The Armory ITS 2016 Mission Break Down

The Armory is something of a darling among Infinity players and it’s easy to see why- basically its king of the hill with guns! For more articles like this, check the Tactics Corner.

Situation

Did your parents ever tell you not to play with guns? Well, I’m not your daddy and I say the bigger the gun, the more fun it is- Let’s get some! This mission uses your standard 12” deployment zones with an 8 inch square building of infinite height in the center; inside are two panoplies. (aka world’s coolest vending machines) There is also an 8 inch exclusion zone in the middle of the board, so infiltrators will find the usefulness somewhat limited.

You want to try to dominate the center room by having more points in it than the other player and by getting guns from the vending machines. You are also going to need a specialist to open the door to the room – so better bring a couple along.

To get a toy from the machine you only need to be in base contact with it and pass a WIP roll. Then you

can roll on the Booty L1 chart and gain the additional weapon/piece of equipment. Any type of trooper can pick do this, but specialists get to roll twice and pick the one they want, and those with the trait Scavenger don’t need to make the WIP roll. After turn 1 the vending machines can be targeted and destroyed if so desired.

Mission

Dominate the central room at the end of the game round = 1pt

Dominate the central room at the end of the game = 4pts

Acquire more toys from the vending machines = 2pts

1 Classified Objective = 1pt

INTELCOM: Like in the mission Quadrant Control, the Classified Objective card can be converted into points to use to determine control of the central room – as I’ve discussed in the Mission Quadrant Control YOU SHOULD ALWAYS TAKE THIS OPTION.

It should be worth noting that it doesn’t matter if you get 1 or a dozen-as long as you get more equipment than your opponent you score points. Also you don’t have to technically kill anyone in this mission, so if you and your opponent chose you can just stuff as many models as will fit in the room, empty the machines and call it a NRA house party. It’s an interesting idea to test to see who has the more efficient list and better rolling.

Execution

• I recommend you go first in the mission. Doing so will let you secure the armory first, score weapons from the vending machines first, and put you in a good position to blow up the machines. The idea behind this is you will have two turns to pull equipment out of the machines then destroy them so your opponent can’t get any (more) than you. Even if your opponent gets to control the armory for 2 turns you will still tie them in points.
• If you find yourself going second your mission is a little more straight forward: Take the armory, hold the armory, keep the vending machines from getting scrapped until you can get more equipment from them. You’ll have the benefit of going second, making it easier to score points for holding the armory, but getting more equipment will be tougher.
• Infiltrators and AD Combat troops aren’t quite as effective as normal due to the exclusion zone, however they can still get into position faster with less orders. It will slightly telegraph where AD troops are coming in… but if you can catch them by surprise you can score a lot of easy kills as people pile up behind the armory. Forward deployment L1 is a cheap rule and works perfectly here.
• Cheap template units are what you are going to want to bring… preferably fire templates. Your opponent is going to try and lock the armory down with heavy armor and nasty weapons so instead of using your good stuff, run in a cheap unit and force them to start taking armor checks! Hackers are an interesting option here as well since the can stay out of LOS and try to immobilize and isolate heavy infantry.
• The narrow gates will keep the big stuff out the armory, but the FAQ does say they can move through a narrow gate to engage a model inside… I’m not saying it would be easy, but a TAG in that room would be hilarious.
• This is a mission where it doesn’t pay to leave people in your deployment zone. Every point not in the armory is a point your opponent doesn’t have to match and exceed. Don’t put everyone in there turn one (see cheap flamer wielding troops above) but do have the ability to get them up and in there by the end of the game.
• Hacking a door will open all of them. Considering using an explosive CC weapon or D-charges to open a single door to allow you to move about more freely inside the armory.

Sustainment

The Armory at its heart is a straight forward mission. But with the uniqueness of the equipment vending machines, it has the potential for some exciting situations. Its counter intuitive and perhaps slightly underhanded feeling but going first and scoring points from grabbing more equipment is a tactic that will surprise and upset many. This mission has been out for a while so I know there are some interesting tips and tactics, and stories. Share them below! As always, Frontline Gaming sells Infinity at up to 25% everyday!