Codenames Game Rules

Hey there! Are you ready to dive into the exciting world of Codenames? I’m here to guide you through the game and help you understand the rules.

The game of Codenames is played with two teams, each having a spymaster and several field operatives. The goal is to correctly guess all the secret codenames of your team’s agents before the other team does. Sounds thrilling, doesn’t it?

Here’s how the game works:

1. The spymasters sit on the same side of the table, while the field operatives sit across from them.
2. All the codename cards are placed in a 5×5 grid on the table.
3. The spymasters draw a key card. This card shows the secret identities of the agents – which codenames belong to their team, which codenames belong to the other team, and which codenames are innocent bystanders.
4. I, as the spymaster, give a one-word clue to my team that relates to multiple codenames on the table.
5. Based on the clue, the field operatives try to guess the correct codenames by selecting cards.
6. If the field operatives select a card belonging to their team, they can continue guessing until they either guess all their team’s codenames or decide to stop.
7. But here’s the catch – if they accidentally select a card belonging to the other team, their turn ends immediately, and it’s the other team’s turn to play.
8. The game continues with both teams taking turns and guessing codenames until one team guesses all their codenames and wins the game.

Remember, the key to success in Codenames is teamwork and good communication. The spymaster must come up with clever clues to lead their team to the right codenames, while the field operatives must carefully analyze the clues and make educated guesses.

So, are you ready to step into the shoes of a spymaster or a field operative and experience the thrill of Codenames? Gather your team, master the rules, and get ready for an epic battle of wit and strategy!

Alright, here’s the deal. We’re playing a game called Codenames, and it’s a blast! First things first, we split into two teams of around the same size and skill. You’ll want at least four players (two teams of two) for a regular game.

Now, each team needs to choose their spymaster – one player who will be in charge. The spymasters sit on the same side of the table, while the rest of the players face them.

These other players are the field operatives, ready for action!

Next, we randomly select 25 codenames and lay them out on the table in a 5-by-5 grid. It’s important to note that while shuffling the codename cards, we should flip over about half the deck every now and then. This way, the words get mixed up really well.

Now for the key

When you play a game of Codenames, one thing is particularly important: the key card. This card is like a secret decoder that tells us the identities of all the cards on the table. To determine the key card, the spymasters randomly choose one and place it in the stand between them.

It doesn’t matter which side of the key card is facing up. Just slide it into the stand without thinking too much. And make sure the field operatives don’t see it!

The key card matches the grid on the table. The blue squares represent words that the Blue Team needs to guess (the blue agents), and the red squares represent words that the Red Team needs to guess (the red agents).

The light-colored squares are innocent bystanders, while the black square is the assassin, which should never be contacted under any circumstances.

Choosing the Starting Team

We can determine which team starts by looking at the four lights around the edge of the key card. The team that is indicated by these lights will have to guess nine words, while the other team will have to guess eight. The starting team also gets to give the first clue of the game.

Agent Cards

There are 8 red agents.

And there are 8 blue agents.

To make it clear, the red agent cards are placed in a stack in front of the red spymaster. The blue agent cards are placed in front of the blue spymaster. That way, everyone can easily remember which team they are on.

Did you know that there’s a game called Codenames that involves secret agents and spies? It’s a thrilling game where you have to guess words based on clues given by your teammates. Let me explain how it works!

The game starts with a double agent card. This card belongs to the team that starts the game. You flip it to that team’s color, and it becomes one of their agent cards for the whole game.

There are also 7 innocent bystander cards

and 1 assassin card

Keep the innocent bystander cards and the assassin card in between, where both spymasters can easily reach them.

Tutorial Video

Game Play

In Codenames, teams take turns. The team that starts is indicated by the 4 lights on the edges of the key card.

Giving a clue

If you’re the spymaster, your task is to come up with a single-word clue that connects to some of the words your team needs to guess. Once you’ve thought of a good clue, you share it with your teammates. You also provide a number, indicating how many of the codenames are related to your clue.

For example, let’s say two of the words are NUT and BARK. Since both of these things come from trees, you might say tree: 2.

While you are allowed to give a clue for only one word (like cashew: 1), it’s more exciting to try for two or more. Getting four words with just one clue is a major accomplishment!

Keep it Brief

Your clue should consist of just one word. Providing additional hints or saying, “This might be a stretch…” is not allowed. Remember, you’re playing Codenames, where stretching is always part of the game.

Hey there! So, here’s the deal – I can’t give you any clues that match any of the words on the table. Sound fair? Oh, and remember, as the game goes on, some of those words might get covered up, so a clue that doesn’t work now might work later. Gotta keep you on your toes!

Alright, let’s make contact!

When I give you a clue, your team tries to figure out which words it points to. You can hash it out together, but I’ve gotta keep a straight face – no giving anything away!

Your team gets to officially guess when one of you taps a word on the table. Exciting, right?

• If the word you tap belongs to your team, I’ll cover it up with an agent card in your team’s color. Then you can guess another word – woohoo!
• But, if you accidentally tap on an innocent bystander, I’ll cover it with an innocent bystander card, and that ends the turn. Oops!

Here’s what happens when I, as a field operative, touch a card that belongs to the other team: one of their agent cards covers the word and our turn ends. It’s a bummer for us, but it helps the other team out!

But there’s something even worse than that – if I touch the assassin card, the game is over! The word gets covered by the assassin card, and the team who contacted the assassin loses. That’s not a good outcome for anyone.

So, before I reveal my clue to my teammates, I need to be really careful. I don’t want it to have anything to do with the assassin, or it could all go downhill from there.

How Many Guesses?

When I’m out in the field, I always have to take a guess. If I guess wrong, my turn is over, but if I guess a word that’s on my team’s color, I get to keep guessing.

I can stop guessing whenever I want, but usually I want to guess as many words as the spymaster told me. Sometimes, I might even want to guess one more:

Let me give you an example: The Red Team’s first clue was “tree: 2”. I wanted to guess ORANGE and NUT.

I guessed ORANGE first, but it turned out to be an innocent bystander. I didn’t get a chance to guess NUT.

The Blue Team took their turn and guessed two words correctly. Now, it’s Red Team’s turn again.

The red spy master tells me that the word “river” has a number of connections. I’m pretty confident that the AMAZON is a river, so I tap on that card. The spy master covers it with a red agent card and gives me another turn. I know that a river has a BED, so I tap on that codename. It’s also red, so I get to keep going.

Now, I’m not entirely sure about the third word related to river. I randomly pick the word “NUT”. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with rivers. I must be guessing a word from the previous clue.

Even though “NUT” is a red word, I have already made 3 correct guesses for the clue “river: 3”. I have one final guess. I can either try to find the third river word or search for the other word related to trees. On the other hand, I could also stop at three and give the Blue Team a chance to play.

Hey there! Let me tell you about a really cool game called “Codenames”. I think you’re gonna love it!

In Codenames, you and your friends split into two teams and become field operatives. The goal is simple: to locate all the secret agents before the other team does. Sounds exciting, right?

Here’s how it works: each team has a spymaster. The spymaster’s job is to give their team clever clues to help them find the secret agents. The clues can be anything – a word, a phrase, or even a gesture!

But there’s a catch! The spymaster can only give one word and one number as a clue. The word has to be related to the secret agents on the board, and the number tells the field operatives how many agents are associated with that clue.

Let’s say the blue team’s spymaster says “Fruit: 3”. That means the blue field operatives would have to guess which three secret agents are related to the word “fruit”. But here’s the twist – they can only guess one agent at a time. After each guess, the spymaster reveals whether the agent is on their team, the other team, or neither. The field operatives can keep guessing as long as they keep guessing correctly.

Remember, each team only gets one extra guess, so use it wisely. And be careful not to accidentally uncover an innocent bystander or even an assassin – that could cost you the game!

So how does the game flow?

The spymasters take turns giving clues. With each turn, they cover up at least one word on the board, which makes it easier for the field operatives to narrow down their guesses.

And what’s the endgame?

The game ends when a team has successfully identified all of their secret agents, or when they accidentally uncover the assassin. At that point, the other team gets a final chance to make one last guess and potentially win the game.

When you play this game, it’s all about covering the words and winning. The game is over when one team manages to cover all their words, and that team becomes the winner. It’s pretty exciting!

But here’s a twist – you can actually win on the other team’s turn if they guess your last word. It’s like a surprise victory!

Be careful though, because the game can end abruptly if one of the field operatives makes contact with the assassin. If that happens, the operative’s team loses. It’s a risky move!

Getting Ready for the Next Game

If other people want a chance to be spymasters in the next game, don’t worry, the setup is easy. Just remove the cards that are covering the codenames and put them back in their stacks.

Now comes the exciting part – flip over the 25 codenames, and you’re all set to start the next game! It’s that simple.

What’s the timer for?

Oops! I almost forgot something. The truth is, we don’t really use the sand timer that much.

If someone is taking too long to make a decision, any of us can turn over the sand timer and politely ask the slowpoke to choose before the time runs out.

If you’re having trouble, you can even use the sand timer on yourself. If you can’t figure out a good clue in time, just give a clue for the most difficult word and keep thinking while the other team takes their turn.

If you prefer playing with strict time limits, you can download our timer app at codenamesgame.com.