Mastermind
Crack your opponent's hidden peg code using nothing but logic and a few clue pegs.
Who it's for
You enjoy logic puzzles and want something for two that fits on a coffee table. Good for a long car ride, a waiting room, or a rainy afternoon with a friend who likes thinking.
Not for you if…
You want interaction beyond silent staring. The codemaker only places clue pegs, so the game is mostly two people frowning at a board.
Vibe's take
A quiet duel of pure reasoning: stare at the clues, rule things out, make a guess that tells you the most. When it clicks it feels smug, when it does not you feel very human.
About this game
One person secretly sets a code of colored pegs, the other has to crack it using logic. After each guess, the codemaker answers with small clue pegs that tell you how many of your pegs are the right color in the right place and how many are the right color in the wrong place. That is all the feedback you get, and the fun is in squeezing the most information out of every guess. You swap roles after each round, so you also have to be devious enough to build a code that survives a clever opponent. A 1971 classic with a tiny rule set, ideal for a two-player head scratch. Variants allow repeated colors or blanks to make the code harder.
Get it
Mechanics
Categories
By the numbers
Players
Duration
20 min
Ages 8+
Complexity
1.8 / 5 — LightBGG Rating
5.6/10
Rank #9,380
8.7k ratings
Published
1971
Designed by
Mordecai Meirowitz
Published by
Hasbro, Broadway Toys LTD, (Unknown), Game Factory, Parker Brothers and 43 more
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