My first experience with a full on war game was with Codeword Cromwell. I really enjoyed the experience and found the rulebook clear in almost every regard (excepting only the enemy movement/infiltration aspect), and the experience was certainly immersive along the lines of my favorite boardgames, such as Cave Evil, Space Alert, and Mage Knight. Although I am new to this type of cardboard warfare and slower than many might be, I wonder if I will ever play a mission of Codeword Cromwell that clocks in at the estimated two hour mark...? I was defeated in the final turn of my first game, and would estimate my game was close to 6 hours, including internet reconnaissance missions to try to figure out a few of the rules. No small amount of time is spent laying German antagonist counters--roll to determine the orientation of their arrival, roll again to pinpoint the arrival spot, roll again to determine their number, which then requires referral to charts. And in later turns this process might happen four or five times for the 1/12th of a turn that is the enemy deployment phase. But to be clear the content of this game is much more than just fighting.
My biggest gripe is regarding the multiple cross references that could have been cleaner had text been put on cards (and had certain rolls been instinctual rather than following a baroque number system (eg. not things like 3, 7, and 11 hit)). These choices obfuscate gameplay and slow down an already long game. My other criticism is for the digitally crafted illustrations in a medium that cries out for something that does not look computer rendered. I wonder how many gamers want to look at a CG model on a piece of cardboard? It seems like the wrong choice for the audience in general and is definitely the wrong choice for my taste in a tactile board game.
The individualized nature of the flavor text (esp. the character cards) and their effects on play (sometimes extreme and sometimes mild) builds the story and depending on what happens, certain people in the resistance really start to take on more personality. Codeword Cromwell is more than just dice and counter combat, though there is a lot of that happening for sure. Overall, this narrative driven battlework fully met my hopes of what this sub-genre could offer and inspires me to play it again and seek out others.