Description
Two spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents, while their teammates know them only by their codenames, such as “apple”, “horn” or “string”. In Codenames, two teams compete to see which will be the first to make contact with all of its agents. Along the way they have to avoid the other team's agents, the innocent bystanders and, above all, the assassin.
How to play Codenames
A grid of 25 word cards is laid out on the table. Each team has a spymaster, who sees on the key card which words belong to their team. On their turn, the spymaster gives a clue: one word and a number, for example “wood: 2” for LOG and WILLOW. The teammates talk it over and keep guessing for as long as they hit their own words.
If you pick an innocent bystander or a word belonging to the other team, your turn ends. If you pick the assassin, your team loses immediately. The first team to uncover all of its words wins.
Why you will love it
- As the spymaster, you look for one word that connects as many of your cards as possible and steers clear of all the others – a real mental challenge.
- As a guesser, you talk with your team about what the spymaster meant, and you laugh a lot along the way.
- Every clue is a risk: one wrong card helps your opponents, and the assassin ends the game.
- When the game is over, you flip the cards and a new game is ready in a moment, so it rarely stops at just one round.
Who is Codenames for
The game is for 2 to 8 players aged 10 and up, and a game takes about 15 minutes. It is easy to learn and works best with two teams of at least two players each, while BGG recommends it most for six or eight players. It suits parties, family evenings and get-togethers with friends. Because the game is all about words, it matters that this edition is Slovenian – you play it in Slovenian. In 2016 it won the Spiel des Jahres award.
In our shop: Codenames – Pictures with pictures instead of words, and Codenames: Vrnitev na Bradavičarko.
What is in the box
- 200 word cards
- 40 key cards and a stand
- 16 agent tiles (8 red, 8 blue) and a double agent tile
- 7 innocent bystander tiles and an assassin tile
- rules in Slovenian
