5 kids, the oldest being 9) we gathered the kids all together and played some Bingo.

  We found some cute little Disney coloring activity packs at Target and used those for prizes for winning at Bingo.

   Overall, it was a good party. Great products from the many sponsors involved. We all had a great time! We used many of the smaller things such as the bracelets and HP photo paper as party favors. I hope I will be able to host another one of these parties in the future! It made planning a birthday party so much easier. I can't wait to go on a trip and try out my new suitcase as well, maybe a trip to Disneyland is in order??