If the assassin is revealed then that team loses instantly. If a bystander is revealed then the turn is passed. If the agents contact the wrong color, then the turn passes and the agent is revealed for the other team. The agents may also decide not to pick a card and pass the turn. They may guess up to the limit imposed by the spymaster but may always add one extra guess. If your own agent is revealed, then your team has guessed correctly and may guess again, but not receive another clue. Once the agents of that team decide on a single tile, the agents tap it with their finger, and then the spymaster checks their answer against the key and places the corresponding card (agent, assassin, bystander) over the top of the codename (and leaves it there).
The disadvantage is that the agents won’t know how many words relate to the clue that was just given.Īgents attempt to guess which codename(s) correspond to the present or previous clue(s) given.
The spymaster may also indicate “unlimited” as their number. In this case the agents are allowed unlimited guesses. The spymaster may use 0 to indicate that “none of our words use this clue”. The spymaster must keep a straight face and give no other clues. If there are codenames that say “pig” and “farm” then the spymaster might say “livestock:2”. The number that they may say is the number of cards on the board that this clue applies to. The spymaster may only utter a single word as a clue and a number. The remaining bystander cards, and assassin, are placed between the two spymasters.Įach team takes turns trying to guess the secret identities of their own agents working off of a single word clue from their spymaster. The other 8 agent cards go to the second team and go to that team’s spymaster The team going first takes their 8 agent cards and the double agent and is placed in front of that team’s spymaster.
#Codenames duet rules code
The lights around the square key code show which team goes first.
White or Neutral squares represent bystanders. Red squares represent red agents that the red team needs to contact. The agents may never view the secret key.īlue squares represent blue agents that the blue team needs to contact. This is the “secret key” that reveals the identities behind the codenames. Shuffle the “key” cards and place one of the cards into the square “key” in secret from all of the agents in the game. Shuffle the codename tiles and place 25 of them (face up) in a 5 by 5 square. Every other player is an agent for their team. The spymaster for each team sit next to each other, but across the table from their own team. Divide the players up into two equal teams.