Tabletop Tuesday - Codenames Pictures

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 return of obscure clues now with visual cues that is Codenames Pictures.

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



As you can probably infer from the name, Codenames Pictures plays much like the base game of Codenames, but uses a grid of pictures rather than words to decipher.  The pictures are rather abstract at that, offering many means of interpretation and description.  The rules remain very much the same, with teams of red and blue agents, each with a "spy master" for the round.  With a grid of 25 pictures, the spy masters look at a map card to determine their code pictures, opponent's pictures, neutral pictures, and the assassin.  The spy masters will then give clues using only one word and one number (the latter being an indication of how many pictures relate to the word).  The difference with pictures here is that there are less restrictions as to what words can be used.   The visual elements make this a much more accessible medium for a wider range of players, and you may even notice players taking more creative risks in their clue giving than you would in the base version.

Codenames Pictures can be enjoyed as a standalone game apart from Codenames.  But if you should own both versions, you're also able to combine them together into a unique cumulative experience, since they both play by the same rules.  Creating a mix and match grid of words and pictures creates a satisfying and cognitive exercise for your brain muscles as you work to merge clues from these two very different mediums.  However you should end up playing or what version you should decide upon though, Codenames is a great game for large groups who enjoy creative thinking and lots of laughs.  I recommend this expansion for those looking for a little bolder creativity or variation to their clue giving ventures.

If you have any questions about Codenames Pictures, be sure to ask in the comments.  Otherwise, stay tuned for more expansions and games to be found in future installments of Tabletop Tuesday!