Codenames Duet

rules overview

video

OVERVIEW

SETUP

Two covert operatives are on a secret mission in a crowded city. Each knows 9 secret agents

that the other must contact. Communicating in coded messages, they sneak past enemy assassins

in an attempt to complete their mission before time runs out.

Codenames: Duet is a cooperative word game for two or more players.

A key card gives you 9 words to give clues for and 3 words your partner must avoid.

A clue is only one word, but it can point to multiple words that you want your

partner to guess. Your partner also gives you clues for the words you need to find.

If you both find all the words before you run out of turns, you both win.

IMPORTANT! You and your partner sit on opposite sides of the table. (If you sit on the same side,

the key card will not work.)

Shuffle the word cards and deal 25 at random into a 5 × 5 grid, as shown.

Place the green agent cards and the assassin card where both players can reach them.

Place 9 timer tokens bystander side up beside the word grid, as shown above. This forms the time bank.

Leave 2 timer tokens in the box. Only 9 tokens are used in the standard game. However,

this game is quite challenging. A 10

or 11

token can be added to make it a little easier.

These extra tokens are colored blue to remind you to use only 9 in the standard setup.

Set the plastic stand beside the word grid. Shuffle the deck of key cards and draw one at random.

Place the key card in the plastic stand so that each player sees only one side of the card. The card

should be wider than it is tall, as shown above. Either wide edge can be on top.

Tip: If you hold the deck vertically and draw from the middle, then you will see only your own side

of the card.

1 assassin card

15 agent

cards

9 timer tokens

in the time bank

5 word

cards

the other

player

one

player

key card

in the stand

These rules describe a two-player game,

but adding more players is easy. Details are on page 11.

DUET KEY CARDS

Each game has 1 double-

sided key card. On your side

of the card, 9 words are

marked in green. These are

the words you want your

partner to guess.

You also see 3 assassins

marked in black. If your

partner guesses one of

these words, you both immediately

lose the game.

The other words are innocent

bystanders – people who get in

the way. If your partner guesses

one of these words it is an

incorrect guess.

Your partner also sees 9 green

words and 3 black words, but they

are mostly different words. Your partner will give you clues for the words

that are green on the side of the card that you can't see.

Give clues for

the green words.

Avoid clues that

might lead to the

three assassins.

Try to avoid

innocent bystanders.

GOAL

IF YOU KNOW CODENAMES

You both win if you can find all 15 words in nine turns or less.

Note: You are each giving clues for 9 green words, and 9 + 9 is more than 15, but some words appear

green from both sides. Details are on the back page.

If you already know Codenames, you still

need to learn these rules. The core idea

is the same, but most of the details are

different.

The key card is double-sided so you and

your partner can take turns giving each

other clues. Timer tokens are used to

limit your number of turns. And a word

that looks like a green agent on your

side of the key card might be something

completely different on turns when you

are the guesser.

GAME PLAY

Start the game by looking for a clue that will

lead to two or more green words. Your partner

will also be looking for a clue for words that are

marked green on the other side of the card.

GIVING A CLUE

A clue is one word and one number. The

number tells how many words on the table

relate to the word in the clue.

For example,

Weather: 2

might be a good clue

for STORM and RAINBOW.

The word in your clue cannot be one of the

words visible on the table. So in the example

above,

storm: 2

would be an invalid clue.

Rain: 2

would also be invalid because

rain

part of RAINBOW. Full details are on page 10.

It is legal to give a clue for only one word, but

you will have to give some clues for two if you

want to win the game. A successful clue for

three or more words is a big accomplishment.

The First Clue

Either player may give the first clue.

Let's suppose you find a good one while your

partner is still looking, so you offer to give the

first clue.

You say a word and a number … and nothing

else. Now your partner tries to figure out which

words you meant.

MAKING A GUESS

On a turn when you give the clue, your partner

will make guesses. Your partner takes time to

look at all the words on the table. Then he or

she makes a guess by touching one of the word

cards.

• If your partner touches a word that you see

as green, that is a correct guess. Cover it

with a green agent card. Your partner has

made contact with one of your agents and

you are one step closer to winning the game.

(Note: You cover a green word with a green

agent card even if it wasn't one of the words

you meant. Do not let your partner know.

You should act like you meant that word.)

• If your partner touches a word you see as

black, that is an assassin. The game is

over and you both lose. Your partner went

down a dark alley looking for a contact and

got caught by the assassins.

• If your partner touches a word you see

as tan, mark it with a timer token. Take

a token from the time bank and place it on

the word card, bystander side up, with the

arrow pointing from you to your partner.

This indicates that when you gave a clue,

your partner guessed this word and ran

into an innocent bystander. Do not cover

the word. This still

might be a word that

your partner wants

you to guess.

Running into an innocent bystander ends the

turn immediately, and running into an assassin

ends the game. On the other hand, finding

a green word gives your partner a chance for

another guess.

One Clue, Multiple Guesses

Your partner can make another guess if the

first guess was correct. (You do not give

another clue.) The second guess is made the

same way as the first, and you mark the word

according to the same rules. If that guess is

correct, your partner can guess again. And

again. Your partner can make an unlimited

number of correct guesses.

Ideally, your partner will find all the words

indicated by your clue. Of course, it doesn't

always work out that way.

PINE

PEW

CAE SAR

CAESAR

LUNCH

POTTER

DOLL

GOLF

CRAFT

NAPOLEON

SKATES

VIRUS

LE MONADE

LEMONADE

LOCUST

RIFLE

MAKE UP

MAKEUP

RUSSIA

TATTOO

FIDDLE

VAMPIRE

CAVE

RANCH

IGLOO

ANT

BRICK

BUCKET

END OF THE TURN

Each turn has exactly one clue and at least one

guess. Assuming you don't run into an assassin,

there are two ways a turn can end:

• A wrong guess ends the turn. If your

partner touches an innocent bystander,

you mark it with a timer token from the

time bank and the turn ends.

• After one or more correct guesses, your

partner may choose to end the turn by

taking a timer token from the time bank.

The token is kept checkmark side up in

front of your partner.

A turn always uses up a timer token. The

number of timer tokens left in the time bank is

the number of turns (and the number of clues)

left in the game.

If everything goes well, your partner will guess

as many words as you indicated by your clue

and then stop. But your partner may choose

to quit early. It is also legal for your partner

to take additional wild guesses, but we don't

recommend it.

NEXT TURN

You and your partner will take turns giving

clues. So if you gave the clue on the first turn,

your partner gives the clue for the next turn.

When you are guessing, only your

partner's side of the key card is relevant. The

words your partner wants you to guess could

appear green, tan, or even black on your side.

You should focus on the words and ignore the

key card.

A word that is covered by a green agent card

does not need to be guessed anymore. In

particular, if you guess a word that looks green

from both sides of the card, your partner will

cover it, and neither of you will give clues for it

anymore. (If this happens, do not tell your partner

that you were also giving clues for that word.)

A word marked by a timer token might need

to be guessed by the other player. For example,

if your partner guessed a bystander, you should

have marked it so that the arrow on the token

points from you to your partner. Here is what

can happen if you guess that word:

• Your partner might see it as an assassin, in

which case you lose the game.

• Your partner might see it as an inno-

cent bystander, in which case your part-

ner marks it with a second timer token,

with the arrow pointing toward you. The

timer tokens should be arranged to cover

the word, since neither of you can guess

it again.

• Your partner might see it as a green agent,

in which case your partner covers it with

a green agent card. The timer token should

be put on top of the agent card to remind

you of what happened on the earlier turn.

Using Clues from Earlier Turns

You might not find all the words related to your

partner's first clue. Maybe your turn ended early

because of a wrong guess, or maybe you chose

to end it early because you weren't willing to

risk running into an assassin.

When it is your turn to guess, keep previous

clues in mind. You are not required to guess

words related to the current clue. You can

guess words related to any clue you have been

given. Sometimes you might want to guess the

words you are most sure of first, even if they do

not relate to the current clue.

This is also important to keep in mind when

you are thinking up clues. Your partner will have

another chance to guess a word he or she missed

on your first clue, so it might not be necessary to

give another clue for that same word.

GUESSING THE LAST WORD

If all 9 words that you see as green have

been covered by agent cards, tell your partner

that he or she has no words left to guess. Your

partner will be the one who gives clues on all

remaining turns.

EXAMPLE OF PLAY

You have the words and key card shown here.

You have a good clue for 3, so you offer to

start. You say

salad: 3

Your partner touches RANCH, because ranch

dressing can go on a salad. You cover RANCH

with a green agent card. Confident she has the

right idea, she touches RUSSIA, because she just

learned how to make Russian dressing.

The incorrect guess ends the turn. You mark

RUSSIA with a timer token, bystander side up.

The arrow points from you to your partner.

It is now your partner's turn to give a clue.

After some thought, she says

Waterloo: 2

. You

touch NAPOLEON and she marks the word with

a green agent. That word happened to be green

on your side, too, but you don't tell her that. The

other word for

Waterloo

is hard to find. Maybe

your partner thinks the Battle of Waterloo

happened in Russia?

You touch RUSSIA. Your partner marks it with

a green agent card. It already has a timer token,

so she puts this on top of the agent card. You

have no reason to take a wild guess, so you take

a timer token from the time bank and place it in

front of you with the checkmark side up.

(Your partner was actually giving a clue for

NAPOLEON and RIFLE. But RUSSIA was also

green on her side of the card, so it counts as

a correct guess. She is not supposed to give any

of this information away, so she acts as though

RUSSIA was exactly the word she meant.)

It is your turn again. You say

miniature: 2

, hoping

to get DOLL and ANT. Your partner touches

DOLL. You cover it with a green agent card.

She's not sure about the other

miniature

word,

but she has figured out that you might eat

a salad for lunch. She touches LUNCH. You mark

it with a green agent card. Her hand hovers over

LEMONADE, something else you might have

at lunch. Your stomach tightens, because that

word is an assassin, but you act calm, as though

it would not bother you at all for her to pick

that word. Fortunately, she remembers there is

something called a Caesar salad. She touches

CAESAR, and you cover it with a green agent

card. You do not sigh with relief, because that

would give too much away. She touches ANT.

You cover ANT with a green agent card.

Your partner ends the turn by taking a timer

token from the time bank. You have 6 turns left

and the board looks like this:

ENDING THE GAME

CLEAR VICTORY

Once all green words from both sides of the card

have been guessed, both players win the game!

There are 15 agent cards and 15 words to

guess. (There are 9 on each side, but 3 overlap.)

So you win when the last agent card is placed.

Of course, there are other possible endings:

ASSASSIN

If either player guesses a word that the other

player sees as black, your team has been caught

by the assassins and you both lose.

SUDDEN DEATH

If you have used up your last timer token and

there are still words to be guessed, it is time for

the sudden death turn.

No one gives any more clues. You have no

more time. The sudden death turn just allows

you to use all the information you already have

in one last attempt to win the game.

If only one player has words left to guess, that

player is the guesser. If you both have words

left, you are both guessers. You can make your

guesses in any order, and you do not have to

take turns, but you are not allowed to discuss

a guessing strategy.

Guesses should be made one at a time and

marked in the usual way. For example, when

your partner touches a word, your side of the

key card determines whether the guess is

correct or not.

A wrong guess in sudden death ends the

game – both players lose, even if the guess was

just an innocent bystander.

If all your guesses are correct and you find the

last green agent, you both win!

LIMITED COMMUNICATION

YOU ARE READY TO PLAY YOUR FIRST MISSION!

Afterwards, turn the page and tell us how you did.

Your information should be limited to what you can deduce from each other's clues. If you comment

on your guess, don't give away any information about your side of the key card. If you guess a word

that your partner marks as a green agent, do not tell your partner what that word looks like on your

side. Do not give your partner advice on when to stop guessing, and do not tell your partner how many

words are left to guess unless all the words you see as green have been covered by green agent cards.

DEBRIEFING – HOW DID IT GO?

YOU MET AN ASSASSIN

Yeah, this happens. You lost. That's what the

assassins are paid for. You can just flip all the

word cards over (or deal a new set), draw a new

key card, and try again.

Before giving a clue, always check the three

assassins. Try to avoid a clue that could lead to

one of those words. Careful players can avoid

the assassins … usually … sometimes.

Good luck!

YOU RAN OUT OF TIME

Your sudden death turn ended on an incorrect

guess and you failed to contact all your agents.

Do not give up – flip the word cards over (or deal

a new set), draw a new key card, and try again.

To succeed, most of your clues need to connect

two or more words. Don't be afraid to give clues

that are a bit of a stretch. Your partner knows

that not every clue will be a perfect match. Just

beware of the assassins.

If you consistently run out of time, consider

adding a 10

or 11

timer token. Maybe you

need to practice on an easier mission before

tackling the tougher challenges.

YOU WON A MISSION

WITH 10 OR 11 TOKENS

Great! You played with some extra timer tokens,

but you contacted all your agents while avoiding

the assassins. Mission complete!

We hope you enjoyed the game. You can play it

this way again, or you can try it with 9 tokens.

It may be tough, and you might need several

attempts or a bit of luck, but it feels great to

beat that mission!

YOU WON A STANDARD

9-TOKEN MISSION

Awesome! You did great, and you are ready for

anything!

The section on the facing page explains how

to use the mission map to find new challenges.

The various missions require different skill levels

and strategies.

Of course, you can also play the standard

9-token mission again. With so many key

cards and words, each game will be completely

different.

Scoring a 9-Token Mission

Some games are a struggle where you run into

lots of bystanders and have to use your sudden

death turn to pull out a victory. Other games you

might win in only 7 or 8 turns. You can evaluate

how well you did by counting up your score:

• Give yourselves 3 points for each timer to-

ken left in the time bank. (But do not for-

get that you also used a token on the last,

victorious turn.)

• Give yourselves 1 point for each timer to-

ken that a player took when ending a turn

after a correct guess.

• Subtract 1 point if you needed the sudden

death turn to win.

If you score more than 5 points, that's really

good. A score of 9 or 10 is awesome. And if you

can score more than 10, you

really should give the

mission map a try.

MISSION MAP

So, you just successfully completed a standard

9-token mission? Congratulations!

(If you have not done that yet, keep trying.

Return here when you succeed.)

TEAM

Prague

–

Cairo

–

Cape Town

–

Baghdad

–

Dubai

–

Sydney

–

Singapore

–

Mumbai

–

Moscow

–

Yakutsk

–

Tokyo

–

Shanghai

–

Hong Kong

–

Bangkok

–

Berlin

–

London

–

Montreal

–

Los Alamos

–

Washington, D. C.

–

Vatican City

–

Madrid

–

Casablanca

–

Bogota

–

Rio de Janeiro

–

Paris

–

Monte Carlo

–

Your team is ready for

more challenging missions.

Take one of the mission

maps from the pad.

(There are multiple copies,

so you can play missions

with various teams.) Write

your names in the Team

box and then mark the

circle labeled Prague. You

have just completed the

Prague 9–9 mission!

Now you are free to take any mission connected

to Prague. (Your choices are Berlin, Cairo, or

Moscow.) Here's what the numbers next to each

mission mean:

MISSION PARAMETERS

Each mission has two parameters. The first

number is the total number of turns. When

setting up a mission, put this many tokens in the

time bank and leave the rest in the box. Moscow

uses only 8, while Berlin uses all 11. Cairo

uses 9, just like the standard Prague mission.

The second number is the number of acceptable

mistakes. Only this many tokens are bystander

side up. The rest are flipped to the checkmark

side. When setting up Cairo, for example, only 5

of the 9 tokens will be bystander side up:

9 timer tokens total

5 acceptable mistakes

Cairo 9–5

Moscow 8–8, Bangkok 7–7, and Singapore

6–6 are just like the standard mission, but with

fewer tokens. For the other missions, you have

a limited number of acceptable mistakes.

USING THE TIMER TOKENS

If the guesser chooses to stop guessing after

one or more correct guesses, he or she takes

a checkmark-side-up token from the time bank.

If only bystander-side-up tokens are left, the

guesser takes one of these instead and places it

checkmark side up on his or her side of the table.

If the turn ends by guessing a bystander, the clue

giver takes a bystander-side-up token from the

time bank and uses it to mark the incorrect guess,

as usual. However, once you are out of bystander-

side-up tokens, wrong guesses are penalized. In

this case, you mark a bystander by removing two

checkmark-side-up tokens and flipping them

over to mark the bystander. The mistake costs you

two turns instead of one.

(The stack of two tokens

is treated the same as

a single token.)

Of course, if someone guesses an assassin, the

timer tokens are irrelevant – you lose.

If a turn uses up your last token or your last two

tokens, you play a sudden-death turn, as usual.

However, if a turn causes you to use up more

tokens than you have, you lose immediately.

This will happen only when you have 1 timer

token left, it is checkmark side up, and the

guessing side guesses a bystander.

CONTINUING ON

When you win a mission in Berlin, Moscow, or

Cairo, mark it as complete. More missions are

unlocked. You can continue outward along any

unlocked line.

Different missions require different strategies.

For some, you will need a very careful approach.

Others reward bold clues and aggressive guessing.

Use the mission map the way that is the most

fun for you. Perhaps you will find a few favorite

missions and replay them again and again.

Perhaps you will push outward, trying to complete

them all. The lines under the map can be used to

keep notes on your failures and successes.

PINE

PEW

CAESAR

LUNCH

POTTER

DOLL

GOLF

CRAFT

NA POLEON

NAPOLEON

SKATES

VIRUS

LEMONADE

LOCUST

RIFLE

MAKEUP

RUS SIA

RUSSIA

TATTOO

FIDDLE

VAMPIRE

CAVE

RANCH

IGLOO

ANT

BRIC K

BRICK

BUCKET

If you use up all your maps, you can print more! Download the PDF from czechgames.com.

VALID AND INVALID CLUES

ADVANCED TECHNIQUE: THE ZERO CLUE

Some clues are invalid because they violate the

spirit of the game.

Your clue must be about the meaning of the

words. You can't use your clue to talk about

the letters in a word or its position on the table.

Middle: 1

is not a valid clue for the word in the

middle of the table.

S: 3

is not a valid clue for

three words that begin with S.

Letters and numbers are valid clues, as long

as they refer to meanings. You can use

one: 2

as a clue for METER and DOLLAR. (

Hundred: 2

might be better.) You can use

B: 2

as a clue for

FLAT and LETTER. (But this clue will only work

on your musical friends.)

The number you say after your clue can't be

used as a clue.

Hair: 5

is not a valid clue for

SHAMPOO and PENTAGON.

You can't say any form of a visible word on

the table. If HIDE is visible, you can't say

hid

hidden

, or

rawhide

. But

hideous

is still okay.

A word is "visible" until it is covered by a green

agent card or two timer tokens representing an

incorrect guess from each side. A word marked

as an incorrect guess from only one side is still

considered visible.

You can't say part of a compound word on the

table. If EARTHQUAKE is visible, you can't say

earth

quake

earthy

, or

quaking

. But

hearth

and

ear

are okay.

You are allowed to spell your clue. This can be

helpful if you want to say

knight

while avoiding

things related to

night

Accents, vocal inflections, and singing are not

allowed. Don't say

pancake

in a French accent

as a clue for FLAT and NAPOLEON. And don't

look up the French word for FLAT. The only

foreign words allowed are those you would

use in an English-language conversation.

(

Crepe

is okay.)

Proper names are okay, as long as they are one

word. So

Michelangelo

is a valid clue, but

Leonardo

da Vinci

is not … unless you think it should be:

LOOSENING UP THE RULES

Leonardo da Vinci

IRS

New South Wales

Boxing Day

The Lord of the Rings

moth-eaten

and

guinea pig

might all be good clues, but they

break the rule that a clue must be one word.

It can be frustrating to have the perfect clue

and not be able to use it. You can choose to

relax the "one word" rule and allow multi-word

names, acronyms, titles, and compound words.

You might also want to allow homonyms and

other word play.

Boy: 2

is not strictly related to the

meaning of SUN, but it could be a good clue for

SUN and BROTHER. English has a long tradition

of word play, and you should feel free to use clues

like this if they make the game more fun.

PENALT Y FOR INVALID CLUE

If someone accidentally gives an invalid clue,

you should take a one-turn penalty by discarding

one of the timer tokens from the time bank.

Then the guesser should guess as though the

clue were valid. (So the turn ends in the usual

way, which in most cases will use up another

timer token.) In some circumstances, an invalid

clue might give away so much information that

you decide it's better to start over with a clean

game, but most of the time this penalty should

be sufficient.

It is legal to give a clue for zero. For example,

if you want your partner to guess ELEPHANT,

ANT, and MOSQUITO while avoiding the assassin

SLOTH, you can give a clue like

lazy: 0

. This will

indicate that your partner should avoid SLOTH,

and your partner might even be able to see that

SLOTH is getting in the way of an easy clue like

animals: 3

Even when your clue is for zero, your partner still

must guess at least one word.

WITH MORE THAN 2 PLAYERS

This game was designed for 2 players, but

in playtesting we had a lot of fun with larger

groups. Players should divide into two sides

sitting across from each other. Everyone should

be able to see only one side of the key card.

Gameplay is the same as for a two-player

game. Anyone may give a clue, and all the

players on the opposite side of the table

are guessers. The clue-giving side may

discuss the clue ideas, but they should

not let the other side overhear. You

can whisper, write things down,

or even leave the room, if you

want. However, discussion is not

required. Often it's easiest to

just give the clue without discussion, if you think

you have found a good one.

The guessing side may discuss their guess, but

they should not say anything that would reveal

information about their side of the key card. As

always, the guess is official only when one of the

guessers touches the word card.

A Game by Vlaada Chvátil & Scot Eaton

Illustrations: Tomáš Kučerovský

Graphic Design: František Horálek, Filip Murmak

Words and Rulebook: Jason Holt

Playtesters:

Kreten, Dita, Vítek, Ondra, Zuzka, Tomáš, Plema, Yuri, Jakub, Filip, Léňa, Katka, Vláďa,

Alne, Meysha, Matúš, Dávid, Yurri, Mišo, Lenka, dilli, Meggy, Patrik, Roneth, Fanda, Jirka Bauma,

Miloš, Yim, Pogo, Jája, Elenistar, Iva, and more awesome people from Czechgaming, Podmitrov,

Malenovice, and other Czech gaming clubs and events, Jason, Josh, Paul, Emilee, Greg, Laura, Ryan,

Lucy, William, Elizabeth, Jim, Jordan, Brad, Leigh Ann, Aron, Sarah, Stacia, Amy, Erin, Dylan, Jeff,

Kathy, Kirk, Peter, Bradley, Nelson, and lots of great gamers from Gathering of Friends, BGGcon, MisCon,

GAMA Trade Show, Baycon, Airecon, Protospiel Minnesota, Pionek, and other events worldwide.

Special thanks to: Petr Murmak, Jason Holt, Paul Grogan,

Joshua Githens, and Michal Štach for relentless presenting and

playtesting the game at gaming events. Our kids and spouses Alenka,

Hanička, Pavlík, and Marcela Chvátilovi, Kristina Eaton, Lenka

Murmaková, Sierra Stoneberg Holt, and Vicky Strickland for being

at hand whenever a new version or idea needed to be tested.

The entire CGE team (and especially Dita Lazárková and Vít Vodička)

for keeping an eye on everything, preparing amazing prototypes,

and still finding time to play a game of Duet here and there :)

www.CzechGames.com

June 2017

LOOSER TURN ORDER

Some of our playtesters preferred a variant where the two players do not have to take turns. You can

allow a player to give two clues in a row, if you like. But then the other player should give a clue. To

give all clues from one side before even starting to give clues from the other side is not in the spirit

of the game.

SECRETS OF THE KEY CARD

All key cards are designed according to this diagram. You can use this knowledge to your advantage.

COLORS AS YOUR PARTNER SEES THEM

COLORS AS YOU SEE THEM

Find these 15 words to win the game.

Of the 9 words you see as green, 3 are also green on the other side of the key card. That means

together you have only 15 words to guess. Note: Some players like to always place their agent cards

facing the guesser so they can keep track of who guessed which green words.

Of the three words you see as black, one is black, one is green, and one is

tantan on the other side of the

key card. This means that one word you see as black is a word you must guess. Furthermore, if you have

found the black word that is green on the other side, you should not guess the other two black words.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

Each turn consists of exactly one clue and one

or more guesses. Your number of guesses is

unlimited as long as you keep guessing correctly.

When a player touches a word, its identity depends

only on the other player's side of the key card.

Touching a tan word ends the turn. Touching

a black word ends the game.

A word marked by a timer token for one player

may still be guessed by the other player. When

it is marked both ways, it is considered covered.

Each turn costs you one timer token from the

time bank. Either it is used by the clue giver

to mark a bystander the guesser touches, or it

is taken by the guesser to indicate he or she is

done guessing.

If you have not won the game after using your

last timer token, you play a sudden death

turn. Both players may guess, but no clue is

given. If anyone makes an incorrect guess, you

lose the game.

When using the mission map, an incorrect

guess might use up two timer tokens. This

happens if you exceed the acceptable number

of incorrect guesses. If you have only one token

when you must give up two, you skip the

sudden death turn and lose the game.

You must never reveal anything about your

side of the key card, except that you must tell

your partner when all words you see as green

have been covered by green agent cards.

DUET AND OTHER EDITIONS OF CODENAMES

You can use the words from Duet in the original

version of Codenames. And you can take the words

from the original set and play Duet with them. You

can even combine both sets of word cards to get

a set of 800 unique words to use in either version of the game.

The Duet key cards will also work with Codenames: Pictures,

if you deal out the picture cards in a

5 × 5 grid.

Note: You can

distinguish Duet cards from

the original Codenames

cards by two dots.