Cassino - A Flames of War Axis Review

Thanks to some alcohol induced inactivity on Sunday, I was able to finally have a flick through Cassino, the latest supplement for Flames of War (btw, thanks Ginge, I had a blast!)  It's taken me a bit of time to get round to jotting some thoughts down, but, for what it's worth, here they are:


Cassino is a fairly hefty softback tome, coming in at 152 pages, with plenty of eye candy; lots of maps and miniature photos alongside a few nice illustrations.  I particularly like the cover art, from the first preview to the final book - it gives you a perfect snapshot of Cassino, lots of infantry and rubble, the odd tank and the iconic monastery in the background.


It's also, by Battlefront standards, an extremely well make book.  The binding looks quite strong so will hopefully last a lot longer than some of their other books (I'm looking at you A5 rulebook!)


Cassino starts like many other Flames of War books do, a little background and straight into the army lists.  The previews from Battlefront and others have made it particularly clear that Cassino is all about infantry.  As many players (not including myself however,) think Infantry lists are boring and defensive, Battlefront have gone all out to add character to each list AND provided a flexible escalation campaign specifically for infantry.

The Axis forces begin with the 1. Fallschirmjager Division, your fairly standard Fearless Veteran light infantry.  I love the Fallschirmjager lists in both Hells Highway and Earth & Steel and, barring the support options, it's pretty much the same thing you'll see here.  The highlights of this list are that, firstly, they'll pass morale checks on a 2+, secondly, you can take two pioneer combat platoon choices and a load of artillery, but, lastly, you'll only have one mobile element (Panzer IVs, StuGs or some tank hunters.)

The 44, Reichsgrenadierdivision are up next; a Confident Trained list full of injured evacuees from Stalingrad and their green reinforcements.  An interesting Support option is the choice of Italian Semovente Assault Guns; something you don't see on the table everyday.  Overall, a nice list for Axis players who like to have more stands then normal on the table.

Lastly there is the 90. "Sardinien" Panzergrenadierdivision, the mobile reserve of the Axis Cassino campaign, who fought basically everywhere and everyone at some point.  Their Motorized Movement special rule gives them a bit more survivability (basically, a skill test to avoid being destroyed alongside their 3-ton truck) and, compared to everyone else in Cassino, they have plenty of mobile assets. Another nice list, but I don't really like MG teams as combat platoons, as too often you don't get the benefits of their firepower.  However, these guys, like the Earth & Steel lists, are a lot cheaper compared to lists in older books, specifically to compensate for this.


There are some unusual support options for the Axis forces; the Gebirsjager Platoon gives you some Mountaineer teams, the Luftwaffe Heavy AA platoon offers some cheap 88s at Reluctant Trained, while Von Mackensen's reserve gives you some really cheap Panthers, but, regardless of the mission you're playing, they'll be the last thing to arrive on the table!


Lastly, the Fallschirmjager and the Reichsgrenadier forces can take Cassino fortifications, whilst the Panzergrenadiers can take the, slightly more restricted, Cassino Field Fortifications.  


So what appeals?  The Fallschirmjäger are the main reason I bought the book, so they obviously appeal to me.  Besides them, the combination of some Reichsgrenadiers and the cheap(ish) fortifications could produce some interesting defencive combinations.  The Panzergrenadiers I'm not too sure about; I just don't like my main force to be composed of MG teams.  However, with the motorized assault special rule, the Field Fortifications available and some mobile support options, you could make some effective lists, especially against other infantry.


Up next. . . the Allies

Back from holiday - back to decorating!

We've finally made it back home after a few relaxing days visiting some relatives.  Climbed a couple Munros, ate a lot of food and had a couple car trips with the grandparents.

Unfortunately, being home also means that phase two of the decorating is about to commence - promising to bring even more disruption and dispair.  Still, the Mrs tells me that this is the last of the decorating in this house (although I get the distinct impression she wants to move house again soon!)

Still, I came home with plenty of nerdly goodness that will hopefully keep me entertained in between coats of paint and moving furniture.

We had a day trip to Glasgow shopping and, after a quick google search, found Static Games in the Merchant quarter.  A very nice shop with lots of boxed games, rpg stuff and LOADS of wargaming stuff.  I picked up Warlord game's Hail Caesar rules here as well as the Cassino book for Flames of War (I'd forgotten to pre-order it somewhere.)

I could well (and probably would) have blown a LOT of cash here, were it not for the fact that this was one of the unfriendliest shops I've ever been into!  Seriously, having half a dozen people falling silent and stare at someone when they come into your shop does not encourage them to spend their cash there!  And if you're putting stock on the shelves, don't bump past people shopping nearby!  Oh, and try saying hello or make some other form of contact when someone's in your shop - it might make them feel slightly less unwelcome.  I worked in retail for years and this was one of the worst experiences I've had in a shop.

Still, I really wanted the Hail Caesar book, so I guess left with what I'd came in for - I certainly won't be going back though.

On the way home I found Highlander Games in Dundee.  This place was well outside the town centre and doesn't look particularly inviting from the outside!  However, inside I found a very friendly little store.  I'm terrible with names, but I think the assistant was Jamie - who took some time to talk about what games they run, what stock they can order and what services they have.  He was really friendly, asked lots of questions and really knew his stuff - thanks Jamie!  After blethering for a while I had a wander around the store - lots off ccg and rpg stuff; a few boxed games and a little wargaming stuff.  I was really surprised to find these:  

some Dystopian Wars fliers and possibly the last Prussian Sky Fortress in Britain!!!

I was pleasantly surprised by this place - hopefully I'll make it down for a couple of their HoMachine tournaments this year.

I'd also planned to go to Intrepidations in Perth - but they didn't open until three the day I was there.

So a decent trip, hobbywise.  The only thing that's kind of got me down, is that the city where I live doesn't really have a gaming store (aside from Games Workshop)  If cities like Dundee (pop 150K) and Perth (50K) can support decent sized gaming stores, why can't the Granite City?

Flames of War - Infantry Aces

Battlefront have announced some more details of their Infantry Aces Campaign.  It sounds quite promising.

Essentially, it is a three turn campaign fought over the various routes involved in the Cassino; each turn having a battle at a different points limit (500, 700 and 900.)  Overall victory and defeat is determined through Campaign victory points, awarded for controlling the various areas of the whole battlefield.

The real draw is your Company Commander (your Infantry Ace) who gains unique abilities as the campaign progresses.  Hopefully, Battlefront will give some real individual and army wide options here (not just re-roll this, re-roll that) so there is an impact during each individual battle.


It's not clear how long (in human hours) the campaign will last, but with the small points totals, all infantry companies, hopefully there will be the opportunity for a campaign with a couple players playable over a day or weekend.

There are also options for multiplayer battles and, hopefully, a slew of new missions.


There's been nothing but good news about the Cassino book so far.  June's looking like an expensive month!