Factory 42 Board Game Review

Factory 42

WBG Score: 8.5/10

Player Count: 2-5

You’ll like this if you like: Biege euros with cubes!

Published by: Dragon Dawn Productions

Designed by: Ren Multamäki

This is a free review copy. See our review policy here.

I love a crunchy beige euro where you move cubes about. So, when I saw Factory 42 from Dragon Dawn Production, a publisher with whom I am more used to trick-taking cards games with a twist, I was very excited. I have covered a fair few of their games here, but this is the first game from Dragon Dawn I would consider a Board game over a card game. I was excited to see what sort of game designer Ren Multamäki would bring to the table with more component options. I thought some of the ideas and mechanics behind the cards games were genius! So, without further ado, let's get Factory 42 to the table, and see how it plays.

How To Set Up Factory 42

There are two ways to play this game. The rules suggest you start with the basic one, which I fully agree with! And then after game one or two, move over to the full game. Pick the right board for you, and you will quickly tell the difference, and place this face up in the middle of the table. Place the Supply board next to this, and fill each space up with the different coloured cubes. You will notice there are three sizes of cubes. The resources are ordered in value, and the size matters. The smallest cubes represent the cheapest resources: Flax (rope), Steel, and Lichen. Then you have the middle-sized cubes for Wood, Copper, and Mushroom. And then the larger cubes for Marble, Gold, and Beer. Finally, you have two special cubes for coal and Magic. Place them all in their space on the Supply board. Place the Steam tokens and Rosettes next to this.

Now, place the cube tower, known in the game as the Bureaucracy Tower, next to the main board. You will need to assemble this if it is your first game. The game comes with excellent instructions for this. The tower needs to be loaded for the first round. You will do this by adding two of each resource into the top. Not all will fall out, the tower will hold some back. But what falls out now is the current Common Pool. Known in the game as CP. You will also need to make the Rail Carts if this is your first game, and you don't have the upgraded components. Note, there will be extra parts for this, you just need six for a game. Place these out by the main board.

Next, give each player their own player board (again being sure to pick the right side for the version of the game you are playing) and Worker meeples in their chosen colour, along with their score disc, which each player places onto the starting zero space on the score track on the main board. For a two or three player game, each player has seven workers. For a four or five player game, you will have six each. Then take the small bag known as the Spiking bag. Add to this, one Marble, one Gold, one Beer, and one Magic cube. Then add two of every other resource. Place this by the main board.

Finally, take the cards and shuffle them in their separate decks. For the basic game, simply place the Government Order, Market, and Event cards into three separate piles. If you are playing the full game, add in the Invention and Elven Commission cards too. With these extra cards you will also need the Operations tokens. Randomly assign the first player marker and you are now ready to begin.

How To Play Factory 42

The game follows a very simple four stage process across six rounds. However, the game will end before this if someone reaches the top of the score track. To start, the starting player will draw cards for this round. Simply take the top event card and place it into the space on the left side of the board. Read it out loud and follow its instructions. This will amend one rule slightly for this round, or give resources, etc. Next, do the same with the Market card, and place this face up in the market space on the right of the board. This will set the process for buying and selling resources this round. Then, flip Government Order cards over, set to the number of players in the game. In subsequent rounds, simply replace any completed cards, and add a Rosettes to any card remaining from a previous round. Place these below the main board for all to see. Some will show a Government Allocation of extra resources on the top of the card. If this is the case, gather the shown resources, and add them to the Common Pool in the Bureaucracy Tower.

If you are playing the full game, draw three Invention cards and place them face up next to the board, replacing any remaining from a previous round.

Then, move onto the second phase, where all players, starting with the first player, will place one of their workers at a time into any of the spaces for Workers on the main board or their own player board. There are eleven locations in the basic game, fourteen in the full game. When all workers are placed, move to the third and main phase where all workers will activate.

In the third phase, Resolve Locations, you will go through each location in numerical order. Starting with the first placed Worker in the first location, and continuing through all locations in order until all workers have been activated. Let's briefly go through each location to give you a flavour. Note, some locations have a spot for a Commissar, where the worker placed here gets different actions. I will cover this too.

1. Requisition: This is where you can add additional resources from the supply into the Common Pool. Place the first worker here in the top spot, and any additional ones below, or into the bottom Commissar spot. You will note the figures on the board show you how many resources you can move here. The first column shows you how many resource points you have to move resources into the common pool. The small resources cost one resource point, the middle-sized cubes cost two, and the larger ones cost three. The Coal costs four points. The Magic cannot be bought. Note, the first player also gains a Rosettes. Then, the final column shows how many resource points you have to move resources onto your own player board. To start, you have space to house four cubes, shown on the bottom space in your Warehouse. But later you will have space for more if you upgrade your board. The Commissar also gains one Rosettes, and then has resource points to the value of each other worker there times two, plus two, for the CP, and one for each worker for their Warehouse.

   

2. Bureaucracy: This stage happens every round, no workers are placed here. The start player takes all the resources in the CP, drops them into the tower, so forming a new CP for this round. Remember, not all resources will drop out. Some will get stuck. So, what you added in the Requisition round may not now be there for this round. But some extra you did not expect may now appear.

3. Loading: This is how you can start to move resources from the CP to your own player mat. Note, I said "Start". In order, Workers placed here can add one to four resources from the CP into empty Rail Carts. Then place the Rail Cart onto the top space by this area, and roll it down to the bottom space. If the Commissar is present, then all players must place two to five, instead of one to four. The Commissar also gains a Rosettes.

4. Spiking: This is another way to add extra resources into the rail carts. All workers here will draw three cubes from the spiking bag, plus one extra for every worker present. They can then choose to add two cubes into any rail cart. If the Commissar is present, they can choose any four resources from the supply to add to the spiking bag first. The final worker to spike the carts will add all unused resources back into the spiking bag along with one extra flak and lichen resource. As such, the bag gets a little worse each time you do this, unless the Commissar works their magic each time. An interesting part of this act is the size of the cubes. If you want something specific, and you always will, you can try to feel for the three different sizes of cubes inside this tiny bag to increase your chances of getting what you want. It's a funny little somewhat lucked-based mini-game within a larger, more strategic euro, that adds some laughter, mystery, but also dexterity based skill.

   

5. Shipping: Ok, now the Rail carts can be added to the players board, the final stage of the process of getting resources. Each Worker here can choose one of the two bottom carts and add them to their own player board, or another players if they want to deliver useless goods to them! When delivering carts, you must place in one of the two spaces for carts on the player boards. Note, that each space can be used for different things on the player boards. When you move a Rail cart off the main board, roll all other carts down one space. If the Commissar is here, they can pick one player that can ship both bottom two carts.

6. Steam Generation: All manufacturing you need to do, well most, needs steam. To generate steam, place workers here. The first worker will take all burnable resources from the CP: Lichen, Wood, Mushroom, Flax, and Coal; and turn them into steam. The Coal generates three steam, the Wood and Mushroom generate two each, and the Flax and Lichen generate one. Move the steam token up the appropriate number of spaces and return all burned resources back to the supply. If the steam track reaches 15, a rupture occurs and the token must move back to the eighth spot. Extra steam can no longer be generated this round. The first player can then burn any items from their own supply, as long as a rupture did not take place. They then take one Rosette. The second player can then burn any additional items from their own supply, taking two Rosettes. The third player, if there, takes three Rosettes, and again can burn additional items if a rupture didn't occur.

7. Operate: This only occurs in the full game and is located on the full side of the player boards. This is where any player who placed a worker here can operate any previously filled research Invention cards, so long as they can pay the cost. Some Inventions require Steam, and some have limited uses. This cannot happen in the first round as players wont have any cards yet.

   

8. Inventor's Guild: Again, this only occurs in the full game. Any Commissar gains one magic for each Worker here this turn. Magic is hard to get, so this is very juicy! But if you go here early as a Commissar, other players may avoid placing workers there. Equally, if you place workers here first, will other players then jump to place a Commissar. It can be a bit of a stand off. Workers placed here can spend steam to take one of the face up Invention cards. The first worker must spend one Steam, the second two, the third three.

9. Elvin Embassy: This also only occurs in the full game. Any workers placed here must spend one Rosettes to draw two Elven Commission cards. They will keep one face down in front of them until they manufacture it, and discard the other. Any Commissar placed here must also spend a Rosettes, but then gains one Magic for each worker here that spends a Rosettes.

10. Trading: Here, players can sell resources from their Warehouse for the shown costs on that rounds Market card, and then buy other resources for the cost shown on the same card.

11. Research: Workers on your player board placed here can spend resources from your own supply to make one of four upgrades. The crane lets you use any dock to perform any action on later turns. You can take resources from either rail cart whenever you perform any other action using resources from your player board. The incinerator lets you generate your own steam, rather than relying on the general steam supply, burning rosettes for two steam, or coal for one. You can also build a small or large expansion to hold more resources in your warehouse. In the full game, this is also how you build your inventions, spending the required resources and rosettes to flip the cards face up to be used in later rounds. Any commissar placed here will gain you one magic or a point in exchange for two rosettes, as well as providing you with one additional magic to be used for research this round.

12. Manufacturium 1: This is where you can use any previously gained resources in your Warehouse, or Dock one (or Dock two if you have the Crane) to produce any of the Government Order goods currently on display. Each good will have three levels to which you can make it. All levels count as a full completion, and you will add your Worker from this Manufacturium space to the card to show you have made it. But each level will offer different instant rewards, generally Rosettes. All players can complete any Order, no matter if other players, or themselves, have already made it. Magic can be used as a wild resource for any required resource, including Steam. Each card will show its Steam requirement at the bottom. Some are zero. You must spend that Steam, dropping the Steam token down the required amount. If there is no Steam, you can use your own Incinerator if you have one. If not, you cannot complete that order. In the full game, you can also complete the Elven Commissions here. When completed, flip it face up and add the required amount of Operation tokens to the card, to show how many uses it can have.

    

13. Accounting: Workers here can spend Rosettes or Resources to gain points. A Commissar placed here will receive one resource from every Worker here that wants to take an action.

14. Manufacturium 2: This is a second opportunity to complete Government orders and Elven Commissions. Now using the resources in Dock two.

    
    

At the end of the round, players will score two points for each completed unique order. The player who completed the most orders gains an additional rosette. Any order not completed stays for the next round, and all players must pay a price of either one point or two rosettes for not completing them all.

Play then moves to the fourth and final phase, where you first check to see if any player has reached the 42nd spot on the score track. If so, the game ends. If not, add one Rosette onto all uncompleted Government Orders. This will be collected by the first player to complete it in any subsequent round. Any completed order is removed and replaced with a new card in the next round. All players retrieve all of their workers, including any that became Commissars. Any empty Rail carts are returned to the general supply. Any carts still with resources on a player's board can be returned or kept. Players can move them to the other Dock if they wish or unload the goods inside to their Warehouse. The starting token moves around one position clockwise, and the next round begins.

At the end of the game, players will receive one point for each three Rosettes they have, one point for the player with the most remaining resources in their Warehouse, and one point is given to the player with the most improvements to their player board. One for all if more than one player has built them all. Then, in the full game, each player gains a point for any unresearched Invention cards they have in their possession. The player with the most Elven Commission cards gains one point. And a final point is given to the player with the most researched Inventions. Ties are broken by remaining Rosettes. Most points wins.

Is It Fun? Factory 42 Board Game Review

This is euro cube gaming perfection. A meticulously designed board game that masterfully combines strategy with resource management. The process you go through as you play, navigating the various steps each round, is not only clever but also deeply engaging and rewarding. Each turn presents players with a series of decisions that require thoughtful consideration and strategic foresight.

You need to plan ahead, carefully analysing not just your current position but also anticipating future moves of both the other players, and what you need to do. This is worker placement after all, and each area is limited in terms of how many workers go there. And the order they are placed is also very important. This foresight is crucial as you think about what you will need to complete certain actions effectively. It will feel like with six or seven workers you will have ample choice, but each decision impacts your overall strategy and success in the game. No two rounds feel the same, as the dynamic nature of the game keeps you on your toes.

Moreover, managing your resources carefully is essential to achieving maximum efficiency. You must balance short-term gains with long-term goals, ensuring that you are not only reacting to the current state of the game but also setting yourself up for future success. This requires a keen understanding of the game mechanics and how they relate to one another, as well as an ability to adapt your strategy based on the actions of your opponents. Game one therefore may not be the best as you learn the process. I would guess why the designer created a more basic version for your first sit-down with this game. But as you learn how to structure your turns and the order things can be best achieved in, fans of euro games will fall in love.

If you enjoy that sort of planning and management, then you will undoubtedly enjoy this game. The satisfaction that comes from executing a well-thought-out plan, seeing your resources come to fruition, and outmanoeuvring your opponents is wonderful. Each session offers a new opportunity to refine your strategies, explore different paths to victory, and engage in a delightful mental challenge that keeps you coming back for more. The depth of gameplay combined with the elegant simplicity of its mechanics makes it a standout experience in the realm of euro-style board games.

The theme won't be for everyone. It has a Russian/Marxist style to the text. I can see this putting some people off. The art style is a little bland; it is all very beige. And the teach is not the easiest I have found. It takes some time, and people have a lot of questions. And then the actual game length may be too much for some, especially for people's first games as they learn the strategy and each turn takes longer than usual. But get through all that, and there is a gem of a Euro game here.

Another complaint I can see people having is the lack of negotiation, for a game marketed as a worker placement game with negotiation. You can, of course, do this. Make deals with people to put the right resources into the CP when they are requisitioning. But it's up to each player, and I find resources tend to be quite tight, and you need to look after yourself, so helping others is not easy, even for the promise of returned favours. I don't hate the fact that negotiation is there, but I tend not to get involved too much and barely mention it in the teach now.

What I love most are the moments when you meticulously plan every detail and gather the right resources into the Central Pool (CP). You then get these chosen resources loaded and shipped in a Rail Cart of your choice, which adds an exciting logistical element to the game as other players may be trying to do the same. The selection of the Rail Cart is crucial, as different carts can offer varying loads, making your shipping strategy a vital part of your overall plan. Other players may have deliberately made other carts terrible, and you may not always get the one you need.

But get this right, and this strategic preparation allows you to execute two manufacturing phases seamlessly. Moreover, successfully upgrading your player board during the Research phase is a pivotal moment. This upgrade not only signifies progress, potentially earning more points at the end of the game, but also opens up new possibilities for your gameplay, enhancing your capabilities and providing you with additional avenues to explore in subsequent turns. Being master of your own steam is crucial. And having flexibility with the crane to use either dock makes a huge difference.

When everything aligns perfectly like this—when your planning, resource gathering, and execution come together in a harmonious flow—the satisfaction in games like this is unparalleled. You find yourself scoring significantly more points as a direct result of your strategic foresight and execution. The feeling of accomplishment that comes with these moments is absolutely fantastic. It’s a blend of joy and exhilaration, knowing that your hard work and strategic thinking have paid off. These moments are what make the game not just enjoyable, but truly rewarding, as they highlight the beauty of strategic play and the thrill of achieving your goals in such a carefully made game. If you like euros that give you the chance to have this feeling, Factory 42 may well be for you.

Oh, and I must add, look how neatly it all packs away. Satisfying.