Fantastic Factories (2019) Board Game

Fantastic Factories is a card game designed by Joseph Z Chen and Justin Faulkner, and it was released in 2019 by Metafactory Games. The game is centered around building and managing your own factory to produce goods and earn points. With a mix of dice rolling, hand management, and open drafting mechanics, Fantastic Factories offers a strategic and engaging gameplay experience for 1-5 players.

Game Components of Fantastic Factories

28 dice (16mm) – 4 red, 4 blue, 4 green, 4 yellow, 4 purple, and 8 white

50 energy resource tokens

30 metal resource tokens (made of chipboard)

85 goods tokens

4 tool label tokens

78 blueprint cards

18 contractor cards

1 first player token

5 player boards and player aids

Thick, chunky double-layered player boards for placing dice

How To Setup Fantastic Factories

To set up the game, each player starts with one metal and two energy tokens, a player board, and four blueprint cards. Additionally, four blueprints and four contractors are placed on the table. Players select either a blueprint or a contractor to begin their turn, using the symbols on the cards to guide their choices. Each player also receives a set of dice to roll and manage during the game.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Mechanics:

Dice Placement: Players roll and place their dice to manage resources and build factories.

Engine Building: Building a set of factories and other production and training buildings to optimize resource use.

Resource Management: Managing energy and metal resources to build and operate factories.

Contractor Usage: Using contractors to gain bonus resources, dice, or other advantages.

Game Objective:

The objective is to build the most efficient set of factories in the shortest time.

Players aim to produce the most goods (gold cubes) or build the most buildings.

The game ends when a player has produced their 12th Good or built their 10th building. The player with the most goods plus victory points from their buildings wins.

Player Experience

Fantastic Factories offers a satisfying and engaging experience with its engine-building and dice placement mechanics. Each turn is a puzzle where players must allocate their dice as workers and chain together actions efficiently. The game is easy to learn, taking only about 5 minutes to teach, and it plays in under an hour. The game scales well from 1 to 5 players, with no significant downtime, making it suitable for various player counts. The high replay value is driven by over 40 unique blueprint and contractor cards, ensuring each game is fresh and different.

Pros

Easy to Learn: Simple iconography and quick teaching time.

High Replay Value: Over 40 unique cards ensure varied gameplay.

Engaging Gameplay: Each turn is a satisfying puzzle to solve.

Good for All Player Counts: Scales well from 1 to 5 players.

Quality Components: Thick player boards, nice dice, and quality tokens.

Cons

Luck Factor: Significant luck involved, especially with dice rolls.

Limited Interaction: The game can feel like multiplayer solitaire with minimal player interaction during the main phase.

Not for Everyone: May not be as appealing to those who prefer more interactive or complex engine-building games.

Personal Thoughts on Fantastic Factories

Fantastic Factories is ideal for those looking for a light, easy-to-learn engine-building game with a touch of luck. It’s perfect for gateway gamers or those seeking a quick, engaging game suitable for lunch breaks or casual game nights. However, it may not satisfy experienced gamers who prefer deeper strategic interactions or less luck-dependent gameplay. The game’s appeal lies in its simplicity, colorful and stylish design, and the puzzle-like nature of each turn, making it a great introduction to engine-building mechanics.

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