A review of the Avanti Command Cards!

Today I will be going through the Avanti Command Cards for the Italians in Flames of War, including the ones that I am the most excited about, as well as those most likely to change the game.

The command cards heavily favor the Italian tanks, in my opinion. Most of the Infantry cards were expensive in comparison to what they did. Front Line Fighter allows your Infantry Formation Commander to re-roll his misses in assaults for one point. Legions of Rome allows your Bersaglieri Infantry Platoons to go from nine points to 7 points for what fleshes out to be Reluctant Veteran ratings.

One of the more intriguing cards allows you to take an Autocannone 20mm and turn it into a gun team to attach to a Weapons Platoon. This card has the most promise of the Infantry options. There is also the Captured 25 Pdr Artillery card, similar to the one from the German deck, to help add some variety to lists.

The most confusing card in this deck is the Stuka Support card. For six Points, the Italians can take Stukas. [Edit: Phil has posted to the FOW forums:]

“You pay 1 point for the card. This gives you access to the German Stuka as support in place of the Falco option. You now grab the Stuka card and proceed from there, buying it and fielding it as normal. “

Diversionary Tactics allows a player to move their opponent’s Ranged In markers up to 6″ inches in any direction before the game starts. This will work out very well when playing Infantry.

When your opponent places his ranged in token on the objective you are defending, Insto-Presto, move it 6″ inches away. Your infantry will thank you for this if they could. It only costs one point, so it’s worth adding in.

In my opinion, the Command Card deck, however, is skewed towards those running Tank lists. For the Semovente SP Battery, you can upgrade the Unit Leader to force your opponent to re-roll successful saves. This will be beneficial against Infantry, Gun Teams, or Tanks since it does not specify what kind of save.

Another card gives an entire Semovente Battery the Scout ability and makes them Elite for 2 points. This gives the battery the ability to be Gone to Ground even while moving. This will help you close the gap to your opponents who most likely will have a longer range than the Semoventes, without taking to many losses as you approach your objective.

For those running the M14/41, you are not left out. One of the most intriguing cards is Iron Men. The card allows you to pass a Follow Me on a 2+, and you may shoot after passing a Follow Me test.

Combine this with the Luigi Pascucci warrior card that we will talk about below, and you will really be able to rush your opponent’s objectives in a hurry. There is one issue I do see creeping up. You can’t shoot after you dash, but can I shoot if I dash, and then pass a follow me? I could see the argument for both yes and no.

The M14/41 card that I really like is a Warrior who can only be in a M14/41. He automatically makes the unit Elite. The Unit gains Last Stand on a 2+. However, your opponent has to roll saves on the side armor with hits from this warrior, if your warrior is within 16″ inches of the unit you are shooting at. This is an interesting take, as the M14/41 could have a chance at killing a Sherman from the front with some lucky dice rolling. This same warrior also re-rolls failed firepower tests.

The last two cards we are going to take a look at are Warriors, one of which can join any Infantry force, the other any Tank force.

For the Infantry, you get a Pietro Bruno that allows you to choose Night Attack if it’s not a Meeting Engagement. If you end up the defender, you get an extra minefield to help in your defensive effort. It also grants the Unit Leader of an Assault Engineer Platoon to re-roll one assault roll each time they roll to hit in an assault.

For the Tank Warrior, Luigi Pascucci, you can roll two 8 Million Bayonets dice for each unit in the formation. You also get to move 6″ inches on a follow me instead of 4″ inches, as long as you are within 6″ inches of Luigi. If you are within 6″ inches of Luigi, you also pass a Last Stand on a 3+. You can see why combing Iron Men and Luigi Pascucci could have some benefits if you are playing your M14/41s to get to an objective and assault it quickly before your opponent gets his reserves.

In conclusion, there are some real winners in this deck of Command Cards. They introduce some new elements that have not been in other Command Card decks.

I am disappointed that there was not a card to fix the Assault Engineers tank assault rating of two. If you point to the card that gives them tank assault rating of three for one round, then you are missing the point.

I look forward to using these cards as soon as I finish my Italian army and take them to a tournament.