Play characters from the actual play show’s first three campaigns
The award-winning board game Codenames remains one of the most popular party games, challenging players’ creativity as they compete to guess words based on hints from their team’s Spymaster. That success has led to multiple licensed spinoffs tied to Disney and Marvel, The Simpsons, and, controversially, Harry Potter. Now, CGE and designers Vlaada Chvátil and Felix Podlesny are working on a Critical Role-inspired game expected to be released by the end of 2026.
Previous licensed versions of Codenames have kept the core gameplay but used words and pictures associated with an entertainment franchise. Codenames: Critical Role Adventures is a more significant departure that fuses the word game with Dungeons & Dragons. Rather than dividing players into two teams, each with its own Spymaster offering clues, Critical Role Adventures will have a single Game Master guiding a party of heroes through the world of Exandria.
The other players control Critical Role characters, including Percy, Jester, and Dorian. The game includes three campaigns with branching missions where characters gather experience points and items. Between missions, they can level up to unlock new abilities, which are activated with a d20 roll. Each mission has its own rules for guessing the Critical Role-themed words, and the unique character abilities will also change how the game is played.
The base game costs $39.99 and is expected to launch during fall 2026. CGE is also releasing a Vox Machina expansion pack that contains more words, items, and another playable character.
