Review of the board game "Imaginarium". History of the game, comparison with “Dixit”

Nature of the game

In addition to chips and cards, the set includes 49 square tokens for secret voting. They are made of thick cardboard and are divided into seven sets of different colors. Each player will receive seven numbers of the same color as his flying elephant. The phrase “It’s obvious!” is proudly emblazoned on the backs of voting cards. The last phrase evokes involuntary associations with another board game of the company called “Captain Obvious”.

And of course, “Imaginarium” comes with a small instruction manual, written, as the creators themselves claim, in “good Russian.” Indeed, the explanatory texts are short and concise, and not without humor. Written instructions are supported by pictures illustrating examples of game situations. Those who are familiar with the game "Dixit" - after all, "Imaginarium" was created in its image and likeness - will not have much difficulty understanding the rules of the Russian analogue of the foreign board game.

Illustrations

The most interesting thing about this game is the set of cards. As mentioned earlier, the illustrations for them were not created specifically for the Imaginarium. On the contrary, the set included previously created works by various artists. Despite the fact that the founders of the project carefully selected drawings for the game, trying to create a harmonious set, it is difficult to perceive the collection of images they proposed as a single gallery. All illustrations differ in theme, color palette and execution technique so much that the juxtaposition of some of them evokes a feeling of persistent contradiction and inconsistency.

As for the themes and moods prevailing in the pictures, a good half of the images can be described quite briefly: these are pictures exclusively for adults, which exclude the game from the category of family ones.

If you are interested in this toy, we invite you to get acquainted with the gameplay features, game rules and scoring mechanism. We will tell you about all this in the second part of our review. For those who have already acquired a basic set of toys and would like to add variety to a long-loved game, it will be useful to read the article “Overview of extensions and varieties of the board game “Imaginarium”, which is designed to help in choosing additional sets of cards.

Board game

Number of players
From 3 to 6

Party time
From 30 minutes

Game difficulty
Lightweight

This is an original and exciting board word game, focused on associations and is a domestic adaptation of the French "". Unlike the original, it is aimed at a more mature and creatively seasoned audience, thanks to its surreal style of images, making the game process more multifaceted.

The number of possible players with all the additions starts from five with one of the main sets and can reach 24 (!) people with all 4 basic sets.

Game process and goal of Imaginarium

During the game, players take turns making associations for a specific card, with the help of which other participants must guess which image is on which card they are talking about. Associations can be anything: words, gestures and pantomime, quotes, excerpts from works of art. If it helps, you can even sing the prompt.

The goal of this game is nominally to be the first to get your figure to the leading position by earning points before running out of cards. In fact, the main goal and task of pastime can be safely called the development of social skills of the people playing it, a deeper study of each other.

Board game Imaginarium: game rules

Peculiarities

Like any word game, Imaginarium is a great way to overcome your shyness and increase your communication skills, learn to understand the thoughts of those around you, and develop your own creative thinking.

All cards in this series are designed by professional designers and artists. The images used can not only be used in the game itself, but you can simply enjoy contemplating them. And individual cards can even be safely used in psychotherapeutic practice!

The Imaginarium series also has both large sets (98 cards with new associations), which can be used as self-contained games, and specialized additions of 98 cards, designed to diversify the process and refresh the feeling of boring cards:

Alternative Basic Sets:

• Imaginarium Soyuzmultfilm - the theme for the set was cartoons filmed in the USSR. Coming up with a connection to just under a hundred frames from childhood cartoons is a task worthy of a person who thinks creatively.
• Imaginarium Childhood - children's theme, suitable for playing with very young players. It helps a lot in developing associative thinking and imagination in children.
• Imaginarium 3D - The main innovation in the set is stereo glasses that create a three-dimensional effect when looking at the cards. The cards themselves repeat the “Odyssey” set. True, the different structure of the cards does not allow them to be added to already purchased sets.

Additional kits:

• Ariadne - the theme is lighter and friendlier compared to other kits.
• Persephone is a more abstract, even contemplative theme. Suitable for experienced players.
• Pandora - the theme of associations repeats the basic set of Imaginarium.
• Chimera - a theme that combines mysticism and horror. The add-on is aimed at adult players.
• Odyssey - cards are a repetition from the Imaginarium 3D set and are intended to provide an opportunity to add associations with them to an existing collection (the set has nothing in common except the name with the addition of the same name to a game of a similar kind, Dixit).
• The road repair set is the smallest set compared to the others. It is adapted for playing on the road, having a folding field for this purpose. For “repairs,” there are elephant chips and voting tokens to replace lost or damaged ones. Three original cards with associations are a nice bonus.

The rules are the same for all sets and add-ons!

Preparing for the game Imaginarium

• The turn order is determined by drawing one voting card. The one who drew the highest value goes first.
• Everyone chooses a figurine (in the Imaginarium their role is played by elephants) and receives a set of voting cards of the corresponding color. All bishops are placed on the playing field, on the cloud number 1.
• From a shuffled deck with images, each participating player is given six cards.

Progress of the game Imaginarium

The one who walks selects one from the cards with illustrations he has, lays it face down and, using any methods that come to mind (the methods can seriously be any, but without self-harm!) makes an association for this picture. The remaining players from their set of cards choose one card, according to their thoughts, that is most suitable for the said phrase, and also lay it face down on the table.

Then the leading player shuffles all the cards laid out and one by one lays them out in a line with the pattern up. Then, all participants, with the exception of the person who made the guess, vote for the card that, in their opinion, most suits the given clue. To do this, players have voting cards with numbers. The numbering of images starts from one, which begins with the leftmost picture card when viewed from the leader’s seat. Voting cards are laid out face down and voting takes place silently. Next, after the votes are distributed, the presenter turns the votes over and counts and distributes points.

• If all players choose the correct card, then the guesser is given -3 points. Other players do not get points.
• If no one chooses the card of the person who made the wish, then he receives -2 points. All players whose images were selected receive 1 point.
• When everyone has guessed correctly except one, they all have the right to receive 3 points each. The person who made the guess also gets 3 points, as well as a point for each vote given for the correct choice.
• In addition, players always receive an extra point if someone votes for their image.

From this we can conclude that the walking player needs to come up with a connection that, on the one hand, can be solved by as many players as possible, but on the other hand, it is not too easy and can be solved by everyone. The best result will be when the hidden association is solved by all but one participant.

Players use the points they earn to move their elephants onto the playing field.

The field also has special fields. If the player whose turn has come discovers that his bishop is on one of these squares, then a corresponding restriction is imposed on his association.

• A crossword in the form of "4" is a verbal restriction on association. The number of words used must be 4.
• Circle with "?" - the hidden association represents a question.
• “Abibas” logo - the association must mention any well-known product or brand
• TV - you need to associate the image with any media product that can be seen on TV. It can be films, cartoons, TV shows, as well as advertising, clips, news.
• An open book - the association of the person who made the wish should be a retelling from a work, a story from life, or composed independently.
• Next, all played cards are discarded, and the players are dealt a new picture from the deck. The right to move is transferred to the neighboring participant.

End of the game

The Imaginarium board game ends after all the associative cards have been used. The winner is the one whose bishop at the end was in the leading position and with the largest number of complete circles.

the site is a portal for board games, where we tried to collect the most popular board games, as well as the latest in the gaming industry. The page "Board Game Imaginarium" provides an overview of the game, photos and rules. If you are interested in the “Board Game Imaginarium”, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with games in other categories with similar characteristics.

There are some artists who simply don’t need brushes and paints to paint and go further in their experiments with materials. I have put together a selection of interesting authors who draw with unusual materials and methods. I hope it inspires you to new ideas!

Elisabetta Rogai

In her work, Elizabeta uses exclusively white, red and rose wines, without attaching much importance to their bouquet or strength. The only other tool Elisabetta uses when creating paintings is charcoal - she uses it to make sketches. The peculiarity of her work is that the color of the paints on the canvas changes over time, as the wine ages and acquires new shades. The result is canvases, each of which is completely unique.

Tarinan von Anhalt (Jet Art)

This very unusual style of painting was invented by the Austrian Prince Jurgen von Anhalt back in 1982. He called it “jet art” (“jet painting”). After his death, his work was continued by his wife Tarinan (a real princess). She became the first woman to create her artistic canvases using such a physically demanding painting technique. Before watching the video, I advise you to mute the sound, otherwise there are jet engines)

Underwater paintings by Ukrainian artists

Ukrainian divers create their works at depths from 2 to 20 meters in the waters of the Black and Red Sea. Artists are so inspired by the beauty of the underwater world that they have come up with an unusual way to capture it using ordinary paint and canvas with waterproof glue. Under each painting, in addition to the title, the sea is indicated, the salt of which a certain work absorbed and the depth to which the artist had to dive. The paintings look really unusual.

Natalie Irish

Otman Tom

Dixit and Imaginarium are two popular association games with very similar game mechanics. Previously, they also cost the same. Having learned about the existence of both games, most people ask the question: “Which game is better: Dixit or Imaginarium?”

We will open the boxes and tell you about the nuances so that you can make your choice.

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Appearance

The box with the Dixit game is 2 centimeters smaller than the Imaginarium. Inside each of them there is a playing field, which is located in the box itself, and a compartment for cards and chips.

The Imaginarium also has space for additional decks. Dixit's box will only fit a basic deck.

Illustrations

Dixit- the game that appeared first and blew up the world of board party games. There is only one illustrator for all the cards in the base game: French artist Marie Cardois. There are 98 cards in Dixit. All the illustrations are kind and positive, so you can play not only with friends, but also with the whole family with children 6 years old and older.

​ Imaginarium- a game released after Dixit. The Imaginarium also has 98 cards. 10 illustrators worked on the illustrations for Imaginarium, so in the game you will find cards made in 10 different styles. Not​ for playing with children under 12 years old.

Number of players

Dixit: 3-6 players. Dixit has a version of Dixit. Odyssey: 3-12 players
Imaginarium: 4-7 players

Rules of the game

Dixit and Imaginarium have the same essence of the game: there are cards with unusual illustrations. Players take turns making their associations using cards, and the rest try to successfully place their card. But there is a slight difference in the nuances.

Progress of the game, number of steps

All player figures line up on the field at number 0. In Dixit these are rabbits, in the Imaginarium they are elephants with wings. The Dixit field contains 30 steps, the Imaginarium field contains 39 steps.

Players receive 6 cards per hand and voting tokens equal to the number of participants at the table.

The leader's move and the players' responses

The essence of the riddle is the same in both games:
One player becomes the Leader. He chooses one of his cards, places it face down on the table and names his association.

An association in these games is any word, phrase, sentence, quote, poem, or even a fragment of a song. That is, whatever comes to mind.

The main rule for an association is not too obvious and not too complex. This becomes clear when scoring.

Other players choose among their cards the one that most closely matches the hidden association and also place it face down on the table.

The presenter shuffles all the cards and lays them out in a row with the pictures facing up. All cards are conventionally numbered: the leftmost one is 1, the next one is 2, and so on.

Guessing the leader's card

Now everyone except the presenter takes part in the voting. Goal: guess the hidden card. Each player selects a token with a number and hands it face down to the Leader. When all players have voted, the Leader reveals the tokens and places them on the corresponding cards.

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Scoring

The scoring of points in Dixit and Imaginarium is slightly different. To make it convenient and understandable, I put it in the table:

Process and end of the game

Dixit is played until one of the players' rabbits jumps to the finish line. He will be considered the winner of the race.

Imaginarium is played until the last card in the deck. The bishop that breaks through the furthest wins. Although the Imaginarium rules suggest playing according to the Dixit rules, as an alternative version of the rules.

Special fields

Dixit does not have this, so we will only talk about the Imaginarium. On the Imaginarium field there are steps marked with special icons. If the Leader’s figurine stands on such an icon, then special conditions for its association appear:

• “4 in a cloud” - the association must contain 4 words;
• “question mark” - an association in the form of a question;
• “abibas” - association associated with any famous brand;
• “TV” - the association is based on a film, cartoon, series, program;
• “book” is an association in the form of a story.

Additional decks for games

The peculiarity of Dixit and Imaginarium is that at some point the cards become boring and you want something new. The developers foresaw this and released many additional decks.

For Dixit: 6 additional decks of 84 cards, cost (as of February 2017): 1350 rubles. The style of all the decks is very similar to the original game, although the illustrations were drawn by different designers.

For Imaginarium: 5 additional decks of 98 cards, cost (as of February 2017): 750 rubles. The style of the decks differs from the light version of the cards (Odyssey, Pandora, Ariadne, Persephone) to the completely dark version marked 18+ (Chimera). With children under 12 years old, choose Persephone from all decks.

Protection for Dixit and Imaginarium cards

There are protectors for Dixit and Imaginarium - protection for cards from overwriting. I highly recommend using them. The games are so catchy that you want to take them to different companies and play and play. The cards are overwritten. The protectors will last forever. In addition, they will be easier to interfere with.

1 set of protectors (100 pieces) just for one deck of cards.

Let's summarize

In general, when choosing Dixit or Imaginarium, it all depends on what goal you are pursuing.

• If you want to save money: choose Imaginarium (it is now cheaper than Dixit) and its additional expansion decks are also cheaper;
• If you are playing with children, we recommend Dixit - it is kinder and sunnier in itself and will be easier to expand with additional decks. In the Imaginarium for children there are two basic games: Imaginarium Childhood and Imaginarium Soyuzmultfilm, and can only be expanded with the additional Persephone deck.
• If you play with friends, then Imaginarium. More players, varied illustrations, sometimes with dark humor. And four compartments in the base box for additional decks - you'll store everything in one place.
• If you like positive pictures, then Dixit. It turned out kinder, brighter, in the same style. And it is suitable for both adult companies and companies with children included. But there are no compartments for storing additional decks. They will all be in large separate boxes.

In the article I tried to convey to you the essence and appearance of two very similar games. I hope now you can answer your question “Which is better Dixit or Imaginarium” and choose the ideal game for yourself.

Imaginarium is a card game for making associations. An indispensable game for any party.

Easy rules, bright, chaotic, mind-blowing pictures - all this will leave few people indifferent. Suitable for all ages, but if someone suddenly finds the illustrations too “adult”, then a children’s supplement has been released especially for children.

What do we see when we first look at the game?

A bright square box with a castle and a miracle tree painted on it. Inside is a stack of cards - 98 pieces, 7 playing figures in the form of flying elephants, a playing field - the sky with clouds, 49 voting cards, rules.

In general, the entire package is just pleasing to the eye. Players disassemble the elephants, place them on the first start cloud and begin their merry way.

Rules of the game.

Each person, according to the color of the elephant, is given voting cards and 6 cards face down. The first player - the presenter - chooses any of his cards and makes an association for it. Associations can be expressed in absolutely any way: a song, a word, a phrase, a gesture. Whatever your imagination can do. Having made a wish, the presenter places this card face down on the table. The remaining players select a suitable card for this association from their hand. Also, without showing it to anyone, you need to put it on the table next to the leader’s card. All cards are shuffled. Lay out. This is where the fun begins. Players try to guess the leader's card. Having made a choice, mark the selected card with a voting card. Also face down. Then all the numbers are opened and the voting result is looked at.

What could happen?

There are several options.

1. All players can guess the hidden card.

This is very bad for the presenter. If all players vote for the hidden card, then it goes back three points. The remaining players stand still.

2. Not a single player guesses the hidden card.

This is also not the best option. Because the leader goes back 2 points.

Other options are much more interesting:

3. The presenter receives 3 points for each player who guesses his card. Those. The ideal option is to make an association so that all players except one guess it. Then the presenter will receive the maximum number of points.

4. Those players who guessed the card also receive 3 points. Plus 1 point for each player who guessed their card.

The played cards are discarded and the players take a new card from the deck. The next player makes the association.

The game ends when all the cards in the players' hands and in the deck are gone.

These are the slightly confusing rules. At first sight. Sit down to play and already in the first game you will understand everything and remember the counting system.

A huge plus in the game (deep mercy to the developers) is an interesting playing field. Clouds can be ordinary, or they can contain tasks.

If there is an image on the cloud:

Question mark– make an association in interrogative form;

Digit 4– the association must consist of four words;

Book– make an association in the form of a story;

TV– the hidden association must be somehow connected with a cartoon, television program or film;

ABIBAS logo– the association must be connected in some way with a well-known brand.

Conclusion:

Despite the fact that “Imaginarium” is considered a Russian plagiarism of the world-famous game “Dixit”, this game has gained even more popularity in our country than the original source. You can argue for a long time which option is better, where the cards are deeper and more interesting. But is it worth it? Each game is good in its own way and has managed to acquire an army of fans.

Ratings:

• Mastering the game - 95 POINTS
• Game mechanics - 70 POINTS
• Plot and atmosphere - 60 POINTS
• Ease of play - 70 POINTS
• Quality and design - 80 POINTS
• The resulting fun is 95 POINTS

TOTAL - 79 POINTS