- Publisher : Iello
- Designer(s) : Vlaada Chvátil
- Artist(s) : Stéphane Gantiez, Tomáš Kučerovský, Filip Murmak
- Players : 2–8
- Playing game : 15 Min
- Weight BGG : 1.26
What's this?
In Codenames, players are divided into two teams of spies who compete to discover the most code words. Each team has a spymaster who will give clues to his agents to guide them.
How do you play?
Aim of the game:
➡ Find all your agents: Each team has a certain number of agents to discover on the table.
➡ Avoid the assassin: Among the words, only one represents the assassin. The team that touches it immediately loses the game.
Game progress:
➡️ Preparation:
The spymasters draw a key card that indicates the words to find for each team, as well as the location of the assassin and the civilians.
The “Code Name” cards are placed on the table, face up.
➡️ Clues:
In turn, a spymaster gives a clue to his team. This clue is made up of a word and a number.
The word must be linked to several “Code Name” words of his team.
The number indicates the exact number of words of his team to which the clue is linked.
➡️ Guessing:
The agents of the team must then guess which words are related to the clue given by their spymaster.
They can guess as many words as they want as long as they think they are related to the clue.
If an agent guesses a word that belongs to the opposing team or is the assassin, it is the opposing team’s turn.
➡️ End of the game:
The first team to find all of its agents wins the game.
If a team touches the assassin, it loses immediately.
Is it good?
Codenames is one of the most popular party games ever created.
This game will certainly make you think, but it is above all its playful and creative dimension that makes it essential.
The multitude of possible combinations ensures exceptional replayability, guaranteeing games that are always renewed.
The only downside is sometimes the waiting times to find the perfect clue, which can slow down the pace for some. Analysis Paralysis can be really very important on this game.
Nevertheless, Codenames remains a safe bet in the world of board games and especially party games.
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Review Codenames
Positives
- The ultimate party game
- A brain-breaking game
- High replay value
- Suitable for all audiences
Negatives
- Analysis Paralysis
