With such a simple concept, it’s hard to believe Codenames isn’t a refined version of an older parlor game.1 Each team selects a spymaster who knows the codename of each team’s agents as they are laid out in a grid on the table. Then the spymasters take turns sending a single word clue and how many cards their team should guess. The first team to have all of their target agents revealed (without guessing the assassin) wins the round. Frequently teams select another spymaster and play ag...
