Into the Gears of the Machine with Fantastic Factories
Create a working machine with synergies, resource generation, and goods production in Fantastic Factories.
The nebulous concept of “goods” is something I like about Fantastic Factories. Although creating a production or supply chain intrigues me, I don’t know if micromanagement at that level would make for a fun game experience. Or maybe it would! Nevertheless, I enjoy thinking up what goods my factory is producing. Usually… Board games. Ha ha!
Game Overview
Game Name: Fantastic Factories
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Joseph Z Chen and Justin Faulkner
Artist: Joseph Z Chen
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Never forget about the resources! There are plenty of lovely components, although I almost prefer a standard counter. Discarding down to 12 resources at the end of a turn isn’t a problem most of the time, but checking how close that threshold is can take precious seconds. Still, thanks to my UberTrayz for keeping things organized!
First Play
August 18, 2020
Complexity
2
Latest Play
October 24, 2021
Expansions
5
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
14
Play Time
25 Minutes
High Score
30
Game Area
20" x 18"
Low Score
16
Harvesting Away
As I dove into the strategies some more, I came across a pretty fantastic utility card called the harvester. With a pair of identical dice, I had a choice of resources to collect.
Usually, each die produces about 1-3 resources in the best-case scenario. With this option, I could potentially do more with resource production.
The pool of available dice is typically just 4, excluding special cards. Every decision is, indeed, crucial!
Also note that I ignored the solo rules and gave myself some colorful dice. I wanted them. So there we are. Ha!
A Very Blue Machine
The Machine, also known as the solo opponent, amassed quite a few blueprints during my first play today!
It’s very difficult to control exactly which cards it gains, although there are opportunities to take some away. The different types of blueprints make a big difference.
For instance, the blue die guaranteed a good. But for red, yellow, and purple, the chances of goods were slim.
This all comes from the simple solo rules: The Machine rolls its dice, and goods are produced for every color based on the die roll and number of cards. Very easy to run!
The Fulfillment Center
I joked above about my goods being board games… But how is that not the case with an actual fulfillment center?!
My assortment of blueprints provided plenty of bonuses. I had ways to gain additional dice by spending resources. The goal was to send these workers to the mega factory.
But ending up with 3 dice of the same value isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do! Still, it happened once.
Also, can I request that the rest of my Kickstarter projects be delivered via personal blimp? Now there’s an innovative kind of fulfillment center. Ha ha!
Rolling So Very Poorly
As my final turn ended, all I needed to do was roll the dice for the solo opponent once more. This couldn’t go badly!
No, no, no. Worst possible roll! Well, the green die didn’t matter all that much. Except that gave The Machine its first red card, thereby activating the red die.
This horrific roll resulted in 4 goods, which translated into victory points. I probably would have lost anyway, but it was awful to see this level of bad luck show up!
This small increase in difficulty level proved to be much more challenging. 2 vs. 3 starting cards was pretty major.
Uncovering Synergies
I wasn’t about to give up, even though I lost multiple times in a row. Losses are like a part of my identity. Ha!
When I built a refinery and incinerator, things suddenly looked pretty amazing. The manufactory kept working out for me, which is where I drew additional cards from.
Effectively, I started out with 3 energy and ended up with 5 energy and 2 metal. Not a bad deal!
That wasn’t all. If I couldn’t build a new blueprint, the battery factory allowed me to trade in energy for a good. Easy point production! And quite a synergistic group.
Monumental Changes
The types of blueprints exist in unique spaces. For example, production blueprints help with goods and utility blueprints offer resource conversion options.
Meanwhile, monuments are on their own. They provide no benefits… Aside from boosted prestige! These values are not to be ignored, though, as they’re end-game points.
It comes down to figuring out what can be done with each blueprint. Is it worth it for its prestige or other abilities?
Beacons would have been more lucrative to me, yet the obelisks were pretty awesome. As was the solar array!
Session Overview
Play Number: 3-6
Expansion: Fantastic Factories: Kickstarter Promo Cards
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Medium Difficulty Level
Required Play Space: 32″ x 22″
Setup Time: 5 Minutes
Play Time: 20-30 Minutes per Play
Outcome: 21-23, 27-31, 24-30, & 27-26 (1 Win, 3 Losses)
Take that! After several attempts, I just barely managed to have a better factory than The Machine. So I tossed it in the trash compactor because I was feeling silly. Ha ha!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
8
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game as the Gilded Guild.
Win at least 1 game at the easy difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the medium difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the hard difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
What are some of the interesting strategies you’ve learned from Fantastic Factories? Has The Machine stumped you at a certain difficulty level? There’s a lot to enjoy here, and that’s coming from someone who doesn’t love the theme! But I like going outside of my comfort zone to explore new solo board games. There’s never a dull moment in this hobby!
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