Editorial pick ยท $24.97, checked Oct 14

Codenames

Two teams, one-word clues, twenty-five words on the table. The party game that works with grandparents and gamers at once.

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Codenames No 10

Codenames is the word game that gets played at Thanksgiving and at game nights by people who otherwise agree on nothing. Twenty-five word cards go on the table, two spymasters give one-word clues that connect several of them, and their teams guess. It takes two minutes to explain, fifteen to play, and it is different every time.

It is the gift for a couple who host, the Christmas present for grandparents who like word puzzles, the office gift for a team that does lunch, and the game a gamer keeps in the bag for non-gamers. This is the second edition with refreshed cards.

Four to eight players is the sweet spot, and it plays with two using the included rules. Under twenty-five dollars for the game most likely to leave the shelf.

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