50 Fun Facts About Codenames

Who designed Codenames?

The Czech designer had previously made Through the Ages, Galaxy Trucker and Mage Knight.

Which company publishes Codenames?

Founded in 2007, the company also makes Galaxy Trucker, Space Alert and Lost Ruins of Arnak.

In what year was Codenames first released?

It won Germany's Game of the Year award the following summer.

What is the game's title in Czech?

The literal translation is "cover names".

What is the clue-giving player on each team called?

The rest of the team play as field operatives.

What are the guessing players on each team called?

They must make at least one guess per turn and may stop voluntarily after a correct one.

How many word cards are laid out at the start of a standard game?

They form a five-by-five grid that everyone can see.

What colour marks the assassin on the key card?

Revealing it ends the game immediately with a loss for the guessing team.

What colour are the innocent bystanders on the key card?

Hitting one ends the turn, but unlike the assassin it does not lose the game.

What are the two teams' colours?

Whichever colour is lit on the key card goes first and has one extra agent to find.

What do the "lights" on a key card indicate?

The starting team also has one more agent to find than its opponent.

A valid clue consists of what?

"Ocean 3" could point operatives to beach, whale and water.

How many guesses may operatives make at most per turn?

The bonus guess lets a team mop up a word missed on an earlier turn.

What is the minimum number of guesses a team must make each turn?

After one correct guess they may keep going or stop.

What happens if a clue-giver gives an invalid clue?

Clues cannot be or contain a word visible on the board, and phonetic hints are discouraged.

Which type of hint is discouraged by the rules?

A clue must relate to meaning, not sound.

What happens when a team reveals an opposing agent?

It also hands the other side free progress toward their own win.

What timing device is included in the box for speeding up play?

It is optional, meant for slow guessers or a quicker game.

What is the minimum number of players for Codenames?

Duet later supplied an official two-player version.

Which major award did Codenames win in 2016?

It was the designer's first win, though Galaxy Trucker and Space Alert had been recognised before.

Which 2016 edition was sold exclusively at Target with adult double entendres?

Published by Lark & Clam, it carried a parental advisory label and later got a 2.0 update.

Which company published the adult, Target-exclusive edition?

The adult edition shipped with 200 new word cards full of sexual references.

Codenames: Pictures uses a grid of what size?

That puts 20 surreal image cards in play instead of 25 words.

How many double-sided cards come with Codenames: Pictures?

The surreal images blend everyday objects in odd ways and can be mixed with the word cards.

The Disney Family Edition's easier variant for younger players uses what?

It features characters and locations from Disney and Pixar films for younger players.

The superhero edition depicts its characters as seen in which continuity?

Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Iron Man and Captain America all feature.

Who co-designed the cooperative two-player version, Codenames: Duet?

It was released in October 2017 with 200 new word cards.

How many agents must be found in a game of Codenames: Duet?

Nine are visible from each side of the key card, with three overlapping.

In Codenames: Duet, how do the two players use the key card?

They sit opposite each other, each reading their own side of the double-sided card.

In Codenames: Harry Potter, which group are players trying to reveal?

They must dodge the Ministry of Magic and the Death Eaters before time runs out.

The Harry Potter edition plays most like which earlier Codenames game?

Both are cooperative, with players working together against the clock.

In what year was Codenames: Harry Potter released?

The same year brought the big-format Codenames: XXL.

What distinguishes the XXL editions from the originals?

XXL, Pictures XXL and Duet XXL arrived between June 2018 and May 2019.

Which animated TV family got a Codenames edition in November 2019?

It is structured like the Disney and Marvel family editions.

Which video game company's staff received an exclusive edition never sold at retail?

Some copies were auctioned for charity at BlizzCon in 2023.

What was the 2015 mobile app that generates random agent layouts called?

An official web version of the game and Duet followed in 2022.

In what year did the publisher launch an official free web version of the game?

A paid Codenames App for Android and iOS followed in September 2024.

In how many languages has Codenames been published?

They span six different alphabets, from Afrikaans to Turkish.

How many different alphabets do the game's translations cover?

Editions include Arabic, Hebrew, Thai, Greek, Korean and Cyrillic-script languages.

Which tech site's reviewer called the game a "terrific choice for a family friendly game"?

Nate Anderson praised the strategy but criticised the downtime.

Which 2006 civilisation game first made the designer's name?

It won the 2007 International Gamers Award for general strategy.

Which real-time game by the designer has players grabbing tiles to build spaceships?

It was recommended at the 2008 German Game of the Year awards.

Which real-time strategy video game was the designer's most notable computer project?

He left the studio Altar in 2006 to focus on board games.

What nationality is the designer of Codenames?

He was born in 1971 and is known professionally by a shortened first name.

In 2019 the designer entered the hall of fame of which prize?

Three years earlier he had collected Germany's Game of the Year for Codenames.

Which of the designer's games won a 2009 "New Worlds Game" prize from the German jury?

The cooperative sci-fi game uses a soundtrack to drive real-time play.

In what year was the game's publisher established?

It is based in the Czech Republic and also makes digital versions of several titles.

Which 2020 adventure game is among the publisher's other best-known titles?

Through the Ages, Galaxy Trucker and Space Alert are its other flagship games.

Germany's Game of the Year award, which Codenames won, was created in what year?

Winning it can lift a game's sales to around 500,000 copies.

The Game of the Year jury is drawn from German-speaking critics in which three countries?

They review games released in Germany in the preceding twelve months.