Codenames is a game that pits two spymasters and their teams against each other, with the goal of being the first team to contact all of their spies in the field. How is this done? By the spymasters looking at a 5×5 grid of cards with a single word on them, and giving clues to their team that point them toward these spies. Confused? Let’s delve deeper…
At its heart, Codenames is a team game with a spymaster on each team giving clues to their teammates that correspond to cards on the table. A clue can be a single word or (in some cases) a proper noun, along with a number. The number indicates the amount of cards that the spymaster thinks are associated with the clue they gave.
Example of a set of keywords
One of the spymaster cards
At its heart, Codenames is a team game with a spymaster on each team giving clues to their teammates that correspond to cards on the table. A clue can be a single word or (in some cases) a proper noun, along with a number. The number indicates the amount of cards that the spymaster thinks are associated with the clue they gave. So if the words BRANCH, LEAF, COCONUT are on the table, the spymaster may say “Tree 3”.
However, if the spymaster missed the word TRUNK, and their team guesses it, there are 3 potential things that can happen
- If it was a word assigned to the other team, that team gets a point and the turn is over.
- It could be a civilian, which is neutral (no point given to either side).
- It could be the assassin (black square in the image above). If this happens, the game is over and the other team wins.
Once a clue is given, the spymaster must say nothing and do nothing (a good test of poker faces). The only thing they can do is set out the team/civilian/assassin markers.
A team can decide to pass at any time, and it’s important that the spymaster still say nothing, because they may be able to give hints as to whether the team chose well or poorly. Ideally, the spymaster would only ever give hints in the course of the game.
The spymasters share a card between them that shows the grid, which indicates the color of each card, along with which team goes first. The penalty for going first is that they have to guess 9 correct answers instead of 8.
While this is a team game, it also works really well against an AI opponent. The game still plays the same, except that each turn the spymaster has to pick a card to mark for the other team (so the other team always gets 1 point each turn). I have played several games like this, and it’s always fun.
Is this a buy? It most definitely is. The price point is very low (I’ve not seen it above $20), and it comes with 200 double-sided clue cards and 40 spymaster cards (that can be turned 4 ways, giving 160 different games just from those cards, even if you use all of the same clue cards). It also works just as well with 2 people as it does with 10 (and even more, in theory). There are lots of laughs to be had as the teams try to decipher the spymasters clues, and on the spymaster side, lots of frustration when you give what you think is a clear answer and they go a completely different direction. Even worse, sometimes they may vocally debate guessing the right word, then dismiss it and choose something different. It’s also a very quick game, each one lasting no more than half an hour, so it’s perfect as a filler game, or to round out an evening.
I strongly recommend this game. This has some of the highest value/$ amongst my collection, and I’ve not seen anyone yet who dislikes it. It’s also one of those rare games in that I can’t really think of any flaws. All in all, a very solid buy, and a great addition to any game collection.
If this review was helpful and you are thinking about buying this game, please consider purchasing via the link below.
Derrick Discusses... 