Medium4–8 players·15–30 min
Codenames
Give one-word clues to help your team identify secret words — without helping the enemy.
Codenames is a team word-association game designed by Vlaada Chvátil. A 5×5 grid of 25 words is laid out on the table. Each team has a "spymaster" who knows which words belong to their team (red or blue), which are neutral, and which is the instant-loss assassin word. Spymasters give one-word clues followed by a number, and their team tries to guess which cards the clue refers to.
How to play
- The active spymaster gives a one-word clue and a number (e.g. "Ocean 3") — meaning "three of our words relate to this clue".
- The team discusses and touches cards they believe match. Correct cards are covered with their colour. A neutral card ends the team's turn. Touching the enemy card gives the other team a point. Touching the assassin card loses the game immediately.
- Teams alternate turns until one side covers all their agents or the assassin is touched.
Spymaster strategy
- Risk management is everything. A clue linking three words is worthless if one wrong guess hits the assassin.
- Use clues that positively identify your words while also negatively excluding dangerous ones (assassin, enemy cards).
- Think about what your team will think, not just what you know. Clues that seem obvious to you may have misleading associations for others.
- Don't over-extend. A clean 2-card clue is better than an ambitious 4-card clue that goes wrong.