Codenames

Czech Games Edition

Word-association game for two teams. The rules are simple to model; the clue giving needs a language agent, which the model marks as such.

2 teams, ≥ 4 players

The rules fit in a few lines of YAML; the game lives in language. A clue is not an enumerable move, and guessing is enumerable but meaningless without understanding language. Both go through an agent hook. With LLM agents a simulation can measure, for example, whether 9 versus 8 agents offsets the advantage of going first.

Goal and end of the game

  • Win all agents of a team covered, also during the opposing team's turn
  • Loss assassin guessed: the guessing team loses

How the game goes

Follow the track from top to bottom. ↻ repeats, a side track is a branch; under every step: what you decide there. Tap a step for what you decide there.

startGameSetup: 25 words, thekey card decides the…↻ Team turnsper teams · until a team has all its agents, or the assassin has been guessedSpymaster gives aclue: one word + a…by spymasterclue_validif invalidTurn ends; theopposing team may…if valid↻ Guessinguntil wrong guess, stopped, or number + 1 reachedGuess a word, or stop(after at least one…by operativesSpymaster covers itwith the matching cardOther team's turnend of the game
All steps in words
  1. Setup: 25 words, the key card decides the starting team

    Starting team 9 agents, other team 8, 7 bystanders, 1 assassin.

  2. Team turns per teams · until a team has all its agents, or the assassin has been guessed
    1. Spymaster gives a clue: one word + a number by spymaster
    2. Valid clue? clue_valid
      • If invalid
        1. Turn ends; the opposing team may cover one of its own agents
          • Choose own agents on the table
      • If valid
        1. Guessing until wrong guess, stopped, or number + 1 reached
          1. Guess a word, or stop (after at least one guess) by operatives

            One of:

            • guess

              Allowed if guesses_left > 0.

              • Choose uncovered words
            • stop guessing

              Allowed if guessed ≥ 1.

          2. Spymaster covers it with the matching card
    3. Other team's turn

On the table

  • word deck face down · shuffled
  • key deck face down · shuffled
  • grid open
  • key card only its owner sees it — only the two spymasters see the key card

Under the hood

These rules are read straight from the game's model: the same data the engine plays with. For the exact expressions, the rules diagram and the model source:

Rules diagram

Fan model of a game by Czech Games Edition: only the rules structure is shown, in our own words. Cards, scenarios and play are not published without the publisher's permission. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.