We first played Codenames with friends awhile back and instantly loved it. We have been hunting for something the kids can enjoy as well, without tripping too much over the tougher words. Enter Codenames Pictures XXL! The funny and oddball pictures are great for kids and the coaster sized tiles are perfect for those matches ending in a little roughhousing (which at our house, it practically EVERY game).
The basic game pits two teams against each other, 2-on-2, with each team consisting of a spy master and a field operative. The spy masters pull a random key card from the deck and ONLY the spy masters get to see it. They then take turns giving their field operatives one word clues followed by the number of picture tiles the word most likely relates to. The field operatives have the opportunity to touch cards they think are matches, BUT! If they are wrong it really gets interesting! Each game has four possible outcomes for each tile: a red team one, a blue team one, an innocent bystander one, and the dreaded Assassin tile, causing an instant loss. Picking the wrong team's tile or the innocent bystander is a hit but can be recovered. The Assassin tile is just that: game over!
The official rules call for a 5X4 grid layout, but we used a 4x4 to get the kids into it. (Tricky, I know.) If you've played the original Codenames, you'll notice these tiles are more square instead the usual rectangular tiles. Other aesthetic improvements include more variety on the team and bystander cards.
You can see that at this point in the game, the score is Red 3, Blue 2, with no Innocent Bystanders or the Assassin revealed yet.
Why We Love It
Simple, it's that perfect blend of intuitive and always changing. And I mean we love it just as adults playing a game. As parents playing with kids it's even better. They practice association skills, fair play (always a theme at our house), deductive reasoning, synonyms, and basic math. We rarely play a single game. In fact, we typically don't even keep the same teams. Rather, we move around the table to everyone plays with everyone else and takes turns as both field operatives and a spy master.
What's in the Box?
- 7 Red Agent cards
- 7 Blue Agent cards
- 1 Double Agent card
- 4 Innocent Bystander cards
- 1 Assassin card
- 60 Key cards
- 140 Picture cards (double-sided for a total of 280 pictures)
- the Rule book
I don't know who wrote the rule book but they outdid themselves. It's very comprehensive but doesn't waste space at 11 pages. Variants to basic game play are detailed, too. Want to play 1-on-1, or 3 people on a team vs. "the game", or maybe something tougher, like the Assassin ending, Unlimited, or Zero clue options? All of these are explained so every family member can play the game that suits each best!
Where to Purchase?
Codenames Pictures XXL is available both online and at most brick-and-mortar stores like Wal-mart. For more information on it and other games, check out Czech Games Edition here.
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Disclaimer: The products in this post were provided by Czech Games Edition. As always, our posts are our own, honest opinions.
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