Infernal Machine: Dawn of Submarine Warfare

Infernal Machine: Dawn of Submarine Warfare is a solitaire board game that casts the player in the role of inventor/entrepreneur in mid -19th century America. The game is set during a historical moment when the business environment has gotten rather dynamic – it is the tumultuous landscape of the American Civil War. The player’s task is to design, build, and put to use a submarine during that war.

Infernal Machine can be played either in scenario form or campaign. In a campaign, you can choose the city or port where the project’s machine shop will be located. Since construction materials and labor costs money, your role as entrepreneur comes into play as you seek out Investors to join your team; their cash will provide the funds that help your Fishboat take shape. As Inventor, your design gives form and substance to the size and shape of your submarine, and to its capabilities. Will it carry a snorkel? Will its prow have a spar-mounted torpedo as the primary weapon?? Will it tow a captive mine instead? Will it have dive planes? Will it be powered by the muscle strength of a crew cranking the propeller or will you install a boiler engine?

To bring blueprints to life, you will need to hire Mechanics, whose engineering expertise keeps your infernal machine’s construction on schedule. Once assembly is complete, your Mechanics can join the crew, using their repair capability to keep the machinery and the vessel running smoothly. Journeymen can also lend a hand on the shop floor and inside the Fishboat, while Sailors bring nautical know-how as well as sheer brawn.

Historical scenarios use only part of the rules to present such events as the CSS Hunley’s successful attack outside Charleston Harbor in 1864. It was the first time a submarine sank its target, a landmark event in military history. The heart of the game is the campaign, which allows you to design and build your Infernal Machine, select a crew, train that crew, and perform missions against the enemy. You manage funds and personnel, and navigate the fortunes of war as well as the waterways in enemy territory. A scenario will take approximately two hours to play while a campaign can last several gaming sessions as it spans the calendar from 1861 to the end of the war in 1865.

• Two Mission Boards
• One Tactical Board
• One Gauges Board
• Three Countersheets
• 117 Small-size Cards
• 49 Regular-size Cards
• One Wooden Block
• 41 Wooden Cubes
• Two Historical Submarines Displays
• Three Playeraids
• Five Booklets
• Three 10-sided Dice