By: Catherine Acosta
Codenames is a card game for 4-8 players that are split into 2 teams (red and blue). These teams are led by their “spymaster” in guessing which cards in front of them belong to their team. The spymaster of each round can see a map that highlights which of the cards belong to their team and uses this to give their teammates a 1-word clue and a set number of cards that the clue belongs to. The first team to correctly guess all of their cards wins! Team members must avoid the other team’s cards and the “assassin”. Accidentally selecting the assassin card automatically cedes the win to the opposing team. The goal is very straightforward, which I appreciate in a game as I tend to find myself less motivated and engaged when games have a higher barrier to understanding how to play.
While I find this game generally very easy and accessible, it would not be accessible to younger children who may not have as extensive of a vocabulary as adults or older children they may play with. Generally, I have found that teams should be balanced, which the game has no mechanic to ensure, but players should consider how they split up teams based on ability.
The game’s mechanics include choosing the clue to give your teammates, discussing it with your teammates, and pointing at a card to select it. The spymasters may not discuss anything with their teammates, but all other players may deliberate on which cards to choose. To ensure that the spymasters correctly understand which cards their teammates want to select, pointing at a card becomes a very important safeguard against gut reactions and disagreements. Each round when the spymaster shares their clue, they also state the number of cards this clue relates to. As long as the team continues to guess correctly, they have as many guesses as the cards the spymaster numbered, plus one! However, if the team members guess a neutral card or one from the other team, their turn is over. Because you have a limited number of guesses each round, competition arises between the two teams as one team may struggle to keep up with the other.
This game relies heavily on personality and relationships between players. As the clues can be any singular word, teams made up of players who have spent a lot of time together may have an advantage over strangers. Specific words that may mean nothing to a stranger may carry more meaning between two roommates with a shared experience related to that word. This can facilitate gameplay. Conversely, players who are not as well acquainted will have to use clues that any person could interpret and be wary of giving a clue that may relate to the wrong card.
This game, like many family/party-style games, can take on rules and regulations that may be unique to each group that plays the game. While not nearly as varied as Uno, I have played with several families besides my own and have had to adapt to the different mechanics everyone uses. For example, an hourglass is included with the game. However, not everyone finds it useful nor uses it to time the same part of the game. Some time the spymasters as they come up with their clues for each round, while others time the guessers to minimize deliberation. Even the game’s official rules are a bit ambivalent about the use of the timer. The rules state that a player can use the hourglass whenever they see fit, on another player, team or even on themselves! Families that play often might have a specific member that is always timed… (Playing codenames with my boyfriend’s family last week inspired me to reflect on how different it is to play with my family or friends)
Lastly, I love spy-themed games and I find the design of the cards to really add to the theming and atmosphere of this game. Without the element of the “codenames,” it would be very similar to something like taboo. Having spymasters and agents makes the game more engaging. The game has plenty of cards each with two words, making it endlessly replayable.
