Codenames: Duet

2017 · Card Game

Codenames: Duet

Players cooperate to locate all fifteen hidden agents among a 5×5 grid of word cards by exchanging single-word clues and numbers. Each player sees a different key showing which words are their agents, innocent bystanders, or assassins; some agent locations overlap between the two keys and one assassin is shared. On a turn one player gives a one-word clue plus a number and the partner attempts to identify matching words by placing fingers on cards. Correct guesses can continue; selecting a bystander ends the guessing turn and selecting an assassin ends the game in immediate loss. Players alternate giving clues and must find every agent before time or the turn limit expires.

Players
2
Playing time
15–30 min
Age
11+
Complexity
1.4 / 5
7.1 on Ludoyafrom $24.99Word GameDeductionCooperative GameMemoryCommunication Limits

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On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
1,191
Plays logged
351
Players
17m 48s
Average play
285
In collections
12
On wishlists

7.1/10

from 93 Ludoya reviews

  • José [ホセー]6.0

    I guess it does its best to fill the two person gap, but let's be honest: Codenames is a party game, so this game is the equivalent to a party for two people.

  • Mohasz7.4

    A little harder than its elder brother, not as exciting as team vs team. Still based on the same solid system and it's much better than the 2p variant in the original game. Sold the English version since I got the Hungarian one. This is just too difficult and frustrating for us most of the time because of the 3 assassins. Also, the scoring is still boring compared to the team game.

  • Jan Solo7.0

    Divertido y sencillo juego cooperativo de palabras. Muy recomendable para partidas cortas y poco exigentes.

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I give a multi-word clue like "New York" or a phrase instead of one word?

No — a clue must be one word and one number, and you may say nothing else when giving it; multi-word names or phrases break that rule unless players agree to relax it as a house rule (pages 4, 10).

Can I use a word that appears on the table or part of a compound (e.g., say "rain" for RAINBOW)?

No — you may not say any visible word or any form of a visible word, nor parts of a compound that appear on the table (e.g., "rain" for RAINBOW is invalid) (pages 4, 10).

How many guesses does the guesser get after a clue?

The guesser may make additional guesses as long as each guess is correct (there is no fixed upper limit), but a wrong guess ends the turn immediately; the guesser may also stop after one or more correct guesses and take a timer token to end the turn (pages 4–5).

What happens if we guess a bystander or the assassin?

Touching an assassin (a black word on the giver's key) ends the game immediately and you lose; touching a bystander (tan) ends the turn and you mark it with a timer token (arrowed to show who guessed), which may have further effects later (pages 4–5, 7).

How do timer tokens and sudden death work — how many turns do we have and when do we lose from running out?

The number of timer tokens in the time bank equals the number of turns you have; each turn consumes a token (or tokens when penalized), and when you use your last token you play a sudden-death turn with no more clues allowed; if a turn would require more tokens than remain you lose immediately (pages 5, 9).

Can the clue-giver give hints with gestures, tone, or tell the partner how many words remain?

No — clues must be limited to the single spoken word and number, and players must not reveal information about their side of the key card, advise when to stop, or tell how many words are left unless all of the words the speaker sees as green have already been covered (pages 4, 7).

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.