Codenames is a 2015 card game for 4–8 players designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition. Two teams compete by each having a "spymaster" give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. The other players on the team attempt to guess their team's words while avoiding the words of the other team. In a variant with 2–3 players, one spymaster gives clues to the other player or players. In 2016, Codenames won the Spiel des Jahres award for the best board game of the year.
Rules
Codenames is a game of guessing which codenames in a set are related to a hint-word given by another player. Players split into two teams: red and blue. One player of each team is selected as the team's spymaster; the others are field operatives. Twenty-five Codename cards, each bearing a word, are laid out in a 5×5 rectangular grid, in random order. A number of these words represent red agents, a number represent blue agents, one represents an assassin, and the others represent innocent bystanders. The teams' spymasters are given a randomly-dealt map card showing a 5×5 grid of 25 squares of various colors, each corresponding to one of the code name cards on the table. Teams take turns. On each turn, the appropriate spymaster gives a verbal hint about the words on the respective cards. Each hint may only consist of one single word and a number. The spymaster gives a hint that is related to as many of the words on his/her own agents' cards as possible, but not to any others – lest they accidentally lead their team to choose a card representing an innocent bystander, an opposing agent, or the assassin. The hint's word can be chosen freely, as long as it is not any of the words on the code name cards still showing at that time. Code name cards are covered as guesses are made. The hint's number tells the field operatives how many words in the grid are related to the word of the clue. It also determines the maximum number of guesses the field operatives may make on that turn, which is the hint's number plus one. Field operatives must make at least one guess per turn, risking a wrong guess and its consequences. They may also end their turn voluntarily at any point thereafter. After a spymaster gives the hint with its word and number, their field operatives make guesses about which code name cards bear words related to the hint and point them out, one at a time. When a code name card is pointed out, the spymaster covers that card with an appropriate identity card – a blue agent card, a red agent card, an innocent bystander card, or the assassin card – as indicated on the spymasters' map of the grid. If the assassin is pointed out, the game ends immediately, with the team who identified him losing. If an agent of the other team is pointed out, the turn ends immediately, and that other team is also one agent closer to winning. If an innocent bystander is pointed out, the turn simply ends. The game ends when all of one team's agents are identified, or when one team has identified the assassin.
Sequels
Codenames: Deep Undercover was released in 2016 exclusively at Target Stores. The game's 200 new cards consisted of sexual references and double entendres, earning it a parental advisory sticker. Codenames: Deep Undercover was released in 2018 and is an update of the previous, intended to achieve better game balance. It is published by Lark & Clam. Codenames: Disney Family Edition was released in 2017, and featured characters and locations from Disney and Pixar films. Codenames: Duet was released in 2017 as a two player, cooperative version of the base game with 400 all new word cards. Codenames: Duet XXL was released in May 2019 and is the same as the original Codenames: Duet, except for the fact that it uses larger format cards. Codenames: Harry Potter was released in 2018 and features the gameplay from Codenames Duet, with players working together to reveal all the right cards before they run out of time or summon Lord Voldemort or another dark wizard. Codenames: Marvel Edition was released in 2017, featuring characters including Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, and others in the Marvel Universe. Codenames: Pictures was released in September 2016, using images on the cards instead of words. The game uses a grid of 20 cards instead of 25, but otherwise has the same rules as the original. Codenames: Pictures XXL was released in Nov-Dec 2018 and is the same as the original Codenames: Pictures, except for the fact that it uses larger format cards. Codenames: The Simpsons Family Edition was released in November 2019 and features characters and references from the eponymous television series. It is based on Codenames: Pictures. Codenames: XXL was released in 2018 and is the same as the original Codenames, except for the fact that it uses larger format cards.
Digital
CGE has released Codenames Gadget, a mobile app to randomly generate layouts of agents. CGE has also released an official web version of the game, through their website at http://codenames.game.
Reception
The game reached the 17th position in the BoardGameGeek ranking of games of all time, and first position in the BGG party-games ranking. It won the 2016 Spiel des Jahres, the most prestigious game award worldwide. Codenames won the Origins Award for Best Family Game, Fan Favorite Family Game, and Game of the Year for 2015. Codenames Duet won a Golden Geek award for the best two-player game of 2017. It has been published in 38 languages, comprising six different alphabets.
