Advanced Flames and Steel

Key Concepts

Production Units (PUs). PUs represent the output from your factories, and are required to purchase nearly every type of military unit. Nearly all land territories generate PUs.

Manpower Points (MPs). MPs represent men available to serve in your nation’s infantry. Infantry purchases require the expenditure of MPs and PUs. Some land territories generate MPs for your nation. All territories can generate MPs for one nation and one nation only. For example, any territory which begins the game under U.S. control can generate MPs only for the U.S., a territory which begins the game under British control will never generate MPs for any nation other than Britain, and so forth. 

Economic Units (EUs). EUs represent the resources available to upgrade your nation’s technological and industrial base. Every available technology has a set EU price to research. EUs can also be used to upgrade your industrial cities, your minor production centers, and your rail networks.   

Industrial Cities (ICs). Some territories contain one or more industrial cities. Industrial cities are the source of your nation’s research effort and the heart of its economy. During the collect income phase of each turn, you receive one EU for each industrial city you own. In addition, industrial cities provide you with PUs. Level 0 cities provide no economic bonus, each level 1 city generates 1 PU per turn, each level 2 city generates 2 PUs per turn, and so on. Spending 2 EUs on an industrial city upgrades it by one level. They cannot be upgraded past level 10. For every ten points of damage an industrial city suffers in a strategic bombing raid, it is downgraded by one level. If a level 0 industrial city suffers 30 points of damage in a bombing raid, it is destroyed outright! During the place new units phase of your turn, an industrial city may be used to place up to ten new units. 

Minor Production Centers (MPCs). If a territory has a PU value of 3 or higher, you may build an MPC on it. It costs 2 EUs to build a level 1 MPC, and 1 EU to upgrade an MPC by one level. MPCs cannot be upgraded past level 5. An MPC allows you to place one new unit per level. For example, a level 4 MPC would allow you to place four new units per turn. However, you cannot use them to place capital ships or strategic bombers. A level 3 MPC provides a bonus of 1 PU per turn, and a level 5 MPC provides 2 PUs per turn.

Hitpoints. Some units were difficult to kill. Tanks and battleships had thick armor. Fighters and jet fighters were fast and elusive targets. Submarines were difficult to detect. To represent all this, the game uses the concept of hitpoints. Hitpoints represent the number of hits it takes to kill a given unit. Units which had merely been injured during a battle heal after the battle is over.

Combat value. Military units have combat values, such as land combat value, naval combat value, and air combat value. Use your land combat value when firing against land targets, your naval combat value when firing against enemy ships, and your air combat value when targeting enemy aircraft. A land combat value of 1 means that a unit inflicts one hit a turn when firing against land targets.

Turn Sequence

1. Collect income

2. Combat move

3. Combat

4. Non-combat move

5. Research and industrialize 

6. Purchase units

7. Place new units

8. Resolve starvations