Codenames: Duet

My husband and I really enjoy playing the original version of Codenames with our friends, so we also bought this version designed to enhance the experience for just two players (or more,) not knowing what to expect. To our delight, Codenames: Duet is even more fun! While the basic theme and method of play are similar to the original game, we like that the way to success is truly cooperative. Whether it’s just the two of us playing or if we’re playing the game with others, the goal of the teams is to identify agents (the good guys) and assassins (the bad guys) so the good guys can prevail. The game is easy to set up and the rules are not complicated, so plays can start quickly. Included is also a way of playing (finding agents in different cities) that extends cooperative play but doesn’t put stress or pressure on any one player like the game Scotland Yard tends to do. Altogether, Codenames: Duet has been designed to provide an experience that encourages discussions of strategy and gameplay that are enjoyable for everyone and it doesn’t take hours to play. We recommend this game for couples, families and groups of people who prefer cooperative play where every player is important and involved rather than cutthroat competitions where people are only in it for themselves and their fellow players are essentially the enemy. With a Codenames: Duet, a relaxing and friendly time can be had by everyone. I pay full price for all of my Amazon purchases and I rarely write 5 star reviews. Codenames: Duet truly deserves 5 stars!

I'm not a fan of most spinoffs of games, but this one is great! I might actually like it more than the original. It's very versatile on the amount of players and it's so fun!

Finally found a great two person game! I love that it is a cooperative game which is nice for a change of pace....probably saving our marriage....lol! This game makes you think outside of the box to come up with good clues that fit your cards, but not fit the kill cards. My only con (ish) is that they give you way too many "key cards" that are so not needed....could play with 20 or 30 at the most and then give us more word cards instead as that is what you go through the most. We actually pulled out our regular Codenames and added those cards to this version. Also bought a game called Clue-nect that has picture cards and we use those for a variety. Very fun game!

Overall, Codenames: Duet is an enjoyable and challenging game that offers great value for two players. It strengthens communication, provides hours of entertainment, and has good replay value. Despite a slight learning curve and occasional frustration, it’s a game we keep coming back to. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and engaging two-player word deduction game.

We also have the other version for more than two players - which the family enjoys playing, but sometimes there are only you and your husband - so this is the two player version

This is a great cooperative game, which expertly blends the basic Codenames mechanics with cooperative play, while maintaining the pressure of playing against another team as in regular Codenames. The board set up is the same as in the original Codenames -- a 5x5 grid of cards with single words. The rest is different. There's a single set of team cards -- 15 green cards that you share between the two players in order to reflect successful guesses (rather than blue and red from the original game). The object of Codenames Duet is to together guess 15 words correctly without running out of time or hitting an assassin (of which there is more than one). There are 11 little tokens that help mark how many turns you have left, and mark wrong guesses (they serve both functions) -- the game says to start playing with 9 tokens (meaning you have 9 turns to get 15 guesses) and then add 2 more if that seems too hard (and I suppose you could play with fewer to make it harder). The guide cards, which tell you which words the other player needs to guess, a very different from regular Codenames. Each card is double sided, and has a different arrangement of green (9) , tan (13) , and assassin (3) squares laid out over the 5x5 grid. You set up the card between you in a stand as in the regular game so that you're each seeing only your side of the card. Each side has a different combo of squares -- some will overlap, but you'll have some squares green on your side (meaning your teammate has to guess those words) that will be tan or black on the other side of the card meaning your teammate has to keep you from guessing those words). You take turns playing Codenames Duet exactly as in the original -- you give a single word clue and a number. If someone guesses everything correctly, they take a time token. If they get a word wrong by hitting a tan square, they put a token on the card (but keeping it open, because it might be a clue for the other player), and then the turn ends. In this way, the tokens mark the passage of time -- you need to get 15 words between you (that is, use all 15 green cards to cover words) before the 9 (or 11) tokens run out. If either of you hits what is reflected as an assassin in your teammate's side (and these are different on each side), then you both lose. Overall, this seems like an excellent blending of cooperative gameplay with the basic mechanics of Codenames that are so much fun. If you want to play Codenames but there are only two of you, this is definitely worth getting.

We have long loved the original Code Names. It’s one of the few games the whole family likes to play. But we always needed to wait until kids were home from college and everyone had time. With Code Names Duet, we can play with just two. The game play is a little different and is more collaborative, which is fun. It’s also challenging to get it in the number of turns allotted. It is a little confusing that one person’s assassin or bystander can be a code name for another person, but we got the hang of it. Strongly recommend!

Bought this game for a date night and it was a huge hit! Having played a few versions of the Codenames game, I was familiar with the overall concept but thought that this version had an interesting twist to it. For those unfamiliar with the concept of the Codenames games, the object of the game is to get your partner to correctly guess words from a 5x5 row of word cards. One player has a card that shows which spaces you are trying to get your partner to guess as well as those which you want them to avoid. The player then gives their partner a clue word along with a number of cards which they hope that their partner can relate it to. The partner then guesses at the cards which they believe the other player is hoping to lead them to through several rounds. The spin in this game is that each person is playing each role in time. While trying to get your partner to guess off of the board, they too are trying to get you to guess off of the board as well. The usual play card is double sided so that each player can see the spaces that they want their partner to guess and avoid in hopes of reaching 15 correct guesses together. The game is great fun! Trying to relate words together while trying to avoid others can be a bit challenging. The real strategy comes in knowing the way in which your partner thinks and which clue words to use to get them to guess what they need to guess. The game also comes with instructions for more challenging "missions". Haven't gotten there yet, but sure am looking forward to it. Great fun for a date night or game night with family! Among the best!