Link to the game : codenames
(A video-chat friendly edition by @nemo!)
Don’t know the game Codenames? Learn how to play!
Steps to host:
Everyone join a Hangout/Zoom/HouseParty/WhatsApp video conference
Decide teams and Spymasters for each team
Open the link in a new window. Generate a fresh grid by inputting a new Seed
Click on the Cast buttom in the top-right corner of the screen. This does two things:
- Provides a link for the Spymasters to view the coloured grid. This link is copied to your clipboard
- Hides the Seed and reset buttons to only display the grid. This view is to prevent people from cheating by inputting the same seed
Share the copied link privately with both Spymasters. Ask them to click on the Spymaster button
Share the Codenames window using Screen share with everyone. Most video chat tools let you share a specific application window instead of your entire screen. This is useful if you want to also be a spymaster.
As a moderator, you will need to click on the selected words when a team confirms they want to guess it. You don’t know the answers either, so you can play as well!
If you are the moderator and also want to be spymaster, make sure you have a different tab open with the spymaster view (or use your phone).
A few guidelines:
Do not repeat seeds. Typically, I use the assassin from the previous game as the seed for the following one.
Establish and enforce heckling rules from the beginning. In a conference with 5+ people, it is already difficult for a team to coordinate - allowing the other team to cross-talk will make it harder.
Every team should nominate a player to be the one to inform the moderator which words to select. This will prevent mistakes by the moderator and make the game more streamlined.
If you want to play as well, make sure you don’t click on the Spymaster button after generating the fresh grid
By hiding the Seed, this link and method stops team members from directly checking a grid. However, it does not prevent Spymasters from DMing their team answers. Cheating is not appreciated and should not be tolerated.
Enjoy and happy guessing!