Game Overview

Game Name: Codeword Cromwell
Publication Year: 2014
Designer: Daniel Hodges
Artist: Mark Mahaffey
Publisher: Fifth Column Games
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)

There may be ways to slow the invasion, yet the enemy constantly advances to gain access to more troops. It’s all about defending the village, finding strategic places to hold, and watching the story unfold over the course of the day. As I often like to say, “For Birkham Stokes!”

Certainly in a Jam

Hartwell was still in a dangerous position. Injured and without a weapon, he was practically defenseless. Sergeant Taylor wouldn’t leave him behind, though.

With the enemy likely closing in from all sides of the village, Hodges was a crucial element of the defense.

His weapon wasn’t the most reliable, though, and residing in the damp church basement for weeks had not done it any favors. He grimaced as he felt the tell-tale sign.

There was nothing for it: The weapon was completely jammed and unusable at exactly the wrong moment!

A Proper Education

From the second story of the schoolhouse, the teachers peeked outside. The advance of the troops near the bridge and pub was far too close to home. Fear gripped them.

“Your attention, please!” Ms. Featherlake let her strong voice take over the room as her ruler wrapped a desk.

“This is our schoolhouse, and we will not tolerate a breach of the rules. Need I remind you of the Overstone boys? We are the teachers here and don’t abide any nonsense.”

She was not one to tolerate tomfoolery and the others rallied behind her, cautiously feeling more confident.

Backup at the Bridge

Captain McGowan was hardly a rash leader. His plan was to hold the church and direct the home guard from afar. It was his specialty, and why he was stationed in the village.

But it was quickly apparent that trouble was everywhere. The bridge was a strategic stronghold, and there was no question: It simply had to be held. So off he raced.

Along the abandoned roads and eerily silent yards, his boots padded west until he reached Ford and Clark.

With the calm manner of a seasoned warrior, he took aim and secured the bridge, at least for another hour.

Unprepared Farmers

As soon as fighting erupted to the north, Daisy took off to protect the pub. Her father often spent his mornings there and she couldn’t stay behind to leave him defenseless.

Yet her young, spirited ways didn’t consider the rest of the farmers who stayed behind at the old barn.

The ragtag crew had their pitchforks and never imagined they would go beyond their usual farming duties. Yet there it was: An enemy troop emerging from the woods.

Without a strong leader, they charged at full speed to fight up close. Yet pitchforks were turned on them so quickly.

The First Lost Villagers

It all ended too soon. As they lost their pitchforks to the seasoned hands of soldiers, they were pinned down in an undefendable position. They were absolutely stunned.

To this day, no one in Birkham Stokes speaks of the way the farmers died. It was unnecessarily cruel, for they were disarmed and hardly a threat. Yet they all fell.

Silence. Birkham Stokes had endured its share of injuries, but these were the first deaths. The first dreadful losses.

These were people who took care of the land and animals. They never desired to do more. And they were gone.

Holding the Pub

Daisy may not have known about the tragedy at the farm, but she was relieved to find her father at the pub. She even had the thought to pick up flasks of acid along the way…

Actually, Ms. Featherlake would probably be perturbed about that little theft. Yet Daisy was never her favorite.

There was little time for joy, though. She noted all the injuries and the tinge of fear that crinkled Betty’s eyes.

Young and still foolhardy, Daisy ventured outside to quickly board up a window. They were waiting, though, and a violent bullet caught her square in the arm.

Advance Publication

With nothing but open roads ahead, the enemy troops waltzed into the newspaper office and claimed it for their own. There was no one to stop their advance.

Frightened villagers abandoned their homes to take refuge in the church. Their accounts of the Germans were terrifying and only worsened morale. It was quite grim.

Many wondered what had happened to their reporter, Drayden Fox. Had he been killed along with the farmers?

There was a clear path ahead for the enemy and Birkham Stokes could feel the tension. The south was lost.

Success at the Garage

James Arnold was a rather disliked character throughout the village. Everyone assumed he was guilty of murder, despite his proclaimed innocence years ago.

He laid low since the first rain of gunfire. Why help people who never trusted him? Never gave him the time of day?

Yet when Hodges burst into the garage with a jammed gun, James sprang into action. He wasn’t merely a simple car mechanic and deftly worked with his tools.

A hushed silence passed between them. Mutual respect? It was difficult to interpret, yet the gun was working again.

Home Fleet Triumphs

Already into late morning, most villagers hadn’t even eaten. Chilled breakfasts and toppled mugs littered most tables as the wireless took top priority. News was vital.

As the sun’s rays toppled over treetops and roofs, word arrived that the nautical defenses were holding.

Small cheers erupted from many homes near the church and northeast of Birkham Stokes, far from the invading forces. There was a chance the invasion would fail!

It bolstered the hearts of all the villagers. They might be a tiny group, but they, too, could fight off the Germans.

Evidence of a Spy

Despite the boosted morale, those in the church cellar made a terrifying discovery… A cache of weapons to be distributed had been dismantled and smashed to pieces.

Rumors had swirled for months about German spies all across the countryside. Everyone was suspected, which almost nullified the entire ordeal. Yet this was definitive.

Someone deliberately put Birkham Stokes in a bad position. Who would do such a thing? It was unthinkable.

Molly Ashe, one of the fastest runners, was sent to find Sergeant Drake and report this awful discovery.

Bold Orders

Captain McGowan felt the west village border was secured. The Germans wouldn’t attempt to infiltrate again after having such a hard time with advancing.

With reports of home guard members injured or without weapons, he recognized a vulnerable situation.

“Back to the church!” he ordered to all within earshot. He alone knew the risks involved. The village would be left undefended, yet he had to protect those he commanded.

To the villagers, this looked like an alarming admission of defeat to hold the central church. Chaos broke out.

A Full Invasion Force

With the well-armed home guard regrouping in the main church square, Birkham Stokes was left wide open.

The enemy took advantage of the situation, as was to be expected. In the south, a large contingent meandered along the bridle path to claim a strategic point.

It was enough to turn the chaos into a panic. Unarmed villagers hidden in cellars or bedrooms grabbed whatever was at hand, urgently trying to find a way to defend.

Captain McGowan grossly underestimated how his orders might unravel the village, so unused to battle or war.

The Women’s Institute

However, many forgot that there was a group of villagers in place and most prepared for this sort of advance.

Very quietly, the Women’s Institute had carried the precious Vickers gun. It stood outside the bank gleaming in the sunlight and ready to do the job it was meant for.

They were a very organized group, and as soon as they had an opening, they took it! The sound was almost deafening, yet in the clearing smoke, nearly all the troops were gone.

In a village on the brink of mass hysteria, this was a victory that proved how even the untrained could win.

Clearing the Stream

Clark told the others he was too injured to move, but it was still up to him to hold the bridge and do his best to protect the pub. Not at all a small set of orders.

It wasn’t that he wanted to disobey Captain McGowan. Yet Clark was in good enough shape to move. He simply couldn’t leave this post until he was satisfied.

A lucky shot from his Lee-Enfield finally cleared the north stream and left him open to return to the church.

Still, he privately disagreed with this strategy. Birkham Stokes could easily fall from a miscalculated move.

A Well-Defended Pub

Daisy’s arm trembled with the pain of taking a bullet, but she herself was a very tough young woman. Horns and teeth had honestly done worse in her experience.

She convinced the others to allow the enemy troops to close in. If they could just get within a few meters…

And so it was! The schoolhouse acid did the trick, along with assistance from Betty. It was a gruesome way to attack, though, and all would be haunted by the images.

For a brief moment, the pub could collectively take a breath. It was one of the last holdouts in the west, though.

Into Utter Sadness

This was the hour that brings about the most somber tales from the villagers who are still alive today. The day had already been cruel, yet there was more to come.

Those brave women who held off the large invasion force were shot down, one by one, by the same troop responsible for the deaths of the farmers. Gone so soon.

Losing the Vickers was hardly material: Everyone, even the home guard, recognized the serious loss of life.

It was an emotional time. Those selfless women were the force behind Birkham Stokes, and it was never the same.

Accepting the Losses

Supposed small-scale losses in villages and cities were reported all across England. In a way, every villager was connected on that fateful morning and always would be.

Despite the strength of the coastal defenses, they simply couldn’t hold back the Germans forever. The invasion continued as more units landed along the shoreline.

It was one thing to endure a short battle. Birkham Stokes knew this was to be a full-day affair, like it or not.

And so the abandoned breakfast trays were salvaged as all saw the need to stay nourished, if only for another day.

Grim Hours

Dr. Greystone remained in his surgery after he finished his cup of tea. The injured remained on the battlefield while he waited. And listened. And imagined the horrors.

It brought him back to the day when he lost his first patient, David Finn. Just an ordinary diagnosis.

Yet he died the next day at just 9 years of age from an infection no one thought to look for. Shame on him for hiding his symptoms. But shame on Dr. Greystone…

He was in no condition to help anyone as he swam through his past memories and tried to ignore the shots.

Finding the Traitor

Sergeant Drake had undertaken a dangerous mission from the start of the battle. For weeks, he gathered clues from the snippets of truth that emerged from the rumors.

All pointed to the newcomer, Reynolds. He had taken an uncomfortable position near him, intent on defense.

When Molly Ashe came racing over from the church, he heard her breathlessly exclaim, “Sabotage!” Of course, Reynolds himself was within earshot and took aim.

Drake tossed Molly to the ground to protect her from the bullet that came directly from Chaplin, the spy himself.

A Captured Spy

The jagged bullet wound in his back was searing, but Sergeant Drake fought back. Young Molly even pitched in with a few well-placed kicks from her running shoes.

Reynolds was subdued and tied up, ready to be questioned and tried. Rage had to be controlled to keep from killing the traitorous spy right then and there.

Word spread quickly. Dr. Greystone realized his inaction might kill others. Not today! He grabbed his bag.

Captain McGowan saw that danger lurked within and without as he ordered the home guard out of the church.

Holding the Line

Troops continued to advance from the south, buoyed by news of the strong footing of a single unit. There wasn’t enough time to move the home guard into position.

All the same, Hodges and Sharma were in place to launch a multi-pronged attack in the direction of the bank. They had a chance to catch their breath at long last.

Nearby, Sergeant Taylor wondered if they might have given up too much ground. The Germans could close in.

Yet there was something to be said about regrouping and coaxing the enemy out into the open. Had it worked?

Educated Attacks

Unfortunately, the heavy presence of the home guard near the bridge dried up like the stream during the driest summers. Ms. Featherlake found herself leading the way.

Indeed, the teachers joined her in fighting off a small unit. Their spirit was unequivocal and there was no way the schoolhouse would fall anytime soon. Possibly never!

Perhaps it was a testament to their teaching skills and the way no one got away with the slightest prank in class.

Their ability to handle the worst students made them unusually prepared for battle, odd as it seemed at the time.

Session Overview

Play Number: 15
Solo Mode: Designed for Solo (Included in the Base Game)
Outcome: Incomplete

As noon approached, Birkham Stokes held strong but had lost control of the southwest region. The enemy could march right up to the church square. Far too close for comfort. Yet the tenacity of Betty Tanner and Daisy Woods at the pub offered hope, as did Ms. Featherlake and the teachers. The village already felt the acute sadness of lives lost to the unquenchable thirst of war, yet the farmers and Women’s Institute would never be forgotten.

Affordability

Price & Value

8

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

7

Originality

Design & Theme

5

Quality

Components & Rules

6