By Ed Ostermeyer, Master Engineer (Grade 2)

Ah, the budding entrepreneur returns.

Welcome back, young Inventor.

If you will open your copy of the Inventor’s Vade Mecum to the section entitled “Sailors,” we will get started.

You must be mindful that several decisions must be made before you are allowed access to the Navy’s manpower pool.

How will your fishboat be powered?

If your underwater marvel is to rely on muscle power, then a surplus of brawn would be advantageous.

While checking your fishboat’s current crew roster:

Does your boat’s current crew appear to Panic when things get “interesting?”

Are they prone to fatigue (or worse, exhaustion) after a session on the hand crank?

Do they lack the ability to step in and help in repairing a minor malfunction while your fishboat’s Mechanics are busy repairing another, probably major malfunction?

If the answer to any of these questions is “Yes,” then Sailors should be part of your fishboat’s crew.

Sailors are nautically skilled individuals, physically strong, wise in the ways of the sea and how to survive in her. For you, young Inventor, making Sailors a part of your fishboat crew would solve several potential problems for you.

Most Sailors are brawny individuals, meaning that if your underwater marvel is powered by your crew members turning a hand crank that operates the boat’s propeller, having some Sailors helping to crank means fewer crew members needed on board.

Sailors are used to the hardships and vagaries caused by living and working at sea, and are less prone to bouts of Terror or Panic when confronted by nautical adversity.

Though Sailors are not blessed with Engineering Expertise, most know how to make mechanical repairs and be able to fix your Wonder of the Age. A repair-savvy Sailor can come in handy when Malfunctions outnumber available Mechanics or Journeymen to fix them.   

So, you think some Sailors might make a good addition to your fishboat’s crew?

To do so, let’s start by making an Appeal to your government’s war office for a Letter of Recruitment.

How to be Appealing

You can make a Letter of Recruitment Appeal once a month by using the Letter of Recruitment table.

You start by choosing the column showing your crew’s current Training Level. Cross reference this value with the row labeled with the amount of money you’ll need to gain the Letter. Where the column and row intersect is the number you need to roll on a D10 to receive a Letter of Recruitment.

For example, if your crew’s current training level is 2 and you decide to spend $6 this month, your target D10 roll is a 9 or 10 for success.

“Greasing” the Results

After rolling the D10, you can further influence the die roll result by +1 for every $5 extra you spend.

(The war office refers to this influence money being spent as Donations to the Old Sailors Home. “Greasing” is such an ugly word, don’t you think?)   

Your Project can go into debt for this.

If you are in possession of a Letter of Marque, add a +2 to the D10 result.

Once achieved, place the Letter of Recruitment marker in the appropriate spot on your Mechanic’s Board.

A Letter of Recruitment is yours to keep, permanently.

Using the Letter of Recruitment

Consult your shop’s City Card for the number of Sailors that are available at that location.

You may recruit up to the number of Sailors shown on your City Card each month.

Like other employees, Sailors can be let go by you. A “let go” Sailor’s character card is returned, not to the Sailor character card pile, but to the game box. The Sailor is out of play, having been reassigned to another ship by the Navy Department.

What to Look for when Recruiting Sailors

Brawn – a Sailor needs to exhibit a strength factor that is at least double that of a typical Journeyman or Mechanic crewman. Strength values of 2 or more require two or more Fatigued markers applied to tire the Sailor out. By then, all other crew members will have received one fatigue marker before our Sailor slumps exhausted at his post.

Coolness – being wise to the ways of the sea, a Sailor is less likely to succumb to Terror. A Panic value of 2 or greater denotes a steady hand at the crank.

Repair – as stated previously, though Sailors do not possess engineering expertise, any Sailor you choose will have some level of Repair expertise.

Just bear in mind that, if the Sailor is busy repairing a malfunction, he is not helping to propel the boat.

Special abilities – while Recruiting, a Sailor will show exceptional talents that are noted on his character card with a black cube. Similar to most Mechanics and certain Journeymen, a black cube adds an additional positive chance for success to the Attack Run bag, and is always welcome.

Additionally, a black cube on a Sailor’s character card means he has the Underwater Diver/Demolitionist skill, should your Attack Mission require such a talent. This gives you another means of attacking the enemy, along with a big boost to your Infernal Machine’s fear factor.

Getting Ashore and Staying Ashore

Occasionally, your assigned Attack Mission will involve sending a landing party ashore behind enemy lines to raid, disrupt or otherwise discomfit the enemy. Here, you choose members of your crew for the task; totaling the Strength factors of the crew members assigned to the mission to give the landing party’s land combat value.

As you might surmise, having some brawny Sailors along to “flesh out” a landing party can jack up said party’s combat value. Having a Sailor along to add that extra Repair factor to a demolition attempt can boost said attempt’s chance of success from “Maybe” to “Fire in the Hole!”

Notable Sailors in “Infernal Machine”

“The Rock” – Though a member of the ubiquitous Doe family, “The Rock” (3 2 1) is known for his prodigious Strength (3) and a steady hand under pressure (2). Though his Repair factor is only 1, this Man Mountain is the right choice for any mission’s roster, especially landing parties.

“Iceman” – With his Panic level of (4), twice that of “The Rock,” “Iceman” (2 4 1) is unflappable in any situation. “Iceman” is capable at both the hand crank and any repairs when they are needed.

“Lucky” Taylor – “Lucky” (2 2 1) is back, this time as a Sailor with some different stats than he was sporting as a Journeyman. While I am still working on just what those stats are, you’ll note he already has a black cube to his name. Stay tuned.

“Mr. Fixit” – Though not much for lending a hand at the hand crank, “Mr. Fixit” (1 2 3) is an absolute wizard with a monkey wrench. His Repair factor is easily competitive with any of the Mechanics in your crew, making him a good choice for fixing that cranky snorkel or steering linkage. With a Panic value of 2, “Mr. Fixit’s” pretty level-headed in a crisis, too.

Well, that is enough for today.

On your way, young Inventor, and create something no one else has even dreamt of.

Next time, we will delve further into the Inventor’s Vade Mecum for the means of acquiring the two important documents your fishboat project will need.

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

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