![]() You can play it once or twice as part of a larger game night between chunkier options or you can focus in on a tournament or a series of matches (with rapidly escalating tensions). It is very thinky (though not in the usual way that board games make you think) that it is enjoyable even if you are a seasoned veteran. It is light enough to not scare off inexperienced players (or even those who just do not play games). It will find a spot in many a collection because it fits so many roles. The strength of codenames is its versatility. There are some quiet pensive moments, some loud arguments, some high-fives or groans of disbelief as your team make the inevitable far-reaching conclusion to pick the assassin card. The experience it provides is a good mix between being fun and offering a challenge for your brain. It might be good as a developmental exercise but its prime purpose is clearly entertaining adults. While children might very well enjoy this game – it did not strike me as a particularly great option for the younger crowd (perhaps those 12+). In fact – most times I put Codenames on the table it would be played 3-4 times in a row as every member of the team gets a chance to be the Spymaster. The game is learned in minutes and engages people throughout its short, 10-20 min duration. What you get is a simple framework to flex your wit, intelligence and vocabulary. Such systems, while enjoyable once learned, often stand in the way of the initial enjoyment of the game. Unlike most board games, Codenames does not impose a complex system of rules to master on players. Ostensibly there is a spy theme to the game but in most cases it is forgotten as quick as it becomes obvious that it’s completely unnecessary to enjoying the game. Whichever team picks all of their cards first is the winner. ![]() If you accidentally picked the “assassin” – you just lost the game. The team then picks cards based on the clue – if you got it wrong – your turn is over. You are only allowed one word and the number of cards you want your team to guess. (So for example if you’re trying to make your teammates guess “Alien”, “Moon” and “Telescope” you could say “Space”. The Spymaster gives clues to help their team guess and coming up with the clues is where the meat of the game is.Ī clue has to be a word that would associate with one or more words on the table. The Spymasters’ goal is to make their teammates (huddled on the other side of the cheat sheet) pick all cards belonging to their team before the opponent picks all theirs. There are also neutral cards and one “assassin” that makes you lose the game if ever selected. One player within each team is chosen as the “Spymaster” – the two (one from each team) receive a “cheat sheet”, showing which of the cards belong to your team, which are the opponents’. 25 cards with abstract words are laid out on the table. The game is played with 2 teams of 2-4 people each (though nothing mechanically prevents larger groups). A seemingly simple word game it made a home for itself in a ton of collections and was a serious contender for many game of the year awards. Codenames, the current #1 party game, has taken the board game world by storm.
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