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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Codenames in Tabletop Games

Jul 17, 2020 (Updated Jul 18, 2020)

Codenames

2015 | Card Game, Deduction, Party Game, Spies / Espionage, Word Game

8.3

(44 Ratings)

Tabletop Game Rating

Fun to play (2 more)

Easy to Learn

High Replayability

Getting the assassin (2 more)

Getting the bystander

Getting the other teams word

Excellent Deduction Party Game

Codenames- is one of the two games i bought at this years Pax East. It is also one of the first board games that i bought. The second being Coup. Now since then I have like 25 board games. I love collecting board games cause i can either play them with my family or go solo. Personality i love going solo in board games.

I learn about this game through the Funhaus Channel. And personality wanted to buy it after watching it. It looked easy, fun and entertaining. So when i saw it at Pax i knew i had to by it. If you dont know what Codenames is or never heard of it. Let me explain.

Codenames is a party deduction word card name for 2-8 people. It came out in 2015, designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published by Czech Games Edition.

The Objective: 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.

The Gameplay:

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 hint's word can be chosen freely, as long as it is not (and does not contain) any of the words on the code name cards still showing at that time. Code name cards are covered as guesses are made.

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 (winning the game for that team), or when one team has identified the assassin (losing the game).

Its a fun entertaining deduction party card game and can be played over and over again without losing its charm. Its excellent board game and a must buy if you haven't bought it yet.

Kudos

Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated The Independence Incident in Tabletop Games

Jul 2, 2021

The Independence Incident

2021 | Card Game, Deduction, Puzzle

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Tabletop Game Rating

Nicolas Cage is a very polarizing actor, I know, but I kinda like him. Maybe he wasn’t the best Ghost Rider, but I cannot imagine anyone else playing Benjamin Franklin Gates from the National Treasure series of movies. I am a huge fan of those movies, and I will never pass up a chance to watch it or engage in anything remotely similar in real life. Enter The Independence Incident.

The Independence Incident is a 4th of July(ish)-themed escape room type card game. It consists of 18 cards and I will be darned if it isn’t just great.

DISCLAIMER: We were provided a copy of this game for the purposes of this review. This is a retail copy of the game, so what you see in these photos is exactly what would be received in your box. I do not intend to cover every single rule included in the rulebook (as there is none), but will describe the overall game flow and major rule set so that our readers may get a sense of how the game plays. For more in depth rules, you may purchase from your FLGS. -T

To setup, open the flaps of the box containing the cards, navigate to the provided website to launch a web-based companion app, and the game may officially begin!

As I do not wish to spoil anything about the game, I will merely state here that following directions, completing puzzles, and knowing a little something about American history will benefit players immensely. Sorry I cannot say more, I would rather you all experience it for yourselves.
Components. This game consists of 18 double-sided cards and a nifty little box to hold it all. The cards are all nice quality, and feature very specific artwork on them. I have no complaints about the components at all here. Grand Gamers Guild always provide great quality games.

Ok, be mad at me if you like, but I just cannot bring myself to go into great detail about the game mechanics, how to play, or what is really included. Just know that this is probably a game you will play once and pass along, or keep several years between plays so that it doesn’t become too repetitive and easy to solve.

That said, this is a great little card game filled with puzzles I can actually solve! Yes, I needed hints a few times (perhaps a few times too many, as my final score would indicate), but with plenty of time, a little help from some friends, and Trevor Rabin’s soundtrack in the background, I could have score way better.

If you are someone who enjoys escape room-style games and also a lot of Americana thrown in, this one is a must-buy. While you don’t get to steal the Declaration of Independence in the game, you still get the feeling of traipsing across Washington, D.C., to help solve the case/riddle/game. Purple Phoenix Games gives this one a stressful 5 / 6. If you are a fan of anything I have mentioned thus far, pick yourself up a copy today!