It is once again that time of year where I rank my all-time favorite board games! While I often get rid of games that aren't getting played or have been replaced by games I enjoy more, my collection has still steadily grown to 75+ games. I'll be counting down my top 50 games that I own, and giving some thoughts on why I enjoy them and why they continue to stay in my collection. Let's start with #50!
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Total Plays: 47
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<aside> 🗓️ Plays in Last Year: 0
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<aside> 📊 Rank Over Time: 18 » 24 » 32 » 36 » 40 » 50
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Codenames became a monster hit when it came out over 5 years ago, and many party games have since tried to put their own twist on the "word association" formula. But I still think Codenames does it the best, with a perfect tension between stretching to find a connection among more words, while also avoiding words that belong to the other team (or even worse, the assassin card). It hasn't seen the table much lately, but I still enjoy the quick but thinky experience it provides.
Read My Full Review:
<aside> 🎲 Total Plays: 24
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<aside> 🗓️ Plays in Last Year: 1
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<aside> 📊 Rank Over Time: 35 » 38 » 49
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It is very natural for Codenames and *Codenames: Duet* to appear next to each other on this list as the experience of playing them is very similar. Duet is the two-player cooperative variant, and the one thing that elevates it a little higher than the original for me is that you get to play both roles. While Codenames has you playing either the spymaster or one of the guessers, Duet has you alternating, allowing you to enjoy an even balance of what the game has to offer. A great option for couples, especially if they enjoy the original Codenames.
