Nice to hear this game system get some love! We love Duet, particularly because you can play it anywhere even when one player is not able to hold cards/reach over the table. We recently had a baby and it’s the one game we could keep playing even while my partner is nursing baby!
What I like about Duet is that it scares you, by having what you know for your opponent to be the assassin, but you have to guess it for yourself, as it is a valid word for you!
Codenames Pictures: 6.5/10 Codenames: 7.5/10 Codenames Duet: 9.5/10 Codenames Duet almost eliminates all downtime during the game. We've also really enjoyed it as a double date 2 on each side whispering and writing notes behind a screen. I wish I was playing it more often, it's a staple in my top 10 games.
If I wasn't stupidly always looking for new games, i would play codenames a lot more. I wish board games would take a year off, so we can all get settled with the really great games, or I turn the internet off for a year. One of those.
Thanks for the video Alex! Even as a heavy player, I find myself enjoying EVERY SINGLE TIME playing it. Can you play it for 4 hours? Nope. Has the strategical depth of chess? Nope. Does it pretend to be those things? Again nope. But for a filler game of just fun with other people (even your non-board gamer friends) it is simply excellent. Great review!
I'm here with my mom, waffling about getting codenames, warily click on this 18 min video for a review, and got just what we needed in the first 30 seconds! Amazing!! ++ yasher koach!
As someone who has played both the OG and Duet, I will give the edge to Duet. When you play the base game, you will inevitably get stuck with cluegivers who take a very long time- sometimes minutes. Yeah, there is an optional timer, but it kinda takes away from the spirit of the game. (And obviously, banning slower cluegivers is a jerk move that will make everyone hate you- with good reason.) Thankfully, Duet fixes this for me. Even if I have a partner who takes a long time to think of clues, I can still use that downtime to think of the clue I will give in the future. There might be a similar amount of downtime as the base game, but Duet's downtime still manages to keep every participant engaged with the game. Not so with base Codenames. To be clear, I still think the base Codenames is an essential purchase for _any_ board game collection. It's cheap, easy to teach and learn, and can be played by young and old alike. It's perfect for replacing Monopoly at Thanksgiving.
The downside of this as a party game is the limited interaction. What i mean is the clue giver must be fairly emotionless to maintain intergrity of the game. Which means a bunch of silence... having friends over and staying silent for long periods doesnt always shake-out well. Great game, but a lot of quiet staring while thinking: either to think of clues or guessing the clues. I agree with others, Duet is the best by far.
This game has always confused me, seems to be wildly popular but I've never had anything approaching fun with it. I've reached the point where I won't even agree to play it any longer. Only other game I can think of where I've clearly failed to understand what appeals to people is betrayal at house on the hill.
Nice to hear this game system get some love! We love Duet, particularly because you can play it anywhere even when one player is not able to hold cards/reach over the table. We recently had a baby and it’s the one game we could keep playing even while my partner is nursing baby!
Yes! It's a really Great game
tabke fable ... what a nice name, what a great picture 🙃 we never gonna forget about magic of old times old games, right?!
10:20 And I ❤ hearing everybody at the table trying to analyze your clue and every word on the board - and come up with funny associations! 😊
What I like about Duet is that it scares you, by having what you know for your opponent to be the assassin, but you have to guess it for yourself, as it is a valid word for you!
Codenames Pictures: 6.5/10
Codenames: 7.5/10
Codenames Duet: 9.5/10
Codenames Duet almost eliminates all downtime during the game. We've also really enjoyed it as a double date 2 on each side whispering and writing notes behind a screen. I wish I was playing it more often, it's a staple in my top 10 games.
If I wasn't stupidly always looking for new games, i would play codenames a lot more. I wish board games would take a year off, so we can all get settled with the really great games, or I turn the internet off for a year. One of those.
Thanks for the video Alex!
Even as a heavy player, I find myself enjoying EVERY SINGLE TIME playing it.
Can you play it for 4 hours? Nope. Has the strategical depth of chess? Nope. Does it pretend to be those things? Again nope.
But for a filler game of just fun with other people (even your non-board gamer friends) it is simply excellent.
Great review!
I'm here with my mom, waffling about getting codenames, warily click on this 18 min video for a review, and got just what we needed in the first 30 seconds! Amazing!! ++ yasher koach!
As someone who has played both the OG and Duet, I will give the edge to Duet. When you play the base game, you will inevitably get stuck with cluegivers who take a very long time- sometimes minutes. Yeah, there is an optional timer, but it kinda takes away from the spirit of the game. (And obviously, banning slower cluegivers is a jerk move that will make everyone hate you- with good reason.)
Thankfully, Duet fixes this for me. Even if I have a partner who takes a long time to think of clues, I can still use that downtime to think of the clue I will give in the future. There might be a similar amount of downtime as the base game, but Duet's downtime still manages to keep every participant engaged with the game. Not so with base Codenames.
To be clear, I still think the base Codenames is an essential purchase for _any_ board game collection. It's cheap, easy to teach and learn, and can be played by young and old alike. It's perfect for replacing Monopoly at Thanksgiving.
Agreed on all counts 🙂
Yes! Codenames was one of the first games I played when I had first come to Game Nights! 😀
Any other recommendations for 5-6 player games?
The downside of this as a party game is the limited interaction. What i mean is the clue giver must be fairly emotionless to maintain intergrity of the game. Which means a bunch of silence... having friends over and staying silent for long periods doesnt always shake-out well. Great game, but a lot of quiet staring while thinking: either to think of clues or guessing the clues. I agree with others, Duet is the best by far.
Has anyone ever tried codenames pictures but with Dixit cards instead?
Not me but that could be fun :)
This game has always confused me, seems to be wildly popular but I've never had anything approaching fun with it.
I've reached the point where I won't even agree to play it any longer.
Only other game I can think of where I've clearly failed to understand what appeals to people is betrayal at house on the hill.
17:42 You are forgetting the "Deep Undercover" Codenames, with vulgar words and concepts, Alex! 😉
Lol I actually own it...just for the extra words :)
XXL versions FTW!
4:31 I thought Berlin was the capital of Germany! 😉
Lol
First like 🤪
:)