Cult of Dionysus is an ice-breaker meets truth-or-dare style party game of strategy, skill, and chance. Each block features a unique prompt and corresponding name from ancient Greece, infusing every turn with history and mythology. It’s epic fun at a civilized soiree or a barbaric bash. It forges friendships and guarantees a party worthy of the gods.
Players take turns pulling blocks and doing what they say until the bust topples. Precision craftsmanship allows for new and challenging block configurations to test your mastery of balance and increase replayability. It’s titanic, hyper-social, drop-dead gorgeous, and never the same game twice. With a shipload of original content, superior prompts, and more of them, Cult of Dionysus entertains better for longer. Each game lasts 1-3 hours.
Inspired by Cards Against Humanity, our founder, Ben, has always felt it was important to offer Cult of Dionysus to the masses, for FREE. Some call him crazy for it. And they’re right. He is crazy. Anyways, what are you still doing here. Stop reading and steal our game, already!
Steal the Game
Cult of Dionysus is a truth or dare style party game of strategy, skill, and chance, in the form of an ancient herm (a 4-sided column with a bust on top). Players take turns pulling blocks, doing what they say, taking penalties, and trying not to topple the bust. After each topple, rebuild from the rubble until no blocks remain. The player with the fewest penalties at the end wins.
Download the complete Rules & Strategy Guide.
No. Cult of Dionysus was designed with sober players in mind. We want them to have every bit as much fun as players who choose to drink alcohol.
Despite having the god of wine as its mascot, Cult of Dionysus doesn’t necessarily involve drinking at all. NONE of the 72 prompts require drinking. While there are instructions for a wine mode listed under the optional House Rules section of the Rules & Strategy Guide, this is just one possible way to play and it’s just as fun with a mocktail in hand.
Even when playing the wine mode, it isn’t about getting drunk. The moderate pace of penalties is slower than most people drink normally and the game is nearly impossible to play when drunk. It requires balance, fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, and strong reading comprehension. The goal of the game is to be present and share in the exhilaration of playing with others. You can't make memories to last a lifetime if you’re blotto.
Ha! Those other games walked so that Cult of Dionysus could run. It’s versatile enough for any party, entertains for hours, and the replay value is through the roof. It’s titanic, hyper-social, drop dead gorgeous. This isn’t just another toppling tower party game, it’s the apotheosis.
The design is rich with classical sophistication. Ancient forms and patterns are printed directly on all 6 sides of each and every block. There are 72 solid hard maple blocks (33.3% more blocks than most toppling towers) of specialized dimensions to allow for multiple block arrangements that test your skills. Oh, and it’s also the only toppling tower with the bust of a Greek god on top.
Not really. The pagan theme of the game is merely playful storytelling. Gameplay is not based on the assumption that the gods of the Greek pantheon actually exist and doesn’t entail significant risk of frenzied madness.
For that reason, Cult of Dionysus is probably not suitable as a centerpiece for your altar to Dionysus or as a device for ecstatic communion with the bull-faced deity. It is not meant as a ritualistic representation of the dismemberment and rebirth of Zagreus. The prompts are not a reformation of the secret rites known as the Dionysian Mysteries. Events in the game should not be perceived as conveying messages from ancient divinities or as a reflection of a player's fate. Do not attempt to summon Bromius by playing this game under the full moon of Lenaea.
“This game is leagues above other party games. It’s unique enough that new friends talk about it for weeks after. I’m always asked to bring it to other parties!”
Hover over eyes to explore sample blocks.
Tap the eyes to explore sample blocks.
Cult of Dionysus features 72 blocks in a golden ratio of five different types of prompts. For every 18 blocks there are 9 Challenges, 5 Truths, 2 Superlatives, 1 Decree, and 1 Rally.
Rally – Rallies keep everyone’s head in the game by getting the other players to race to perform a simple task while you judge the winner. (They’re best pulled when other players are distracted.)
Decree – Decrees offer a way to edge out the competition by following the rules yourself while conniving to get others to break them.
Superlative – Superlatives establish a friendly vibe (and provide an opportunity to flirt) by letting you decide which player excels most in a given area.
Truth – Truths are in keeping with the philosophical tradition of the ancient symposium and allow players to get to know each other on a deeper level.
Challenge – Challenges keep the energy high with prompts that have players perform daring deeds, group games, and interact directly in cooperation and competition.ing with the philosophical tradition of the ancient symposium and allow players to get to know each other on a deeper level.
Pandora's curiosity got the better of her when she released all evils into the world. But, she needed to know what was inside that jar. What mystery are YOU curious to solve?
► Tell the group something you really want to know the truth about.
(Example mysteries: Is our universe the only one? Do the gods really exist? Who ate my leftovers?)
Antaeus was giant who liked to wrestle. Whenever he touched the Earth his strength was renewed. Who doesn't need some rejuvenation?
► Watch as the other players race to touch the flow with both hands. The loser takes a penalty. You judge.
Athena is the bright-eyed goddess of wisdom. Her sacred animal is the little owl, a symbol of wisdom with gleaming eyes like her own.
► Look at each player and tell the group which one you think has the most beautiful eyes. You and the winner are safe. All others take a penalty.
The philosopher Socrates was sentenced to death because he questioned conventional wisdom. Powerful Athenians found his questions obnoxious, as the other players will find YOURS.
► Players are forbidden from answering any questions you ask. Follow this rule for one round. Rulebreakers take a penalty.
(Suggestion: Try to trick them. Just expect to be told to "F**k off.")
In the game of Kottabos players fling wine at a target. The rules have changed, but the game remains the same. How's YOUR aim?
► Stand with your back against the wall and toss this block at the tower. The block must hit the tower for the turn to count. (If a block is knocked loose, then put it back. If pulled last, then toss at the discard tower.)
Sign up below to join our newsletter and receive Symposium Games news and updates by email.
