Codenames Harry Potter Additional Rules

Hey there! I’m here to tell you about some awesome additional rules for playing Codenames Harry Potter edition. These rules will take your game to the next level and make it even more exciting. So, let’s dive in and explore these awesome additions, shall we?

First things first, let me tell you about the role of the spymasters. As the spymaster, your job is to give one-word clues to help your teammates guess the right words on the board. But here’s the twist – you can only use words related to the Harry Potter universe! That means you have to really think like a wizard and come up with clues that will lead your team to victory.

Now, let’s talk about the cards. The game comes with 40 key cards, each featuring a word related to the magical world of Harry Potter. The words can be characters, spells, locations, or any other element from the Harry Potter universe. Your mission, as a spymaster, is to give clues that connect multiple words together. But be careful! You don’t want to accidentally lead your team to the assassin card, which can instantly make you lose the game.

Speaking of the assassin card, let me explain what it is. The assassin card is like the dark force of the game. If your team chooses the word that corresponds to the assassin card, you automatically lose the game. So be cautious and always keep an eye out for that sneaky assassin!

Now, let me introduce you to the Time-Turner. This magical artifact allows you to take an extra turn if your team correctly guesses a word that you hinted at. It’s like getting a second chance to guess more words and gain an edge over your opponents. But remember, you can only use the Time-Turner once per game, so use it wisely!

Lastly, I want to tell you about the bonus cards. These cards are symbols of the magical world, such as the Deathly Hallows or the Quidditch Golden Snitch. If your team successfully guesses an extra word that connects to a bonus card, you get a special advantage. It could be an extra clue, an additional guess, or even a double point!

So there you have it, my friend. These additional rules will bring a whole new level of excitement to your game of Codenames Harry Potter edition. So gather your friends, put your wizard hats on, and let the magical adventure begin! May the best spymaster win!

When we play this game, we need to keep our information limited to what we can figure out from the clues provided by each other. If I want to make a guess, I shouldn’t give away any hints about what I see on my side of the Key card.

Let’s say I guess a card that my partner marks as a red Order of the Phoenix Member. In that case, I shouldn’t reveal any information about what that card looks like on my side to my partner.

It’s important not to give advice to my partner about when they should stop guessing. Also, I should avoid revealing how many cards are left to guess, unless all the red Order of the Phoenix cards that I see have already been uncovered.

Let’s Regroup

You’ve Encountered a Death Eater

Hey, this is a bummer. You got defeated. That’s what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named wants. But don’t fret! We can start fresh by shuffling the cards, picking a new Key card, and giving it another go.

Before I share a clue with you, let’s be smart and check where the three Death Eaters are lurking. We should avoid clues that might point to those sneaky buggers. If we play it safe, most of the time we can dodge the Death Eaters. Well, usually. Sometimes they still get us.

You’re Out of Time

Your turn suddenly ended, and unfortunately, you made an incorrect guess without contacting all the Order of the Phoenix Members. Don’t throw in the towel just yet! Shuffle the cards, draw a new Key card, and let’s give it another shot.

To succeed, we need to give clues that connect two or more cards. Don’t be afraid to make a bit of a stretch when giving clues. Your partner knows that not every clue will be a perfect fit. But watch out for those Death Eaters!

If you always seem to run out of time, you should think about using an extra Time-Turner token. Maybe you should practice on an easier mission before trying the harder ones.

You completed a mission with 11 or 12 tokens!

Wow! You played with some additional Time-Turner tokens, and you managed to contact all the Members while avoiding the Death Eaters. Mission accomplished!

We hope you had fun playing the game. You can play it this way again, or you can try it with 10 tokens. It might be tough,

and you might need a few tries or a little luck, but it feels amazing to beat that mission!

You completed a regular 10-token mission

Awesome! You did an excellent job, and you are prepared for anything!

The next page will explain how to use the Mission Log to discover new challenges. Each mission requires different skills and strategies.

Hey there! Want to replay the regular 11-token challenge? It’s a blast! And with all the different Key and Code cards, each game is a unique experience.

Scoring a 10-token challenge

Some games are super tough, where you come up against loads of Ministry Officials and have to use your sudden death turn to clinch a victory. Other games? You might triumph in just 7 or 8 turns. To gauge your performance, follow these scoring rules:

• Score yourselves 3 points for every Time-Turner token left in the time bank. Just remember to include the one you used on the last winning turn.
• For each Time-Turner token taken when finishing a turn with a correct guess, award yourselves 1 point.
• If you needed the sudden death turn to secure the win, deduct 1 point.

If you got a score of 5 or more, that’s really good! If you scored 9 or 10, that’s awesome! And if you can score more than 10, you should definitely give the Mission Log a try.

Mission Log

So, you just finished a regular 10-token mission? Great job! (If you haven’t done that yet, keep trying and come back here when you succeed).

Your team is ready for more challenging missions. Grab one of the Mission Logs from the pad. There are multiple copies, so you can play missions with different teams. Mark the diamond next to London. That means you completed the 10/10 mission!

Now, you can choose the top mission from any of the three boxes in London. You have three options: #4 Privet Drive, Diagon Alley, or Train Station. Here’s what the numbers next to each mission mean:

Mission Parameters

Let’s talk about the important details of each mission. They all have two number parameters that you need to consider.

The first number tells you how many turns you have. To set up a mission, you should put that many Time-Turner tokens in the time bank. Keep the rest in the box. For example, the #4 Privet Drive mission and the standard London mission both have 10 turns. Diagon Alley has 11 turns, and Train Station has the most with 12 turns.

The second number is the number of mistakes you’re allowed to make. Only this many tokens will be facing the Ministry of Magic Official side. The rest will be flipped to the Time-Turner side. For #4 Privet Drive, you can have 5 Ministry of Magic Official tokens out of the 10 total tokens.

Hey there! So, here’s the deal with the missions. There are different levels of difficulty, but don’t worry, I’ve got your back. The Hogwarts 9/9 and Hogsmeade 8/8 missions are just like the standard ones, but with fewer tokens.

If you feel like exploring Hogwarts or Hogsmeade, you can unlock those locations whenever you want to keep on your magical journey.

Now, the final three missions in the Ministry of Magic are a bit trickier. You can only attempt them after completing all the other missions. So keep that in mind!

Okay, so within each of the three sections – London, Hogwarts, and Hogsmeade – there are location-specific bonuses. The number of diamonds you see tells you how many times you can use each bonus in that location. Pretty cool, right?

And here’s the cherry on top: if you complete a set of three missions, you get reward bonuses! These bonuses can be used on any future mission, no matter the location. So, go get ’em, wizard!

Using The Time-turner Tokens

If I decide to stop guessing after getting one or more correct answers, I get to take a Time-Turner side-up token from the time bank. But if all that’s left are Ministry Official-side-up tokens, I’ll take one of those instead and place it Time-Turner side up on my side of the table.

If the turn ends with a guess of a Ministry of Magic Official, the clue giver gets a Ministry Official-side-up token from the time bank and uses it to mark the wrong guess, like usual. But once there are no more Ministry Official-side-up tokens left, wrong guesses come with a penalty.

When playing this game, you can identify a Ministry of Magic Official by flipping over two Time-Turner tokens. This is a costly mistake since you lose two turns instead of just one. The Ministry Official is marked by the flipped tokens, which function as a single token stack. Remember that if someone correctly guesses that you’re a Death Eater, the Time-Turner tokens don’t matter – you lose.

If you use up all your tokens during a turn or use more tokens than you have left, things get intense. In a sudden-death turn, you play as usual. However, if a turn results in you using more tokens than you have, you immediately lose. This situation can only occur when you have just one Time-Turner token remaining, it is in the Time-Turner position, and a player successfully guesses that you’re a Ministry Official.

Now, let’s continue with the game.

When you complete a mission in #4 Privet Drive, Diagon Alley, or the Train Station, make sure to mark it as done. This will unlock another mission for you to explore in the next location box. Once you finish all the missions within a box, you’ll unlock a special bonus that you can use in a future game. Remember, these bonuses can only be used once, so choose the opportune moment to activate them.

Each mission requires a different strategy. Some may call for a cautious and deliberate approach, while others reward you for taking bold chances and making educated guesses.

Have fun with the Mission Log! You might discover a few missions that become your favorites and want to play them over and over again. Alternatively, you can keep pushing forward, aiming to complete every single mission along the way.

If you’re a pro at playing Codenames and crave an extra challenge, here’s a twist: remove one Time-Turner token from each mission. Alternatively, you can add a new rule: for every set of three missions, play one with pictures, one with words, and one with a combination of both.

To mark this, fill in only the top half of the diamond if you use pictures , the bottom half for words , and the entire diamond for a mix of both .

Valid and Invalid Clues

Some clues are invalid because they go against the spirit of the game. Your clue should be related to the meaning of the words or pictures.

If you want to give a clue for a Code card, you can’t use the clue to talk about the letters on the card or where it is on the table. For example, I can’t say “Middle: 1” as a clue for the card in the middle of the table. Also, if you want to give a clue for words that start with the same letter, you can’t use a number as the clue. So, “S: 3” wouldn’t be a valid clue for three words that start with S. However, you can use letters and numbers as clues if they refer to meanings. For instance, “Seven: 2” could be a clue for a picture of a Quidditch Team from the seventh movie.

But be careful with numbers. The number you say after your clue can’t be used as a clue itself. For instance, “Pink: 8” wouldn’t be a valid clue for a picture of Dolores Umbridge and ARAGOG.

Another rule is that you can’t use any form of a word that is already on the table. So, if “HARRY POTTER” is visible, you can’t say “Harry,” “Pot,” or “Potting” as clues. However, you could still use a word like “Potato” as a clue. This rule only applies to words seen on the table. If there is a picture of Harry Potter, you can use any of the clues mentioned above.

When it comes to playing the game, there is a rule that you should keep in mind. A word is considered “visible” until it is covered by a red Order of the Phoenix card or two Time-Turner tokens, which represent an incorrect guess from each side. It’s like the word is hiding until someone makes a wrong guess.

Now, let’s talk about compound words. You can’t say only part of a word that is on the table. For example, if the word “GRAVEYARD” is visible, you can’t just say “Grave” or “Yard.” However, you can say words like “Gravel” and “Rave.” The same goes for the word “HORACE SLUGHORN.” You can’t say “Slug,” “Sluggish,” “Horn,” or “Horned,” but words like “Race” are allowed.

Something that might come in handy is the ability to spell your clue. Maybe you want to give a clue that contains the word “Knight” but you want to avoid anything related to “Night.” That’s when spelling the clue can be helpful.

Listen up! I’ve got a few important things to tell you about creating clues. You need to follow the rules, and that means no accents or fancy vocal tricks. None of that French accent stuff for a clue like “GREAT HALL” or “MADAM MAXIME.” And don’t bother looking up fancy French words for “HALL.” We’re sticking to English words here.

But wait, there’s more

Now, I know it can be frustrating when you’ve got a great clue that doesn’t fit the rules. Like “Barty Crouch Jr.” or “The D.A.” Or maybe “Little Whinging” or “Boxing Day.” And what about “Sorcerer’s Stone,” “House-Elf,” or “Dueling Club”? They all break the “one word” rule, but they could still be good clues, right?

So here’s the deal. You can choose to loosen up the rules a bit. Allow multi-word names, acronyms, titles, and compound words. That way, you don’t have to let those perfect clues go to waste.

Hey there! Maybe you’d like to spice things up a bit with some word play. English loves to play around with words, so feel free to use clues like this one if it adds some fun to the game.

Now, if someone accidentally gives an invalid clue, no worries! Just take a one-turn penalty by getting rid of one of the Time-Turner tokens from the time bank. Then, the guesser can go ahead and make their guess as if the clue were valid.

The turn will end in the usual way, which usually means using up another Time-Turner token. In some cases, an invalid clue might give away too much information, so you might choose to start fresh with a new game. But most of the time, this penalty should do the trick.

Advanced Technique: The Zero Clue

Did you know that you’re allowed to give a clue for zero in the game? It’s true! Let me explain how it works. Imagine you want your partner to guess CHO CHANG, CEDRIC DIGGORY, and GRYFFINDOR, but you want them to avoid the Death Eater DRACO MALFOY. In this situation, you can give a clue like Slytherin: 0.

Using “Slytherin: 0” as your clue tells your partner to avoid guessing anything related to MALFOY. But here’s the cool thing: your partner might also realize that DRACO MALFOY is blocking an easier clue, like Houses: 3. So, even though your clue is for zero, your partner still needs to make at least one guess.

With more than 2 Players

The game was originally designed for 2 players, but guess what? We tested it with larger groups, and it was a blast! If you’re playing with more than 2 people, divide into two teams and sit across from each other. Just make sure everyone can only see one side of the Key card.

Hey there! Let me walk you through the gameplay of this super cool two-player game. It’s a really fun and interactive experience where anyone can give a clue, and the players on the other side of the table have to guess it. Sounds exciting, right?

Now, here’s the interesting part – the clue-giving team can brainstorm and discuss ideas for clues, but they have to make sure that the guessers on the opposite side don’t accidentally overhear them. So, you can choose to whisper, write things down, or even step out of the room if you want to keep your clues secret. However, remember that discussing the clue is not mandatory. If you think you’ve come up with a good one, you can just go ahead and give it without any discussion.

On the other hand, the guessers can freely discuss their thoughts and ideas about the clue. But, here’s the catch – they can’t say anything that would reveal information about their own side of the Key card. And remember, the guess only becomes official when one of the guessers touches the Code card. It’s all about teamwork and coordination!

Looser Turn Order

Now, here’s an interesting variant that some of our playtesters loved – you can allow a player to give two clues in a row. This means the turn order is more flexible, giving players the option to take back-to-back turns. Pretty cool, huh?

But then you should get a clue from the other player. It’s not fair to give all the clues from one side before starting to give clues from the other side. It takes away from the spirit of the game.

The Magic Behind the Key Card

The Key Cards are carefully crafted using this diagram. You can use this information to your advantage.

Hey there! Let’s dive into the exciting world of Codenames: Harry Potter. I’ll walk you through some important tips and tricks to help you master the game. Are you ready?

Okay, let’s start with the Code cards. Out of the 9 red Code cards you see, 3 of them are also red on the other side of the Key card. This means you only have 15 cards to guess from. Keep in mind, some players like to place their Order of the Phoenix cards facing the guesser to keep track of who guessed which red cards.

Now, let’s talk about the black Code cards. You have three of these, and on the other side of the Key card, one is black, one is red, and one is grey. This means that one of the black cards you see is a card you must guess. However, if you find the black card that is red on the other side, you should not guess the other two black cards.

If you want to mix things up, you can use the Clue cards from Codenames: Harry Potter with a Key card and Cover cards from another version of Codenames for a competitive game.

Here’s what you need to remember:

Each turn involves one clue and one or more guesses. You can keep guessing as long as you keep getting it right.

When you touch a Code card, remember that its identity depends only on the other player’s side of the Key card.

If you touch a grey Code card, the turn ends. And if you touch a black Death Eater card, the game ends.

A Code card marked by a Time-Turner token, even if it’s marked on one side, can still be guessed by the other player. But when both sides are marked, it’s considered covered.

Each turn costs you one Time-Turner token. You can use it as a clue giver to mark a Ministry of Magic Official card that the guesser touches, or the guesser can take it to indicate they are done guessing.

If you haven’t won the game after using your last Time-Turner token, get ready for a sudden death turn. Both players can guess, but no clues will be given.

Remember, if anyone makes an incorrect guess, you lose the game. So be careful!

If you’re using the Mission Log, keep in mind that an incorrect guess might cost you two Time-Turner tokens. This happens if you exceed the acceptable number of incorrect guesses. If you have only one token left when you need to give up two, you won’t get a sudden death turn and you’ll lose the game.

Lastly, never reveal anything about your side of the Key card, except for when you need to let your partner know that all the red cards you see have been covered by red Order of the Phoenix cards.