Party nail - Codenames game!

There are games that are very popular all over the world, there are many videos and written descriptions about them, but even after looking at them, you are not clear why that game is so popular, what is so special about it. But when you play this game, your eyes are opened immediately. This time a description of Codenames (Brain Games edition) .

Topic:

There are two spy teams where each spy has a nickname. Players are tasked with providing clues to discover who are spies for which team... forget it, this game has practically no theme. This is a word game where the mechanics have to be appreciated, but the themes are only superficially tied together by invisible threads.

Components:

The game uses 25 words in each round, which are both everyday, like dog and cat, and populated places, like Saulkrasti. There are a total of 200 double-sided cards, which are quite thin, but since the function of these cards is to stand on the table, it is enough. The team color and neutral cards are of good quality. The games also come with an hourglass whose only function is to politely tell you when someone is braking too much. Accordingly, the clock is not directly included in the game mechanics, but if someone thinks too long, the other team can turn the hourglass. My replica used to get this watch stuck, but I didn't mind because the use is emotional, not mechanical.

Mechanics:

The game mechanics are extremely elegant. Players play in teams - red vs blue. There are 25 word cards spread out on the table, one player from each team sees which words are for their team, which are for the opponents, which are neutral, and one word that ruins everything if opened. A player who sees this arrangement can say two things in a turn - a word and a number, for example "Autumn 3". The other players on his team then diligently look through the 25 cards and try to find the 3 (named number) cards that are associated with autumn. However, when these players indicate a card, they must be careful. If it's their card - good point, guess next, if it's a neutral card - turn over, if it's the opponents card - bad, point for the opponents, if it's a black card - very bad, you've lost. The game continues until a team has found all 8 or 9 words they need to remember. The duration of the game is 15-20 minutes.

Multiplayer:

With 400 words, a bunch of different table layouts, the multiplayer is completely sufficient. The number of combinations is immeasurable. Considering how quickly this game can be learned and played, most times the game will be played at least twice every time the box is opened. The first time we played this, we played 6 games at once.

Rating:

When I found out that Codenames will be in Latvian, I was very happy, because the native language has a much wider vocabulary, which allows you to enjoy the game to the fullest. The adaptation is very good and the language allows this game to be played with parents as well. Knowing that the game will be in Latvian, I waited for a long time and followed various foreign descriptions that praised the game. I didn't understand what was so special about it until I played it. But after playing it, I really appreciated the mechanics, simplicity and depth of the game. My rating 8+, would definitely recommend to add to your collection.