One place that I spent a lot of time was the CGE Room, right outside of the gaming hall. Not only because I love a lot of their games, but also because the To Die For Games gang was there, and that’s how we got to spend time with Tracy, Mandi, and Stephane.

As I mentioned on Tuesday, my hit of the con was Codenames Duet, and I wanted to share a post here about why I fell in love with the game so quickly and so enthusiastically as well. So, here’s a quick look at my demo!

Game: Codenames Duet
Publisher: Czech Games Edition (CGE)
Designer: Vlaada Chvátil, Scot Eaton
Main Game Mechanisms: Deduction; Co-operative play
Number of Players: 2+, split into 2 teams. 
Game Time: 15 to 45 minutes

Description: Codenames Duet is a game that takes the base Codenames and kicks it up a notch. Instead of going against each other, you are looking at 2 sides of a card and trying to figure out who your agents are from a pool of cards. But, be careful! Like the original, there are assassins lurking about – 3 for each side of the card.

You only have so many turns to finish the game (marked by the neutral markers), and you have to find all 15 of your agents. 3 of your agents are shared, and one of your agents is an assassin on the other side of the card, so you have to be careful not to choose that assassin or your game is over! By adding this level of cooperative strategy, Codenames Duet goes from a party game to a really intense 2 player (or two team) game very quickly. There is also a campaign mode available!

Review: I played this once, and I fell in love with it right away.  Mandi taught Sarah and I how to play and we got the hang of it quite quickly. Now, let me say this: I love Codenames. But taking Codenames and making it a game that is actually a bit of a brain burner? Yes please. 

Like the base game, the components are really well done and you have 300+ words that come in the box. You can also use cards from the original Codenames and Codenames After Dark (or whatever the heck it is) to expand your library of words. The possibilities are endless and going against the clock makes the game that much more intense.

Buy, Try, Deny: This is an insta-buy for me. I will be getting it the day it comes out, because it took my Codenames (which I do love) and kicked it up to a gamer’s game. Like I said, this was my game of the convention and with good reason.

That being said, if you like the original Codenames, I think that you should, at the very least, give this a try. It may well be an insta-buy for you though, too. It will be at GenCon for demo (and I believe it comes out during GenCon?) and you may have other opportunities to try it as well.

Are there any other games that you want to see reviews of from our plays at Origins? Check out the post from Wednesday and let us know what you would like to hear more about via Twitter (@openseatgaming) or Facebook.

Game On!
Marti – The Fluffy Meeple