While a Confederate privateer can use his Letter of Marque to, so to speak, “play pirate,” the United States Navy takes a dim view of civilians captaining an armed vessel during war time, or any time for that matter.

In the game “Infernal Machine: Dawn of Submarine Warfare,” the “Navy Way” begins with the vessel’s captain being recognized as an individual with sufficient knowledge, training and honor.

The “Navy Way” is accomplished by “being Commissioned” into the United States Navy.

Commissioning

To qualify for the Commissioning process, your Machine Shop should have at least one Mechanic with an Expertise rating of 3. To increase your chances of a successful Commissioning, the more Level – 3 Mechanics in your Machine Shop means the Navy believes you are serious in your intent. This betters your prospects for Commissioning success.

Along with the quality of your Mechanics, there is also a criterion called “Proof of Concept.”

Your “fishboat” has to exhibit the following traits:

1) It has to have a prow and a stern

2) It must have a Steering Linkage

3) it must have a propeller, and

4) it must have either a Hatch or a Boiler Engine (steam engine) but NOT both.

Once you have satisfied the Proof of Concept criteria, you total up the number of component parts of your fishboat, including all boat tiles and all mechanisms that are currently mounted either inside or outside your fishboat’s hull.

You then consult the Commissioning Table that appears on the back page of the USA Almanac booklet.

Take that total number of components listed in column and cross-reference it against the chart’s row that contains the number of Level – 3 Expertise Mechanics.

The cross-referenced total listed is the number you need to roll on two ten-sided dice.

For example, a fishboat that has nine component parts and two Level – 3 Mechanics yield a target dice roll number of 14. Rolling less than a 14 on two ten-sided dice means you’ve not been Commissioned, but may try again on your next Action Phase.

(As with most dealings with a bureaucratic government agency, you may occasionally have to resort to “Greased Palms” to be successful in your undertaking. Upon failing your Commissioning die roll, you may spend $5 to re-roll one die, or $15 to re-roll both dice.

Use of the Greased Palms option can only occur once during a season.)

Rolling a 14 or higher, (including Greased Palms) means you are successful and are commissioned into the United States Navy with the rank of Acting Master. Your crew are all drafted into the Union Navy as Sailors.

Your fishboat and crew are immediately transferred to the Washington Navy Yard where any further construction on your fishboat and any additional training of your crew can occur.

Remove your current Location card from your Gauges sheet and replace it with the Washington Navy Yard Location card.

Being commissioned into the United States Navy gives you access to the Navy personnel rolls, and have Sailors be assigned to your fishboat. Sailors are known for their brawn, having a higher Strength rating that most Mechanics or Journeymen. Some Sailors may also have Iron Nerves, making them less prone to Panic while manning the fishboat.

The Purchase Order System

Being commissioned also means that any additional boat tiles or mechanisms are not paid for by your project’s Funds, but are now to be ordered via the Navy’s Purchase Order system.

Total up the parts you need (5 is maximum) and consult the Purchase order table.

Roll two dice and cross-reference that result with the number of parts ordered. The result can be modified by spending $5 and re-rolling the two dice one time.

A numeral showing indicates the number of seasons at which the parts will be available.

A “zero” (0) result means the parts are available now, and that you can spend another Action to receive them.

An “R” result means the parts order is Rejected, the parts are recycled and your fishboat must be relocated to the Washington Navy Yard, (replace your current location card with the Washington card.

An “L” result means the Purchase Order has been “Lost.” You recycle your parts and may try again next season.

Modifiers to the Purchase Order Action are:

+1 per Investor (patriotic bunch, aren’t they?)

+1 per each extra Action spent

+1 per the $5 spent after the dice are rolled

-3 if your fishboat has been assigned to Baton Rouge, City Point or any blockade location.

Once you have a working fishboat and a trained crew, you likely will receive orders through the Fortunes of War season die roll, or through a season’s Event that will assign your boat and crew to a theater of operations. This will be to a Union Navy Squadron blockading a Confederate port city, where you will begin using the “Blockade Fortunes of War” season entries in the USA Almanac.

Changing theaters is possible, requiring a die roll result that returns you to Washington where your re-assignment (via another die roll) may occur.

Promotion and being Mentioned-in-Dispatches

In “Infernal Machine,” once assigned to a blockade, your Missions play a large part in the ongoing success, not only of your fishboat at crew, but also your project.

Depending on the Mission assigned, your fishboat’s captain (usually the helmsman) could receive a Promotion for his efforts.

This occurs if the Mission involves the fishboat and crew in offensive combat. Here, the eligible Mission targets are Obstructions/Torpedoes, an enemy warship, an enemy dock facility or a bridge.         

Should your boat’s task be a Delivery or Spy Mission, successful completion is rewarded by being Mentioned-In-Dispatches.

Being Mentioned-In-Dispatches can also be awarded should your fishboat and crew fail to sink, yet damage an enemy warship.

There is also a chance of this award being granted via a specified die roll level (that changes as the Civil War progresses) for damaging a targeted Obstruction, Dock or Bridge. Even a “Miss” on an enemy warship could still qualify for a Mention-In-Dispatches if the die roll is correct.

Promotions and being Mentioned-In-Dispatches does not directly affect the game or game play while it is progress.

Their effects are felt effect once the Civil War ends and the Prospects portion of your fishboat project’s Outcomes is being determined.

You total the number of Promotions and Mention-In-Dispatches that your fishboat has received, plus every $20 that you still have in your Funds.   Totaling the number of successful Missions minus the number of “Lost” Missions gives a result that is cross-referenced against the Advancements. This yields you a letter grade that you check on the Prospects Schedule for the corresponding sentiment.

For example: if your Union fishboat had the historical Mission record as the Confederacy’s “H.L. Hunley,” its Mission Difference would have been ‘zero,’ calculated as follows;

The Advancements value is figured as a “plus 2” for $40 ($20 times 2 estimated as support funds available from the Navy), plus 1 for sinking a warship, or +3 total.

You then “subtract 3’ for all three “Lost” results: (one each of the two “Losts,” each occurring during the first two training Missions. You then add one additional “Lost” for the Union fishboat failing to reach port after its successful attack Mission on the warship.

This would yield a Prospect Grade of “D”.

You check the sentiment listed opposite the “D” grade:

This means that, after the Civil War ends, you as the fishboat’s Inventor would be hired as an engineer at what looks to be a promising career in a New York-based marine salvage business operating on the Gulf Coast.

The future looks bright, doesn’t it?

(Note: All graphic images of Infernal Machine game materials used in this series of articles are subjective, may change and appear different in their final form.  All images show sourcing unless otherwise noted.)

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