One of the most fun things about the miniature wargame Infinity is that, while the core universe is a cyberpunk setting with international espionage and hard sci-fi politics, it's also packed with things that are there just to be cool. And so for a variety of sci-fi reasons, the next expansion pack for Infinity includes the mythical Greek hero Patroclus, mentor and boyfriend to Achilles, simulated by a hyper AI and cyber-resurrected into a new body - and this time, he's got a rocket launcher.
Patroclus is coming as part of the new 'Next Wave Expansion Pack Alpha', alongside his fellow Greek hero Teucer (an archer in the original myths and a sniper with a plasma rifle in the game), and an underhanded Contrabandoleros hacker. The pack goes on sale on January 29, and is already available to pre-order from the Corvus Belli webstore.
We have another article that goes in depth about why a sci-fi wargame like Infinity has ancient mythical heroes - but here's a quick rundown. To combat the Combined Army of the alien Evolved Intelligence, mankind's hyper-advanced AI 'Aleph' founded Steel Phalanx, an elite cyborg spec-ops force capable of matching the aliens blow for blow. Building super-soldiers with cutting-edge post-human bodies that no normal mind could operate, Aleph employed statistical techno wizardry to create artificial personalities mimicking the heroes of ancient Greek epics - warriors who would be fearless, heroic, and absurdly violent.
Unfortunately for Aleph, many of the most potent heroes from Steel Phalanx have since defected to the EI's cause, forming the leadership cadre of a new human division within the multi-species Combined Army, known as Next Wave. Patroclus is a key figure in the formation of Next Wave - even though he was dead when it happened.
If you know your classical epics - specifically the Trojan war - you'll know that Patroclus' story ends with his death on the spear of the Trojan hero Hector - you can see a neoclassical representation of Achilles retrieving Patroclus' body from the battle in the woodcut below. In Infinity the story is a little different - Patroclus dies during an audacious boarding action against a Combined Army space fleet.
Now that wouldn't normally be a big deal, thanks to 'Cube' technology that allows for constant personality back-ups and resurrection into new bodies. Steel Phalanx have the most advanced Cubes in all human space. But the alien EI has proven itself quite capable of cracking and subverting almost all forms of Cube, and the AI Aleph is afraid that with its hands on Patroclus' body, it will be able to subvert his backup into a double agent. So, despite the entreaties of Patroclus' fellow warriors to resurrect him, Aleph decides his personality has to stay in cold storage.
In the Iliad, the death of Patroclus drives Achilles into such a rage that not only does he hunt down and kill Hector, he threads leather straps through the ankles of Hector's corpse, ties it to the back of his chariot, and drags it around the walls of Troy. The Infinity version of Achilles has equally little chill. Aleph's refusal to resurrect Patroclus is a betrayal he cannot stand, and he stages a daring raid to retrieve Patroclus' personality back-up, before striking the deal with the EI that creates Next Wave.
So the shiny new version of Patroclus isn't just wearing new armor and equipped with heavier ordnance than ever, he's occupying a brand new body infused with alien technology. And he's evolved in the tabletop game as well.
Despite rocking a very big gun, Patroclus is also a melee powerhouse who becomes frenzied and hard to control after he successfully takes an enemy down. He has some familiar tricks from earlier iterations of the character, like the ability to start the game with two holographic decoys, enabling him to launch an extremely potent surprise attack against an unsuspecting enemy. A new alien Nanoscreen means he gets the benefits of cover even when out in the open, and his heavy rocket launcher is a lethal new weapon for any sneak attack.
You're less likely to know Teucer from ancient Greek myth. He was an archer, half-brother of the Greek hero Ajax, and one of the warriors who snuck into Troy inside the Trojan horse. The Infinity version has his own axe to grind with his former masters. For reasons he still doesn't understand, the technicians who assisted with each of his resurrections were deleting aspects of his memories. After much investigation he now knows that these all relate to a mission securing xenoartefacts, but the details are still locked to him.
On the tabletop he's equipped with a high-tech multi-spectral visor (think Predator vision), and a frankly absurd plasma sniper rifle that can fry electrical systems, melt flesh, and throw out blast templates at extreme range.
Teucer and Patroclus are joined in Next Wave Expansion Pack Alpha by a Contrabandoleros Hacker. Contrabandoleros were black market smugglers and profiteers who thrived during the Combined Army's occupation of human planets. Their skills of stealth and subterfuge have made them valuable recruits for Next Wave.
Contrabandoleros fighters have the Hidden Deployment skill, which is just about unique to Infinity. Rather than deploy a model on the battlefield, you simply record where the model is without putting it on the table. Until you activate it, there's literally nothing there.
A few rare skills might allow a lucky opponent to reveal the model before you're ready to spring your trap, but otherwise this is the apex of sneak attacks. With the ability to Infiltrate up the board, and a Hacking Device, this is a fantastic tool for claiming objectives and hampering your opponent's most high-tech forces.
Ancient Greek myths, sci-fi hyper technology, melodrama, and a mythological hero armed with a rocket launcher. It's the kind of "yes and" storytelling you'd normally only find in an anime - and we mean that as a compliment. If you want to get started with Next Wave, the Next Wave Action pack is the perfect place to begin.