What is Infantry Aces?

What is Infantry Aces? with Mike Haught There was one major theme about Cassino that struck us like a ton of bricks. Each and every account from both sides of the Gustav Line was filled with stories of vehicles becoming mired in the mud, hung up on the rubble, and swamped in the rivers of the battlefield. Clearly, without a shadow of a doubt, Cassino was an infantryman’s fight. Thus, Cassino was designed as an infantry book. Sure, vehicles were there and yes they often helped out here and there, but the battle was fought mainly by the basic leg-infantry grunt. So, all of the companies in Cassino are infantry forces. They have been fighting for a long time under extremely difficult circumstances and most are hardened veterans. They are tough soldiers and this is clearly evident in the forces from Cassino. As amazing as these troops are on the Flames Of War battlefield, we still thought that we were missing a large part of the infantryman’s Cassino story. Enter Infantry Aces, an escalation campaign system that focuses on the story of a single warrior during his fight in Cassino. Learn more about what's inside Cassino here...

What is the Infantry Aces Campaign? Infantry Aces is an escalation campaign system that allows players to play their infantry forces in a whole new way. As an escalation system, A player’s force starts at 500 points, progresses through 700 points, and ends at 900 points. Players fight to control three routes through the Liri Valley, the town of Cassino, and through the mountains. As the campaign moves from turn to turn, players’ Infantry Aces gain experience, which they can use to get new skills. Check out the Preview of the Cassino releases here...

The Campaign Map

The main objective of the Allied army was to capture Rome, the Italian capital city. The Germans picked Cassino to make a stand because it stood at the gates of the only road to Rome through the Liri Valley. They built two fortified lines across the valley and filled it with barbed wire, minefields, and bunkers. When the Allies hit this line, they found it a bit less than hospitable and sought alternative routes to out flank it. Unfortunately, the only alternative routes took them through the steep and rocky mountains or the bombed-out and ruined town of Cassino and both of these proved to be just as lethal as the valley. Left: Major Lightning.

In Infantry Aces the players fight for control of each of these three approaches. As such, the campaign map becomes very important in Infantry Aces. Players can track the progress of the entire campaign on the Infantry Aces Campaign Map. It is an aerial view of the battlefield and each route is distinctly outlined for players to see.   Each route is divided into three major battles. The Valley Route includes the Rapido, Gustav Line, and Hitler Line areas. The Town Route includes Castle Hill, the Continental Hotel, and Hangman’s Hill areas. The Mountain Route has the Barracks, Snakehead Ridge, and Hill 593 areas. Right: Scavenger.

Campaign Turns The campaign is played in three turns. Infantry Aces is an escalation campaign, which means that as the campaign progresses through its three turns, the points a player can use for their force increases. During Turn 1, players can use up to 500 points, then 700 points for Turn 2, and 900 points in Turn 3. Left: Assault Monster.

In each turn players have access to one area from each route where they can have a battle. When two players are ready to play a game, they chose which route they will be fighting. Each victory in an area is recorded on the campaign map so all players can see the situation in that area. Right: Vendetta.

When the campaign moves to the next turn, the Turn 1 areas are locked down and no more battles can be fought there. Whichever side holds the majority of the victories in and area wins it. So players are encouraged to play as many games as possible to win these areas for their side. Areas that go unchallenged are given to the Germans, so Allied players have to take the initiative and launch their offensive! Right: Kamal Ram.

Last Day in Combat

At the end of the last week a massive multi-player battle, called Last Day in Combat, can be played to bring together all of the campaign’s players in one last epic battle. Special events, such as uncovering a rare piece of artwork, or finding a ‘lost’ platoon in no-man’s-land, add a lot of flavour to the battle as the players fight on. Points earned during this battle contribute to the overall victory result. In each turn players have access to one area from each route where they can have a battle. When two players are ready to play a game, they chose which route they will be fighting. Each victory in an area is recorded on the campaign map so all players can see the situation in that area. When the campaign moves to the next turn, the Turn 1 areas are locked down and no more battles can be fought there. Whichever side holds the majority of the victories in and area wins it. So players are encouraged to play as many games as possible to win these areas for their side. Areas that go unchallenged are given to the Germans, so Allied players have to take the initiative and launch their offensive!

Winning the Campaign The team that has the highest amount of campaign victory points at the end of the campaign are the winners. Campaign victory points are won by securing the areas along the three routes. Left: ...and the winner is.

Infantry Aces The coolest aspect of the campaign is creating your own warrior, called an Infantry Ace. Essentially, your force’s company commander has been given command after the death of your previous commander. The Infantry Aces campaign is the story of your warrior as he fights through the battlefield of Cassino and becomes an Ace of Aces. Right: Mike's Infantry Ace.

As you play games, your Ace earns experience points, which he can use to purchase special rules. These special rules are arranged so that you can work toward one of ten archetypes and become Ace of Aces. These are categorized in Leadership, Tactics, and Combat. Whatever your playing style is, you are sure to find that one of these paths will fit with your force well. Left: Sean's Infantry Ace.

As you accumulate experience, your ace’s abilities become more powerful and begin accepting a larger portion of your company. By the time you and your Ace arrive on the final battlefield he will have an impressive array of skills to carry his men on to victory. Right: Wayne's Infantry Ace.

Combining the forces from Cassino with Infantry Aces allows you to get a lot more story out of your force. The stories you create with your Infantry Aces in the campaign will stick with you for a long time and introduce you to a whole new way to play Flames Of War. ~ Mike. Left: James's Infantry Ace.