Safe Area is a brutal mission – it looks like it has a lot of options, but in reality there is a pretty clear course to ensuring victory. Today we are going talk about why. For more articles like this check out the Tactics Corner.
Situation
Safe area is a quadrant control mission with a few unique qualities to it. It uses the standard 12 inch deployment zone with 4 quadrants and a console in the center of each quadrant. This is similar to the missions Safe Area and 
Quadrant Control. However the game is scored at the end of the game, not at the end of the rounds. It also expands the role of the INTELCOM card:
Support and Control Mode: At the end of the game the user can use the INTELCOM card to the total army points in a particular quadrant you have an active model in.
Interference Mode: The card can be used to nullify the specialist state of a opponent’s specialist.
Controlling the Console: Unlike other missions where WIP roles need to be made, a specialist only needs to be in base-to-base contact. But Any troop can disrupt that by also be in base-to-base contact!
Mission
In Infinity you win by scoring points, here’s how you score points and win.
Dominate the same number of quadrants at the end of the game = 3pts
Dominate more quadrants at the end of the game = 5pts
Control a Console at the end of the game = 1pt per console controlled
1 Classified Objective = 1pt
Right away the question is: Do I keep the Classified Objective or do I trade it in for INTELCOM?
The answer to this is: Yes, always take the INTELCOM. Here’s why: As a Classified Objective it is worth a single point, or 10% of your total possible points. When using it as an INTELCOM card, you can use it to help either score 2 additional points in the effort to break a tie, or to take a console from another player. So either it’s worth a single point either for you or just taking one away from an opponent, or it’s gaining you two points. This is far better than the straight forward 1pt. Always take the INTELCOM option.
Like other quadrant control missions you need to control the two closest quadrants to you since these are the easiest to move the bulk of your army into. By keeping the bulk of your army there you make it far hard for your opponent to take them. This is how you tie. How you win is then by focusing on killing your opponent. The more you kill, the easier it is to take that third area – you don’t need all 4 areas so don’t be greedy, stick to holding 3 and don’t thin your forces.
Execution
- As much as possible try to take the second half of the turn. This allows you to make last ditch efforts to dominate areas without allowing your opponent a reprisal.
- If you have to go first, use it to make an alpha-strike to try and whittle your opponent’s orders and points. Try to deploy aggressively and force your opponent to castle up out of LOS to prevent them from taking ARO’s.
- Remember it only takes a regular model, not a specialist to contest control of a console. That 8 point cheerleader may not be doing much for you to dominate a quadrant but can steal an objective from an enemy specialist.
Sustainment
For a mission that feels like it has a lot going this is a pretty straight forward mission. Take the INTELCOM card, move into the two closest quadrants, make a push into the third late game… PROFIT! So what do you think? Is it really this easy or am I over simplifying things? Post your thoughts below, and as always, Frontline sells Infinity products at up to 25% off every day!