our review
Verbal spy hunt
Codenames
Risky word game
What do a wall, a countenance, a quarry and a gall have in common? Correct, they all could be paired with stone or stony to specify a term or form a new one, for instance boundary stone. And already we are less than a stone’s throw away from the word and association game Codenames, a new game by the renowned and successful designer Vlaada Chvátil, Czech Games Edition is again, as for many of Chvátil’s games, the publisher.
The play on words has been framed with an agent’s topic, featuring two heads of secret agencies, called Team Red and Team Blue, who sit next to each other, and their team of investigators, who should take a seat at the opposite side of the table.
Between bosses and investigators a grid of 5x5 word cards, out of 200 cards, is laid out. The cards show different words on both sides, and each side is printed with the term in both directions of readings and so easily readable from both sides of the table.
One Key card is randomly drawn from a deck of 40 such Key cards and is put into a holder in a way that only the bosses can see the front side. This card indicates with four color dots at its edge if Team Red or Team Blue will begin. Much more important however, is that the card also features, in a 5x5 grid pattern, the position of eight word cards that need to be guessed by one team, and nine cards that need to be guessed by the other team, indicated in red and blue colors. From the remaining eight slots in the grid, seven are assigned to so-called Innocent Bystanders who are non-involved neutral word cards not assigned to either Team Blue or Team Red. The last remaining slot for cards on the table is assigned to an Assassin, marked by a black X on the Key card. Should any of the investigating teams, for which reason whatsoever, name this one word card, the team has lost the game instantly. So the respective heads of the agencies must at all cost avoid, in their choice of umbrella or generic or covering term to cause their teams to include the Assassin in their considerations.
As already briefly mentioned, the agency heads now alternate in their task to propose or indicate certain cards on the table to their respective agents. For instance, “Asia 3” would be a possible generic term to include or describe or indicate the word cards “Japan”, Himalaya” and “Taj Mahal”. Each word card correctly guessed as belonging to a team is covered with a blue or red agent card so that you can check at any time how many words have already been correctly guessed by each team. When the investigators are not sure about a word, they can of course name fewer words than indicated by their boss. The only motto should be “Don’s name an opposing agency word”, you and your team must however, name a minimum of one card.
Should however, as regards to the previously named example, the term „Chinese Wall“ , which undoubtedly is in Asia, be stated on the Assassin Card, the whole thing could go badly wrong. Should any investigator choose an Innocent Bystander or, even worse, choose a card of the opposing agency, the guessing for the team is instantly terminated for the round and the turn passes to the other team. Whichever team manages first to guess its eight or nine word cards, has won.
My conclusion: You wouldn’t believe how difficult it can be to find a term that exactly covers to of your team’s cards, not to speak about three, four or even more cards, as you must, in any case, take the terms on the Assassin Card, the Innocent Bystander Cards and the cards reserved for the other team into account so as not to cause your investigators to include them by mistake. So it happens rather often that out of sheer desperation and after some minutes of cogitation only the value one for the number of cards is named. So the pleasure is huge when you mange to find four or more word cards in one round.
In my opinion, Codenames is one of the best word games for larger groups, as it can be suggested – because of its rather simple rules - also to casual gamers who probably do not know any other word game with the exception of Scrabble. Unfortunately, the target age group of 14+ needs to be taken seriously, at least for the roles of agency heads, as younger children often lack the extensive vocabulary or general knowledge to find cover terms; or did you know that the terms stone dresser (he does stone chiseling), stone parsley (a herb) or stone curley (a bird) exist?
Gert Stöckl
Players: 2-8
Age: 14+
Time: 15+
Designer: Vlaada Chvátil
Artist: Tomáš Kučerovský
Price: ca. 16 EUR
Publisher: Czech Games 2015
Genre: Word, party
Users: With friends
Special: Many players
Version: en
Rules: cz de en es fr it jp nl pl sk
In-game text: yes
Comments:
Needs good vocabulary and general knowledge as well as creative ideas for cover terms
Best with 6 and more players
Very good word game
Compares to:
Linq
Other editions:
Cranio Creations, Iello, Heidelberger Spieleverlag, Hobby Japan, Devir, and others, announced and published
My rating: 7
Gert Stöckl:
Excellent word and party game that is fun in every group of players, but only with players over 14 years of age
Chance (pink): 1
Tactic (turquoise): 0
Strategy (blue): 0
Creativity (dark blue): 2
Knowledge (yellow): 2
Memory (orange): 0
Communication (red): 3
Interaction (brown): 2
Dexterity (green): 0
Action (dark green): 0