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    "Codenames" Is The Family Board Game Of The Holiday Season, And It's 50% Off

    "Hi my name is Jen and I can't stop playing Codenames," —The intro to my MTV TrueLife episode

    Jennifer Tonti
    by Jennifer Tonti

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Hello and welcome to the time of year again when you get together with your loved ones and just try your best to get along and have fun!

    NBC

    Well I'm here to tell you that FUN = CODENAMES. As far as I'm concerned it is the ONLY board game worth your time. It's super simple, yet addictively strategic — an instant classic. It's also 50% off right now!

    Amazon

    It usually retails for $19.95, but right now you can get it for $9.95!

    I personally played this for over four hours straight with my friends and not a single one of us were bored AT ALL, so just think of how many hours you and family can enjoy this game.

    Ok! So here's how you play the best game ever made:

    Amazon

    1. Split up your whole group into two even teams. Got a large family? No problem at all, there's no real limit to how large each team is.

    2. Decide team blue and red, and assign each team a captain. That team captain, or "spy", will pair up with the other teams "spy" on one side of the board. They aren't working together, but they are working off of the same "key card" with all of the answers on it.

    3. Lay out a five by five grid of "codenames" which each have only ONE word on them. (shown above)

    4. Pick a "key card" which will have a random pattern of squares that mirror the grid on the table. This card will tell each team "spy" which words belong to their team.

    5. The purpose of the game is for each "spy" (team captain) to give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the table while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. Choose your word carefully, because the word you choose could signal to them the other team's word! Or WORSE, the "double agent card" which ends the game immediately in favor of the other team.

    6. The teams compete to see who can make contact with all of their agents first. Switch up the team "spy" each round and get a shot at giving one-word clues yourself!

    Box set includes: 16 agent cards in two colors, one double agent card, seven innocent bystander cards, one assassin card, 40 key cards, and one rulebook.

    It also has 89% five-star reviews! That's 2,525 people who loved it so much they took the time to write their thoughts on it. Let's take a look at a few glowing reviews shall we?

    Amazon

    "Codenames really is genius in its simplicity. It's a fantastic party game because it can be taught in under 5 minutes and provides a ton of fun. It has definitely been a hit in my gaming group and with my family over the holidays." —kccayson

    "The last thing said at Thanksgiving is that everyone is playing on Christmas! Very fun. Even the little ones can play and I believe they would learn some good thinking skills while they do. And with all the options, I can't imagine you'd ever play the same game twice." —Lyndsey

    The amount of times you can play CODENAMES without getting bored.

    Paramount Pictures

    Get it from Amazon for $9.99 (originally $19.95).

    Shopping for something specific? Check out BuzzFeed Reviews to find the best things for every budget!

    BuzzFeed

    The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.