A Message from the Stars

One of you plays the alien with a secret message and a secret code; the rest are scientists trying to read it. You win together if the scientists decode the message before the transmission log fills up. Two teams, each with an alien, can also race to decode first. On a turn the scientists agree on a word and send it. The alien cannot speak; they answer with a single number, worked out from the word's letters according to their hidden code. You compare words and numbers on the shared sheet to work out which letters count and how. Deciding what to send next is most of the game. Heavier than most of our Party shelf and closer to a logic puzzle than a shouting game. For Codenames fans who want more thinking, and for a couple, since two is the sweet spot. Set aside 45 minutes.