A game for those devoted to imagination

Hello readers! Today I want to write about a board game I played with friends a couple of days ago. This is the Czech game “Codenames: Pictures”. A board game designed by Vlaada Chvátil and published and edited by CGE (Czech Games Edition) with an estimated playing time of approximately 15 minutes. Released in August 2016, it is rated for ages 10+ and can be played by an average of 2-6 players in total.

• Picture: promo picture
from the game “Codename: Pictures”
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/198773/codenames-pictures

To start playing “Codenames: pictures” you must form two different teams, one red and one blue, preferably with the same number of players. Then two spy bosses must be chosen in each team, who will oversee giving the clues. 20 cards are placed face up on the table and the game begins. The mechanics are simple, the spy boss must see which cards are marked on the start card. The colours that are marked correspond to the positions of the cards on the table. In this way, the spy boss must select in his mind, based on the initial card, the cards that he wants the rest of his team to guess and look for a word common to these cards (normally a total of 2 or 3).

Through that word, players must guess which cards on the table the spy boss is referring to. If they fail the reference, the turn passes to the opposing team. The final objective of each of the teams is to try to find out each one of the cards belonging to their colour before the previous team. A simple and easy dynamic but that requires concentration and ingenuity to win. Choosing the word well so that the players can guess the cards is a very difficult task, much more than even being in the other position and trying to figure out which cards it refers to.

Here we can see the illustrations of the cards that the game uses.

This is the main color panel.

In my opinion I would say that trying to think of this word is a bit frustrating and that many times you cannot cover too many letters with one word. Also, it’s not always easy to figure out which cards the spy boss is referring to, because it can be quite subjective. Therefore, more than having fun, most of the time while playing I was frustrated trying to guess and select the correct word, instead of enjoying it. I think without a doubt that it is one of the things that I do not like in a game, because I appreciate having fun more than having to think too much at a time when all I want is to disconnect.

However, when the word was not excessively complicated, finding out the letters between friends was more entertaining. Seeing their opinions confront each other was the funniest thing because many times they discerned. On the other hand, something that should be noted is that the graphics of the cards are really good. They are comical, witty, and imaginative. They are very creative and that is something I value, because visually they are charming.

In conclusion, I would say that it is not a game that I have enjoyed excessively, but that I can recommend to those players who like to decipher, think carefully, and dedicate time to imagination.

-Pictures source: pictures taken by me in my play.

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##boardgames #imagination #modern