WIL WHEATON: Gaming is truly a global phenomenon, with some
of the most popular games in the world
being designed in Europe.
These European style board games tend to have a few
things in common.
They use a scoring metric that keeps everyone involved in the
game until the last move.
The concept of attacking another player is minimized or
eliminated entirely.
And they're all language independent.
Most of the European style board games
are designed in Germany.
But today on TableTop, Beth Riesgraf, Casey McKinnon, and
Leo Chu are here to play a game that was designed in
France, where a sense of artistic communication and
appreciation for beauty, the ability to communicate
emotion, and a strong sense of empathy are keys to victory.
This is one of the most elegant and beautiful European
board games I have ever played.
It is 2010's game of the year, Dixit.
[SPEAKING FRENCH]
Dixit is a communications game.
Every player gets a hand of these
beautifully illustrated cards.
One player each round is the storyteller.
The storyteller chooses a card from their hand, and then
describes it any way they want to.
A word, a phrase, a sound, a gesture.
It's really up to them.
They play the card face down.
And then every other player in the game chooses a card from
their hand that they feel best matches the storyteller's
description.
The cards are shuffled and then revealed.
The players then try to guess which card was the
storyteller's card.
Players place their votes on the table.
Then the votes are revealed, and we have a scoring round.
Every player who chooses the storyteller's
card gets three points.
So does the storyteller.
For every vote that is on a different player's card, that
player will receive one point.
Now the storyteller has to communicate creatively and
clearly, but not too clearly.
Because if they're too on the nose and everyone chooses the
storyteller's card, the storyteller gets zero points
and all the other players get two points.
The storyteller also has to be careful not to be too vague.
Because if no one chooses the storyteller's card, then the
storyteller gets zero points and all the other players will
get two points.
Dixit is a beautiful game.
It's a whimsical, joyful game.
Everyone is involved on every turn.
And I cannot wait to find out how our imaginations are
brought to life.
It is time to play Dixit.
CASEY MCKINNON: I'm Casey McKinnon.
I am an indie filmmaker, and I'm known for making A
Comicbook Orange, a comicbook review show.
BETH RIESGRAF: I am Beth Riesgraf.
And I would say I'm most known for my role on Leverage.
I play Parker.
LEO CHU: I'm Leo Chu.
And I'm a writer/producer and the creator and executive
producer of Supah Ninjas on Nickelodeon.
WIL WHEATON: Leo, you will go first.
LEO CHU: Great.
WIL WHEATON: You are the storyteller, so look at your
cards and do your thing.
BETH RIESGRAF: Stop cheating, Wil.
Stop looking at my cards.
LEO CHU: Snow White.
WIL WHEATON: So he says Snow White.
LEO CHU: This is my first time playing the game.
But it's a very empathetic game, and so you really have
to understand how everybody else's minds work.
WIL WHEATON: Snow White is the clue.
Snow White.
Everybody got it?
BETH RIESGRAF: Yeah.
WIL WHEATON: OK, just go ahead and just turn over your vote.
OK, so we'll put these in front of number one.
We'll put that one in front of number three.
OK, who played number one?
BETH RIESGRAF: That was me.
WIL WHEATON: Wow, OK.
So, Beth, you are currently getting two points.
Who played number two?
LEO CHU: I did.
That was my card.
WIL WHEATON: Oh no.
BETH RIESGRAF: Oh no.
WIL WHEATON: Beth gets two points.
And everyone except Leo gets two points.
Who played number three?
I did!
So I get another point.
OK, Casey, you are the storyteller.
CASEY MCKINNON: OK.
WIL WHEATON: Everybody draw one more card
to refill the hand.
CASEY MCKINNON: OK.
I have to get a good balance of people who know what I'm
talking about and people who don't know
what I'm talking about.
So my strategy is to go with the geek references, because I
know Wil will get it.
But I have a feeling that Beth won't get it.
(HIGH PITCHED VOICE) Hey, Charlie.
Charlie!
BETH RIESGRAF: Ugh.
WIL WHEATON: I think maybe I can steal this one from you.
CASEY MCKINNON: Question is, can everybody?
WIL WHEATON: All right.
Let's mix them all up.
And let's see.
Do it.
CASEY MCKINNON: (HIGH PITCHED VOICE) Hey, Charlie!
Hey, Charlie!
Charlie!
WIL WHEATON: So this is the beauty of Dixit, right?
Which one do you choose?
Let's go ahead and vote.
And reveal.
It's Charlie the Unicorn horse, right?
CASEY MCKINNON: Yeah.
WIL WHEATON: Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
CASEY MCKINNON: Hey, Charlie!
WIL WHEATON: But then I was also thinking maybe-- like I
don't know how dark Casey is.
So that could be, if that thing was like, hey, Charlie,
it could be like, kill it, kill it, kill it with fire.
So that is going to be three points for Casey.
That takes you to five.
Three points for me.
That takes me to six.
And three points for-- are you yellow, Beth?
BETH RIESGRAF: Yep.
WIL WHEATON: And that takes you to seven.
Good Lord.
LEO CHU: I need to score.
WIL WHEATON: And who played number four?
Oh, I did!
So that's going to be--
I'm green, so that's another point for me.
Yay.
OK, Beth, you are the storyteller.
BETH RIESGRAF: All righty.
Let me see here.
OK.
Little House on the Prairie.
WIL WHEATON: Little House on the Prairie.
OK Little House on the Prairie.
Little House on the Prairie.
Ready?
OK.
Let's reveal.
One, one, and three.
OK, so three.
You want to put that there, Casey?
Thank you.
All right.
Who played number one?
BETH RIESGRAF: I did that one.
That was me.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
BETH RIESGRAF: The little candle.
My play with Little House on the Prairie is simple.
They had no electricity--
candle holder in a light bulb.
Genius.
Wait that doesn't go with it.
Genius.
WIL WHEATON: All right so that's
going to be three points.
Hey, Leo, you're on the board.
LEO CHU: Thank you.
WIL WHEATON: And that's going to be three points for Casey
and three points for Beth.
LEO CHU: I wasn't really expecting to be behind,
because I'm actually a really good game player.
And I play a lot of really elaborate,
strategy board games.
You know how sometimes you're really good at calculus, but
you can't really balance your checkbook?
Dixit is like the checkbook of games, and I
can't balance mine.
CASEY MCKINNON: I think that I'm going to win, because I
win at everything.
WIL WHEATON: I know Beth really well from working with
her on Leverage.
I don't know Casey and Leo as well as I know her.
So, I'm hoping that I will be able to
load up on Beth points.
But I'm going to have to get points from Casey and Leo, if
I'm going to win this game.
BETH RIESGRAF: I am going to win.
I'm going to cut Wil down to size.
WIL WHEATON: OK, I'm the storyteller now.
And I'm going to say it was going so well.
BETH RIESGRAF: Oh, that's the clue.
WIL WHEATON: That's the clue.
BETH RIESGRAF: Oh.
WIL WHEATON: Oh, no.
You killed the rabbits.
BETH RIESGRAF: I should throw salt over my shoulder.
WIL WHEATON: It was going so well.
It was going so well.
All right, go ahead and reveal your votes.
Number three, number four, and number three.
I thought I had in the bag with it was going so well.
I thought clearly it's a date.
And I thought well, maybe someone will get another card
that would be sort of in there.
I didn't expect the sad clown in the spotlight.
I would have chosen that one.
Number two was my card, because they're having a great
date, but then he gets too competitive with chess.
It actually didn't work out the way I wanted it to.
And who played number four.
BETH RIESGRAF: I did.
WIL WHEATON: That's also a very good it
was going so well.
Look at that.
Every time someone thinks they're catching up with you,
you leap right back into the lead like a real rabbit.
Beth really gets Dixit.
You can tell because she's always been either in the lead
or one or two off the lead the entire time.
CASEY MCKINNON: Beth is a wild card of a player.
And I have no idea what she's going to come out with.
BETH RIESGRAF: I'm feeling very confident right now.
I can tell Wil's trying to psych me out.
But I'm not going to be fooled by his trickery.
WIL WHEATON: All right, Leo, it's all you.
LEO CHU: Helen.
WIL WHEATON: Helen?
BETH RIESGRAF: Oh.
WIL WHEATON: Helen.
All right, let's see.
Helen.
Helen Helen.
All right.
Casey's like I got this.
Hell's yeah.
BETH RIESGRAF: Woah, instant.
Instant.
No lag with this one.
CASEY MCKINNON: It was obvious right from the start that it
was a reference to Odysseus.
WIL WHEATON: I hope that the first place my mind went for
Helen is not overly influencing my vote.
I was worried when Leo said Helen that my expectation of
it being a Helen of Troy reference was going
to get in the way.
I mean, I don't know.
It could be Helen Roper from Three's Company.
CASEY MCKINNON: Because duh.
Helen of Troy.
WIL WHEATON: That's the first thing I thought, and then I
saw her and I was like, oh man, is that
Odysseus trying to--
CASEY MCKINNON: Yes, exactly.
WIL WHEATON: --sail back to get her from the war?
BETH RIESGRAF: I really thought I had
the Helen one down.
I was thinking Helen Keller.
But I picked a mouse by an Arabian palace.
So I'm not really sure how that even
related with that thought.
WIL WHEATON: All right, Casey, you're up.
CASEY MCKINNON: Life is but a walking shadow.
LEO CHU: Wow.
That was so fast.
BETH RIESGRAF: Oh, stop it.
Don't try to--
LEO CHU: I'm so intimidated.
BETH RIESGRAF: --just be that person right now.
All right.
WIL WHEATON: All right.
Here we go.
Life is but a walking shadow.
All right.
Everybody ready?
Go ahead and flip them.
One, two, three.
Look at that.
All right, who played number one?
I did.
The word shadow is right in the clue.
And I've got a card that has a shadow and people walking
right on it.
And I just had to hope that everyone would think all
right, she's very literal, that's why
she chose this card.
So that's one point for me.
Who played number two?
BETH RIESGRAF: I did.
WIL WHEATON: Beth played number two, so that is one
point for Beth.
Who played number three?
CASEY MCKINNON: That was my card.
WIL WHEATON: Oh, so that's three points for Beth, and
three points for Casey.
And you played number four.
LEO CHU: And I played number four.
WIL WHEATON: Leo is struggling a little bit.
He just can't seem to catch a break.
LEO CHU: Casey is actually very clever.
And she finds very interesting references for her cards.
My problem is that I didn't always know the references.
WIL WHEATON: Where did you-- what did you get?
It's a quote from Macbeth.
Out, out, brief candle.
Life is but a walking shadow.
WIL WHEATON: Oh, check you out.
Did you know that?
BETH RIESGRAF: Yeah.
When she brought that Macbeth quote out, I actually had no
idea it was Macbeth.
I just acted like I did.
WIL WHEATON: All right.
This is going to be it all adds up.
Leo and I are spending a lot of time in Loserville.
But our bunnies look really cute together.
All right.
Here we go.
It all adds up.
Don't talk yourself into second guessing and not
scoring points like I did last time.
BETH RIESGRAF: Go with your gut.
LEO CHU: Oh, really?
See, I've been going with my gut all game, and I've only
guessed the card once so far.
WIL WHEATON: You're back here.
LEO CHU: So don't go with my gut.
I'm going to do the opposite of my gut.
WIL WHEATON: Welcome to Loserville, population us.
LEO CHU: It's actually awesome to have Wil start losing the
game, because it was really nice to have another bunny
keeping my little pink bunny company at
the back of the pack.
WIL WHEATON: Maybe my suck is kind of
holding Leo back as well.
Maybe it's sort of like Team Dudes, we're
going to suck together.
Wait, no.
That doesn't sound right at all.
Like whispering in his ear.
OK, we're going to make an alliance
against the girls now.
LEO CHU: Your strategy should be to play the game.
WIL WHEATON: Let's go ahead and reveal votes.
Let's just go ahead and skip all of the--
that was actually mine.
So everybody gets two except for me.
BETH RIESGRAF: The funny thing is Wil's trying to play it
cool and very collected.
But I know the real Wil Wheaton.
And inside, he is spinning.
He's like a little hamster on a wheel.
He's freaking out, because he knows I'm going to win.
CASEY MCKINNON: Clap your hands if
you believe in fairies.
WIL WHEATON: Clap your hands if you believe in fairies.
Clap your hands if you believe in fairies.
Wow, look at you guys.
You all believe in fairies.
Clap your hands if you believe in fairies.
WIL WHEATON: Ready?
BETH RIESGRAF: Yeah.
WIL WHEATON: All right, let's do it.
LEO CHU: Oh!
BETH RIESGRAF: Oh!
CASEY MCKINNON: What?
WIL WHEATON: Are you number one?
CASEY MCKINNON: Yes.
Have you guys all seen Hook?
BETH RIESGRAF: No.
WIL WHEATON: No, but before Hook was Hook, it was this
book called Peter Pan.
CASEY MCKINNON: I know.
I know, but in--
BETH RIESGRAF: Well, no I was going with Peter Pan.
CASEY MCKINNON: But in Hook--
wow.
WIL WHEATON: I almost went with number two, and then I
was like, no way, that's not the way Casey
would play this game.
Two points for everyone but blue.
One, two, one, two.
Why am I in last?
One, two.
OK, Beth, you're up.
BETH RIESGRAF: Gosh.
OK.
I have all these songs popping in my head, but none of them
are quite right.
WIL WHEATON: Do a song.
BETH RIESGRAF: I know, but I feel like I have it wrong,
which will not be great for anyone.
OK.
All right.
(SINGING) You build me up.
WIL WHEATON: I have no idea what song
Beth is talking about.
But I'm sure that if it exists, I hate it.
BETH RIESGRAF: (SINGING) You build me up.
WIL WHEATON: It just sounds like something my mom listens
to in the car when we're going to auditions.
BETH RIESGRAF: I think I'm crossing a church hymn and
possibly a song.
Oh.
WIL WHEATON: OK.
OK.
I think you should do it one more time.
BETH RIESGRAF: (SINGING) You build me up.
WIL WHEATON: Oh, so good.
It's so beautiful.
It's the voice of an angel.
BETH RIESGRAF: (SIGHS)
WIL WHEATON: I think it's that one.
OK.
I think it's that one.
All right.
Ready?
Vote.
BETH RIESGRAF: Oh [BLEEP]
[LAUGHTER]
BETH RIESGRAF: I combined two songs that really didn't have
anything to do with the card.
But subliminally they did, I think, because it was a guy
chopping a tree.
And there's an eagle like (SINGING) You lift me up when
on eagles' wings.
It's like a hymn plus something else.
So, I just confused them all.
WIL WHEATON: Number one was mine.
So I'm out of Loserville.
Look at that.
I've been tied for Loserville.
That's great!
BETH RIESGRAF: I think I was thinking on
(SINGING) eagles' wings.
Is that a song?
Isn't there a song, you lift me up on eagles' wings?
WIL WHEATON: I don't know.
I hope there isn't.
I was so excited when I called Beth and asked her to come
play on my show.
And now?
Maybe not so much.
All right, Casey.
You're up.
CASEY MCKINNON: OK.
Seamstress for the band.
WIL WHEATON: Seamstress for the band.
BETH RIESGRAF: (SINGING) Seamstress for the band.
WIL WHEATON: Seamstress for the band.
Seamstress for the band.
Reveal votes.
BETH RIESGRAF: Ugh.
WIL WHEATON: OK.
Who played number one?
I did.
BETH RIESGRAF: I'm so glad I didn't go for that one.
I almost did.
WIL WHEATON: That's a point for me.
Did you play number two?
Please say you played number two.
CASEY MCKINNON: Yes!
WIL WHEATON: Yes!
BETH RIESGRAF: Yay!
WIL WHEATON: When Casey sang the line from "Tiny Dancer," I
knew that's what she was doing.
And I just had to figure out which one of those cards is
related to "Tiny Dancer."
BETH RIESGRAF: I know Casey's trying to connect with Wil on
some subliminal level, but I think I figured it out.
She goes with references that she thinks he'll know.
And me knowing Wil's mind at this point, I
know where she's going.
So when I see the pink shoes, (SINGING) tiny
dancer, hold me closer.
LEO CHU: What was the reference?
CASEY MCKINNON: "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John.
LEO CHU: Oh.
WIL WHEATON: That's why I put him there.
Because he has blue jeans.
OK, Beth you're up.
BETH RIESGRAF: OK.
This is going to be a little trivial.
Wait, no.
A little piece of trivia that you could consider trivial.
All right.
It got left in the trunk of a taxi cab.
Should I say famously was left in the--
WIL WHEATON: You could.
BETH RIESGRAF: Famously left in the trunk of a taxicab.
WIL WHEATON: All right.
It was famously left in the back of a taxicab.
OK, let's reveal.
BETH RIESGRAF: OK.
CASEY MCKINNON: OK.
WIL WHEATON: Is it a cello that was left in
the back of a taxicab?
BETH RIESGRAF: It was.
WIL WHEATON: Yeah, I thought so.
Whose was that?
I don't remember whose it was?
BETH RIESGRAF: It was Yo-Yo Ma's.
WIL WHEATON: That's right!
That's right!
I didn't know what actual thing was left in a cab until
I saw the cello.
And then I remembered some famous person left a their
cello in a cab.
And I'm just thinking, please choose the hand.
Please choose the hand.
I have got to play this hand.
It is a personal challenge for me to play this hand and score
points with it.
BETH RIESGRAF: When I saw Wil lay down the hand with a
magnifying glass, I knew where he was going.
Because he thought, oh maybe it was a
fingerprint, or like the mafia.
Someone cut someone's hand off and left it in the taxi.
I'm going to go ahead and lift it up a bit and go into the
cultural realm of Yo-Yo Ma.
WIL WHEATON: And who played number three?
I did.
BETH RIESGRAF: A fingerprint were you thinking?
WIL WHEATON: I thought maybe it was like a severed hand,
like cut off from the mafia or something like that.
CASEY MCKINNON: I was thinking fingerprints.
BETH RIESGRAF: Yeah.
WIL WHEATON: I've had that card from the first draw, and
I have not known what the hell to do with it.
So I made it a challenge to myself to play that card.
CASEY MCKINNON: You fooled me.
BETH RIESGRAF: It's a good lesson.
WIL WHEATON: You, you, and me.
CASEY MCKINNON: Last card.
BETH RIESGRAF: Last card.
WIL WHEATON: Guys, this is the last play.
This is actually a really important decision for me.
I knew that the very best I could do was tie Beth.
That's OK.
Shared victory is great.
So, I have to pick a card that everyone except
her is going to get.
I just need one person to get the card.
One person and not Beth.
And then I tie the game.
BETH RIESGRAF: I know.
Stop!
Get out of my head.
BETH RIESGRAF: I know, Wil.
WIL WHEATON: Quit.
Sh.
Stop it.
BETH RIESGRAF: Yeah, just skip that one, too.
Ugh.
You're the worst.
This is play for today.
CASEY MCKINNON: Oh.
That sounded so lame.
BETH RIESGRAF: That was like one of
those leadership posters.
That's like--
WIL WHEATON: Hang in there.
BETH RIESGRAF: Yeah.
And it's very important that you do not choose my card.
BETH RIESGRAF: Why?
WIL WHEATON: It's very important that you don't
choose my card.
Because if someone chooses my card and you don't chose my
card, then we'll be tied, and we'll get to share victory.
BETH RIESGRAF: Do we go into mad overtime or something?
WIL WHEATON: No, no.
We just punch each other until somebody gives up.
OK, so it's play for today.
Play for today.
Choose wisely.
And by wisely I mean pick mine.
But not all of you.
CASEY MCKINNON: There's one that I want it to be.
WIL WHEATON: I feel like I'm in a poker tournament, I have
all my chips in the middle, and I need the
other guy to fold.
That's what it feels like.
Like I do not have the winning hand.
CASEY MCKINNON: Oh, right.
I'm the last.
OK, fine.
Done.
WIL WHEATON: OK, turn them.
CASEY MCKINNON: Oh, no.
Really?
She got it?
LEO CHU: Really?
BETH RIESGRAF: Because you're youthful, and you're only
young once.
The moment Wil lays that final card down, we flip it over, I
see the carousel, I know it's Wil's.
He went the kid route.
WIL WHEATON: Rage face.
BETH RIESGRAF: Yeah!
WIL WHEATON: My card is number one.
So that's three points for me.
Look we're tied!
And three points for Beth.
Beth, you're the winner.
BETH RIESGRAF: Thank you.
WIL WHEATON: You win the game.
BETH RIESGRAF: Thank you very much.
LEO CHU: Yay, Beth.
BETH RIESGRAF: I am very honored to accept this bunny
on behalf of Dixit.
Yeah, I know I won.
But it's just a game.
And Wil and I are like this.
So it's not going to--
WIL WHEATON: I hate you.
CASEY MCKINNON AND LEO CHU: Well, my favorite part of
Dixit is when I'm winning.
LEO CHU: Had I won.
CASEY MCKINNON: And that never happened.
LEO CHU: But that didn't happen.
WIL WHEATON: Casey--
CASEY MCKINNON: Yes.
WIL WHEATON: Leo--
LEO CHU: Yes.
WIL WHEATON: --we're going to go to the losers couch--
LEO CHU: OK
WIL WHEATON: --where we will sit down and
feel sorry for ourselves.
Beth--
BETH RIESGRAF: I just want to stay up here.
WIL WHEATON: --I will see you downstairs in front of the
wall of victory.
BETH RIESGRAF: Woo, woo, woo!
WIL WHEATON: I think we did the best that we could.
We just could not stop the juggernaut that is Beth.
LEO CHU: I didn't think she was going to win.
But then I was wrong about everything.
CASEY MCKINNON: Everything.
LEO CHU: Thanks, Casey.
WIL WHEATON: It seems like you guys have a lot to talk about,
so I'm going to get out of here and go congratulate Beth
in front of the wall of victory.
And you guys can work this out.
CASEY MCKINNON: He's such a loser.
LEO CHU: I'm so glad he didn't win.
CASEY MCKINNON: Seriously.
LEO CHU: Yeah, that would've sucked.
WIL WHEATON: Internet, I reluctantly, by three points,
present you with your champion, Beth Riesgraf.
Congratulations, Beth.
BETH RIESGRAF: Thank you, Wil.
WIL WHEATON: You win the TableTop trophy of awesome.
BETH RIESGRAF: Where's my name?
WIL WHEATON: Well, I'll write your name on it right now.
I'll personalize it for you.
Look.
Beth.
Right there on the trophy.
Go ahead.
Make a speech.
BETH RIESGRAF: Is there an under--
Is there an engraved--
WIL WHEATON: Nope.
Nope.
It's just tape.
BETH RIESGRAF: OK.
WIL WHEATON: I know it's not very impressive.
BETH RIESGRAF: That's OK.
No, it's great.
WIL WHEATON: But I'm not feeling that great about you
winning, so.
BETH RIESGRAF: I'd like to say thank you to Wil and Felicia
for asking me to come in and whoop ass.
Can I say that?
WIL WHEATON: I don't think I asked you to come
in and whoop ass.
I said, would you come in and play a game?
BETH RIESGRAF: I'd like to thank Wil and Felicia for
asking me to come in and play this game.
And, as Felicia said, I'm sort of a Dixit savant.
So I'm going to go ahead and take it.
WIL WHEATON: Well, congratulations.
BETH RIESGRAF: Thank you.
WIL WHEATON: Now, listen, I have to take this trophy back,
because we don't have enough money in our budget for more
than one trophy.
But we have an endless supply of tape.
So look.
BETH RIESGRAF: Oh my god.
WIL WHEATON: There you go.
Oh, I was trying to stab you in the face with the marker.
There.
Now everyone knows that your name is Beth.
BETH RIESGRAF: You just stuck it on my hair.
WIL WHEATON: Yeah.
So congratulations.
You're a winner.
And we'll see you next time on TableTop.
BETH RIESGRAF: Uh--