Table Top Game Club Week Eleven: Camels and Code Names

Sorry for the late update folks.  Last week's (Week 11) game sessions included a few games of Camel Up! and our Friday play test (what I call playing while we read the rules) was all about the new party game Codenames.

Tuesday's session was a very low turn out, but it still made for a fun time once we busted out Camel Up!  Camel Up! is a unique racing game that plays up to eight people.  When people first see the game, the instinct is to "pick your colour" (colour with a "u"... welcome to Canada), because most players believe they will be a particular camel. 

The game actually has you playing as the spectators, playing bets on first camel, last camel, placing obstacles on the track, and advancing the race through rolling dice.  The dice are rolled via a pyramid you construct before you play.  Dice are dropped into the pyramid, and a neat locking mechanic allows one die to be released at random, changing the position of the camels.  When two or more camels occupy the same space, they stack up, with the "lead" camel being the camel on top of the stack. 

One criticism of the game is that it lacks any strategy, and the game is too random.  I found it to have plenty of strategy, especially when you're deciding whether or not to roll the dice.  Advancing the race grants you money, but also lets your opponents get a clearer picture of who is in the lead, and having the jump on your fellow players matters when it comes to betting.  Only three of us played, but all three of us enjoyed the session.

Friday had a much better turn out, so we decided to try a recent acquisition: Codenames.  The game is incredibly simple to play, but it's also a game that rewards creative thinking and risk taking.  Players are divided into teams, and each team has a "codemaster".  Looking at a five by five grid of cards, (each card featuring a word) each codemaster tries to encourage their team into guessing certain cards representing operatives, all the while avoiding innocent bystanders and an assassin.

We had fun, but there were some frustrating moments.  I accidentally nailed a perfect clue to scoop up two cards, but I mixed up the colours and scored two for my opponents.  "Table talk" on behalf of the Codemasters is forbidden, but the cross talk of the teams can steer the game into a particular direction that some might find manipulative and cheating.  Should players use the sand-timer that's included, and if so, how? 

The game was also a great challenge for our EAL student (English as Additional Language).  If you read my previous post I mentioned the challenge of the player I called "C" had with The Resistance when English is not her first language.  Codenames was educational, helped expand her vocabulary, but also put up some roadblocks in terms of her enjoyment.  It's a game that helps if you understand synonyms really well, which also happens to be a challenge for EAL speakers.

In the end, we all had fun.  We will hash out some "house" rules before we crack open Codenames again.  In the mean time, I believe it's time for some Pandemic.

Thanks for reading!