As we get towards the end of the year, we're starting to look at gift ideas that exist in the tabletop space but would work well in a group that is more used to playing lighter and more family orientated games. is such a game and features in our Gift of Cardboard series of games. Overview
Decypher is a code breaking game where you are trying to guess the other player's five digit random number code.
Main Play
The easiest way to describe Decypher is like numerical Guess Who. Each of the numbers is represented in the old fashion digital number style. The kind you would see on a calculator or very old watch. At the beginning of the game you'll randomly create a code that the other player needs to guess and then you'll take turns guessing on each of the digits. So you might ask if the other player's number has a line in the middle, and if the player had a 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 then it would. Guess correctly and you get another chance to guess another part of the number. This time you might ask if the number has a bottom line. So if it didn't then out of the possible numbers left then it reduces it down to a choice of just the number 4 this time. In this case you would make an official guess and then the other player takes a turn. Similarly if you had guessed wrong, then the other player takes their turn. Once you've locked in a full number guess then you can move onto the next number. Once you've locked in all five numbers, the game ends and the players who got the most numbers in the code correct wins.
Bad Winners or Good Losers? The game can become quite competitive but there is no active player elimination and with the lack of edge cases when it comes to winning, you're more likely to be setting up the game again rather than dwell on any feeling of getting unlucky and not winning.
Looks
There's a certain style to the game that suits Decypher in the combination of the game design and the looks. The digital representation of the numbers works extremely well even when it comes to learning the game as it instantly places restrictions on what is possible in relation to what guesses can be made. the play areas is very well organised and doesn't become cluttered with pieces everywhere so this game can easily sit on a coffee table if required.
Decypher is certainly going to help with deduction, logic and memory skills. The first few games are going to start off with simple guessing, but as the games progress you'll start to formulate strategies that will start form an overall plan.
Timing
It's easy to get set up and start playing and games are likely to last around about twenty minutes a time. It's ideal to play when you want something that offers a challenge but isn't going to take hours to see the end of the game.
Who's Going To Like It
Decypher is going to suit anyone over the age of around seven upwards as you don't need to be aware of what digital numbers are in order to understand how the game works overall. It's a quick smart small table game that doesn't take up a huge amount of time or a huge amount of table. It's very clever for what it does and it has easily become a regular at the table. Players who like a bit more thought to their games without a three hour slog are going to appreciate this
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