Challenge 1: Codenames

[CuddlyCaucasian]

{ROUND 01 TEAM CHALLENGE}

Codenames

So normally this is the part of the game text where xofelf writes the history of a challenge she's looked up the information for. However, thanks to the zetaboards migration to tapatalk recently, almost all the boards for past LSGs can't be accessed and there hasn't been a record of what challenges were used and where created. So be excited for some very vague or completely wrong information in these little blurbs from here on out!

Codenames has been used a handful of times in LSGs and in Mish Mash. It's a fun little game where good communication is key! Can you give the clues to your teammates without hinting your words to the other team all while avoiding the assassin word? Good luck!

Rules

Codenames is a game of guessing which code names (words) in a set are related to a hint-word given by another player.

Teams will compete in a series of 12 live games, with each game pitting 2-4 players from one team against an equal number of players from a different team. One player of each team is selected as the team's spymaster; the others are field operatives.

Twenty-five code name cards, each bearing a word, are laid out in a 5×5 rectangular grid, in random order. A number of these words represent Team A agents, a number represent Team B agents, one represents an assassin, and the others represent innocent bystanders.

The teams' spymasters are given a randomly-dealt map card showing a 5×5 grid of 25 squares of various colors, each corresponding to one of the code name cards on the table. Teams take turns. On each turn, the appropriate spymaster gives a verbal hint about the words on the respective cards. Each hint may only consist of one single word and a number. The spymaster gives a hint that is related to as many of the words on his/her own agents' cards as possible, but not to any others – lest they accidentally lead their team to choose a card representing an innocent bystander, an opposing agent, or the assassin.

The hint's word can be chosen freely, as long as it is not (and does not contain) any of the words on the code name cards still showing at that time. Code name cards are covered as guesses are made. If your clue is interpreted as an attempt to address words by their length, spelling, position on the board, or aspects other than their actual meaning, you will gain a strike and the game will count as a loss.

The hint's number tells the field operatives how many words in the grid are related to the word of the clue. It also determines the maximum number of guesses the field operatives may make on that turn, which is the hint's number plus one. Field operatives must make at least one guess per turn, risking a wrong guess and its consequences. They may also end their turn voluntarily at any point thereafter.

After a spymaster gives the hint with its word and number, their field operatives make guesses about which code name cards bear words related to the hint and point them out, one at a time. When a code name card is pointed out, the spymaster covers that card with an appropriate identity card – a blue agent card, a red agent card, an innocent bystander card, or the assassin card – as indicated on the spymasters' map of the grid. If the assassin is pointed out, the game ends immediately, with the team who identified him losing. If an agent of the other team is pointed out, the turn ends immediately, and that other team is also one agent closer to winning. If an innocent bystander is pointed out, the turn simply ends.

The game ends when all of one team's agents are identified (winning the game for that team), or when one team has identified the assassin (losing the game).

The 12 games will each take place at pre-scheduled times, as show below. The team listed first has the first move in that game.

Game 1 (10/15 at 4:00 PM EDT):

Red Team

vs.

Blue Team

Game 2 (10/15 at 10:00 PM EDT):

Yellow Team

vs.

Green Team

Game 3 (10/16 at 12:00 PM EDT):

Green Team

vs.

Red Team

Game 4 (10/16 at 4:00 PM EDT):

Blue Team

vs.

Yellow Team

Game 5 (10/16 at 10:00 PM EDT):

Yellow Team

vs.

Red Team

Game 6 (10/17 at 3:00 AM EDT):

Green Team

vs.

Blue Team

Game 7 (10/17 at 12:00 PM EDT):

Red Team

vs.

Yellow Team

Game 8 (10/17 at 5:00 PM EDT):

Blue Team

vs.

Green Team

Game 9 (10/17 at 10:00 PM EDT):

Yellow Team

vs.

Blue Team

Game 10 (10/18 at 4:00 PM EDT):

Red Team

vs.

Green Team

Game 11 (10/18 at 7:00 PM EDT):

Blue Team

vs.

Red Team

Game 12 (10/18 at 9:00 PM EDT):

Green Team

vs.

Yellow Team

For each game, a team must have 2-4 of its members play, with spymasters determined at the start of each game. Players do not need to be assigned to a game until the game start time when you see which teammates are available. Every member of your team must participate in

at least one game

. Each game must contain an equal amount of players on both participating teams, unless a team needs to include more players than the other team has available in order to fulfill their one-game requirement; in that case, however, the team may

only

include players who have yet to play one game.

All official guesses must be posted following "GUESS:" or posted in bold.

No private discussion is allowed,

all discussion must take place in thread. Spymasters must give all clues in all-caps with no formatting, and cannot make any posts during the game outside of their clues.

Deadlines for each clue and for each guess are

5 minutes each

. Any of a team's guessers may post an official guess, but every guess posted by a team will be counted. For every time a team misses a deadline by over 1 minute, the team gets a strike. Every 3 strikes eliminates one game win from the team's final score.

The winning team will be determined using the below criteria.

• The team with the most games won are safe from elimination. If multiple teams are tied...
  
• Eliminate games not involving the tied teams. The team with the most games won among remaining games are safe from elimination. If a tie still persists...
  
• Among the remaining tied teams, the team with the fewest strikes wins. If a tie still persists...
  
• Among the remaining tied teams, the team with the most correct guesses across all games wins. If a tie still persists...
  
• Among the remaining tied teams, the team with the fewest incorrect guesses across all games wins. If a tie still persists...
  
• Among the remaining tied teams, the team that took the shortest time on average to make guesses wins.

Example Game

MEXICO	BEACH	PASTE	WORM	SUPERHERO
CROWN	AIR	MOUNT	KEY	KNIGHT
SATELLITE	AZTEC	DOCTOR	RACKET	AMAZON
BLOCK	CRASH	SUIT	NIGHT	SPIKE
BERRY	BRUSH	OPERA	ROBIN	LINK

This is the colorless board that all guessers will see at the start of the game.

MEXICO	BEACH	PASTE	WORM	SUPERHERO
CROWN	AIR	MOUNT	KEY	KNIGHT
SATELLITE	AZTEC	DOCTOR	RACKET	AMAZON
BLOCK	CRASH	SUIT	NIGHT	SPIKE
BERRY	BRUSH	OPERA	ROBIN	LINK

This is the board the spymasters will see. In this example the two teams are red and blue. The words in black belong to neither team, and finally the word in bold with a line through it is the assassin card. Red has 9 words and Blue has 8, meaning Red will take the first turn.

The red cluemaster's first clue is "Tennis 2", hoping to hint towards "RACKET" and "SPIKE", as in spiking a ball. The red guessers get both words, and the red team's turn ends.

The blue cluemaster's clue is "Brazil 2", hoping to hint towards "AMAZON" and "BEACH". The blue team guesses both words correctly, and it goes back to red, now with red needing to get 7 more words and blue needing 6.

The red cluemaster had thought about using "Location" as a clue word before, but didn't as "AMAZON" was still on the board. Now that blue has already found that word, he uses the clue "Location 2". The guessers successfully guess "MEXICO" and "AZTEC" from this.

The blue cluemaster thinks for a while, struggling to find any clue that could give his team more than one word. He finally lands on "Zelda 2", with the obvious connection of "LINK" in mind as well as "CROWN" due to Zelda being a princess. His teammates guess "LINK" correctly, but think that due to Zelda's association with royalty, "KNIGHT" is the other word. This is one of red's words, and the blue team's turn is over.

Red now has 4 words left, and blue has 5. The red cluemaster gives "Hearts 2" as a clue, going for "SUIT" as in hearts being a suit of cards, and "DOCTOR" since a doctor may perform on hearts. The guessers come up with "SUIT" but don't attempt to go for the second word as they're not sure whether to go for "DOCTOR" or "WORM" as in heartworms.

The blue cluemaster is desperate and gives "Actor 2" as a clue, hoping to trigger "OPERA" and "SUPERHERO" as superheroes aren't real and are played by actors (it's a stretch). Since there are no better options, the blue guessers correctly pick out both words, and since the allowed number of guesses in a turn is the clue number plus one, the guessers are also able to guess "CROWN" going off of the "Zelda" clue they previously got wrong.

The red cluemaster is now worried about blue winning on the next turn since they only have two words left. He goes for "Batman 3" as a clue, going for the obvious "ROBIN" connection, he thinks Batman might be a "DOCTOR", and Batman "BLOCK"s everyone out of his life. His teammates guess "ROBIN" correctly, but unfortunately then guess "NIGHT", which is the assassin card. At that point, the red team loses.

[CuddlyCaucasian]

It has! All games take place in a private topic, and only the teams involved will know the result of a game until the end.

[CuddlyCaucasian]

Next game starts in 2 hours

[CuddlyCaucasian]

All Codenames game threads have been opened.

The Blues Brothers/Sisters won 1 game.

Fire & Brimstone and Sunrise Land both won 3 games.

But Ba Sing Se is the team that’s safe from elimination, winning 5 of their 6 games! Everyone else, I’ll see you in elimination soon.