Tabletop Tuesday - Codenames

Welcome to another edition of Tabletop Tuesday - Your weekly exploration into games of dice, cards, luck and more of the Tabletop world.

This week's game...the game of obscure clues and agents of blue that is Code Names.

Players: 4+ Recommended
Time: 15-30 minutes
Genre: Team-Based Word / Party Game



Code Names is one of the most popular games to arise in 2016, winning the 2016 Spiel des Jahres Game of the Year award, which is considered one of the most esteemed game awards worldwide.  Players divide into teams of blue agents and red agents, each electing one member on their team to be a "spy master" for the round.  With a grid of 25 words (code names), the spy masters look at a map card indicating which code names belong to their team, their opponent's team, neither team, and the assassin.  Their goal is to give clues that will allow their team to guess the code names belonging to their team.  However, the clues can only be one word and one number.  As such, the spy masters try to think of one word clues that relate many of their words and not their opponents, with the one number being an indication of how many words on the grid relate to the clue given.  And whatever clues they give, the spy masters want to ensure their clues do not relate to the one assassin hidden in the grid, for that will result in automatic, deadly defeat!

Code Names is unique in that it requires teamwork with limited means of communication.  As such, it is advantageous for the spy master of each round to know how their team members think and anticipate how they'll respond to your clues.  Although, sometimes stretches in clues given can result in unintended, but often humorous consequences.  And that can be half the fun sometimes, which makes this a great game for lighthearted, social occasions, but still with a little fun, competitive edge.

While there is a 2-3 player variation to play given in the rules, this game is best played with 4 or more players as a team game.  It's especially nice as a team game as there are no real advantages to having more or less players on a team, so an odd number of players is more than welcome.  The vast variety of words and map card variations allow for fresh game experiences every time, and each code name card is double-sided with other words, also allowing for quick setup for those often desired rematches.  I would recommend this game for groups who enjoy creative thinking and enjoy taking risks, as those creative risks offer the most memorable experiences in this game.

If you have any other questions about Code Names, be sue to ask in the comments.  And stay tuned for more games and fun to be found in future installments of Tabletop Tuesday!