{"product_id":"a-grade-codenames-2","title":"*A Grade* Codenames","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCodenames\u003c\/em\u003e is a team-based party game for 2 to 8 players. Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Their teammates know the agents only by their \u003cem\u003eCodenames\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Their teammates try to guess words of the right colour while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTeams take turns, on each turn, the spymaster gives a hint about their agents' identities by giving verbal hints about the words on the respective cards. Each hint may only consist of one single word and a number. The spymaster should give a hint that is related to as many of the words on their 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hint's word can be chosen freely, as long as it is not (and doesn't contain) any of the words on the code name cards still showing at that time. (Code name cards will be covered as guesses are made; and covered words may be used as hints.) If the teams agree, two words that act as one might be permissible - such as \"Taj Mahal\" or \"Sean Connery\" or \"New York\" - but if a spymaster has any question about a hint they might give or about the meaning of any of the code name cards' words, they should simply ask the rival spymaster for a ruling, out of earshot of the field operatives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWin or lose, it's fun to figure out the clues.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAges 10+\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e2-8 Players\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e15 Minute Playing Time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eVIDEO\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/PW1Y_wgY1rI\" width=\"100%\" height=\"450\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBLOG: REVIEW\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOK agents your mission briefing begins here. From now on everything you thought you knew about the world was in fact a lie. There are spies among us and they are not hiding in the shadows, but who are they?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eYour neighbour? Your work colleague? The mad cat lady from number 47?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho is friend? Who is foe?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is worse is that there is an assassin is hiding in their midst.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe cannot risk a leak. Who do you trust? Your only true friends are your team. So your spymaster can only issue you with covert clues to help you identify those trusted agents out in the field. What intelligence we have to hand tells us that our enemy is in the same situation. Will you and your team be able to contact those agents and bring them in safely before the assassin strikes. Or will the opposing forces manage to recover their agents first? Time is critical\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eAs always, should you or any of your force be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMission Equipment?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgent “X” due to the sensitive nature of this mission you will not be issued with the usual exploding pens, laser watches or bullet proof cars. We cannot risk exposure. Instead we will be issuing you with the following equipment:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEight Red Agent Cards.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEight Blue Agent Cards.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne Double Agent Card.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeven Innocent Bystander Cards.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne Assassin Card.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e40 Key Cards.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e200 Double-Sided Codename Cards.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOne Sand Timer.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cu\u003eOK team lets go.\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore you rush off Agent “X”. Be aware that the enemy can hear every word that is said and will be actively trying to feed false ideas and leads to your team. You have been warned!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSpymaster Calling\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOK agents, listen very carefully I will say this only once. Once out in the field, all communication will be eavesdropped. So from this point on I will only be using the approved code to communicate. You and your team will need to decode the transmission to locate the relevant covert operatives and bring them in from the cold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWait what is that….\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou have not been issued with the codebreaker?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAssassin on the loose?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRight, old school code-form it is then. As you know all agents are identified by one word codenames. I will issue you with one word and a number. You will use that to decide on the names of the agents I am referring to.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor example if I state “Flying 4,\" you will automatically know the four agents are, “Plane”, “Robin”, “Balloon” and “Saucer”. Due to all communication being tapped I will not be able to communicate outside those transmissions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBe careful if you decode incorrectly, if you're lucky you will just point out an innocent bystander. If not, you might uncover one of the opposing spies or even worse the assassin, and he will wipe out your entire force. \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eGAME OVER!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSounds easy? Well it is not\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou will be faced by 25 potential agents. Only the two Spymasters will know the true location of everyone. Using only one word and one number they will try to lead you to your agents, while avoiding the innocent bystanders or the dreaded assassin. You would think that would be easy to do? No one would give a clue that leads you to an instant lose, would they?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNormally no they would not. But that is the beauty of Codenames. Everyone thinks differently and because the spymaster is not allowed to talk, you are up against a tight time limit, the rest of your team is thinking of different words and the opposing team are trash talking and throwing out red herring suggestions to put you off.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll of a sudden Codenames becomes a lot more complex than a simple word guessing game.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStrategy or Luck?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is not a lot of room for strategy in Codenames. In saying that do not think it is a game of luck either. Well not in the traditional sense. The luck and \u003ca href=\"\/en-fr\/product-category\/board-games\/strategy\"\u003estrategy\u003c\/a\u003e all come together when you give your clue. Have you strategically picked the best one word clue linking as many of your agents together as possible without hinting at a random word?\u003cbr\u003e\nWill you be lucky enough that the rest of the team are thinking like you? Here is an example.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour clue is “White-3.” Your words are Black, Wash, Snow, Rabbit, Paper, Chocolate, Out.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e………\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e..\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e3\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e……\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e..\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e2\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e…\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cem\u003e..\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e1\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you said Wash, Snow and Out? Well done you got all three correct. If not? Back to spy school you go. Yes the example I gave was mean because all of the words could be used with white. But hopefully you can see how tricky it can be to interpret the clue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is agonising watching as your teammates discuss selecting the assassin as an answer. I mean who would have picked “Skate” when the clues was “Bored”? Really I ask you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWho is it for?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCodenames is a \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.board-game.co.uk\/?post_type=product\u0026amp;s=party+game\"\u003eparty game\u003c\/a\u003e and is best suited for larger groups. I have played with four players all the way up to 12 and the more the merrier. Although, the more timid players might get a bit sidelined with the larger group sizes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can in theory play Codenames with just two players but in my opinion it just loses all of the attraction that a social deduction game can bring. I would suggest only playing with six or more players to get the best from the game and the social fun that can occur.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cb\u003eFinal Thoughts on Codenames\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCodenames is a great fun game for groups of six or more who are up for a bit of banter. It can be a good filler in-between some heavier games, allowing for some brain flexing in alternative way. Having played as a family game I have struggled to enjoy it as much. Although for a large family I could see it making its mark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe components, while not mind blowing, are of a nice quality and given the number of words included you would struggle to play the same game twice. Codenames will remain fun and fresh as long as you enjoy the mechanics of the game with the right groups of people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI personally am not a big fan of \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.board-game.co.uk\/?post_type=product\u0026amp;s=party+game\"\u003e“social-party”\u003c\/a\u003e style games but Codenames is the exception to the rule. It does not get to the table a lot but when it does it tends to stay there for a while.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead More \u0026gt;\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e*Please note that all items within our outlet section contain a level of damage to the packaging, which in no way effects game play. A Grade products will arrive in their cellophane and have superficial damage to the box. Full descriptions of our grades can be found on our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.board-game.co.uk\/outlet\/\"\u003eOutlet page\u003c\/a\u003e, for more information please check our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.board-game.co.uk\/terms-conditions\/\"\u003eterms and conditions\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Zatu Games","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56049555374458,"sku":"OUTLET-ZBG-CGE00031-A","price":17.18,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0916\/9970\/8282\/files\/A-Grade-Codenames.jpg?v=1760982526","url":"https:\/\/zatu.com\/en-fr\/products\/a-grade-codenames-2","provider":"Zatu Games","version":"1.0","type":"link"}