Designers: Joseph Z. Chen (Fantastic Factories), Justin Faulkner (Fantastic Factories)

Artist: Joseph Z. Chen (Fantastic Factories), Martha Webby

Publisher:  Deep Water Games (Hanamikoji, Fantasic Factories, Welcome To…)

Genre/Mechanisms: card drafting, card game, dice rolling, expansion, hand management, set collection, simultaneous action selection, solo/solitaire game, worker placement with dice workers

Funding Status: At the time of this posting, Fantastic Factories: Manufactions is already fully-funded. Pledges currently total almost 29x the initial funding goal with 2 days left to go on the campaign!

Player Count: 1-5

Solo Mode: yes

Complexity: medium-light

Risk: medium-high

What It’s About: “An expansion to Fantastic Factories that introduces all new blueprints, contractors, vitamin resources, and corporate factions that grant players unique powers.”

How It Works: “The goal is to earn as many points as possible. Points can be earned in two ways: prestige and goods. Each card in your compound is worth the prestige value printed on its top right corner. Additionally, production factories can manufacture goods that you accumulate throughout the game. Your total score is the number of goods you have + your total prestige.”

“Each round consists of two phases. During the market phase, players take turns drafting a card from the marketplace. After all players have drafted, the work phase begins. During the work phase, all players simultaneously roll their dice, place their dice as workers, and build cards.”

“In the market phase players take turns in order, starting with the player with the first player token and then continuing clockwise. On your turn you must choose one of two options: Gain a Blueprint Card (by choosing 1 of the 4 blueprints in the marketplace and putting it in your hand for free, then refilling the marketplace with the top card from the blueprint deck) or Hire a Contractor (by choosing 1 of the 4 contractors in the marketplace, discarding a blueprint from your hand with the same tool symbol as the token above the contractor, and executing the instructions written on the contractor card then immediately discarding it; and finally refilling the marketplace with the top card from the contractor deck).”

As an optional action, and “before choosing a blueprint or contractor, the active player may pay 1 metal or 1 energy resource to discard either all the blueprints or all the contractors (but not both) in the marketplace and revealing 4 new cards from the corresponding deck. Each player can do this once per turn.”

“During the work phase, all players take their turns simultaneously. However, if there are any players learning the rules for the first time, we recommend taking turns one at a time for the first round or two. The work phase begins with everyone picking up their dice and rolling them. Players then (in any order) build cards, place workers, and activate cards. Once all players have placed all their workers and completed all their actions, they must discard down to 12 total resources (metal and energy resources combined) and 10 cards in hand. The work phase is now complete. Pass the first player token to the next player clockwise and a new round starts again with the market phase.”

“Once any player has manufactured 12 or more goods or has built 10 or more buildings in their compound, the game end is triggered. Players finish the current round and then one more round is played (market phase + work phase).”

“Once the game ends, each player adds the number of goods they manufactured + the amount of prestige on buildings in their compound to calculate their final score. ” Ties are broken by the player with the most leftover metal resources, followed by the player with the most leftover energy resources, and finally by the player with the most blueprints in hand.

“Manufactions is an expansion to Fantastic Factories that introduces all new blueprints, contractors, vitamin resources, and corporate factions that grant players unique powers. Subterfuge is an expansion to Fantastic Factories that adds new blueprints as well as direct player interaction in the form of contractors that you can hire to steal resources, cards, or even dice. Subterfuge also introduces the sabotage mechanic which can be used to disable your opponent’s factories.”

Comparisons: Villagers is another medium-light game with an industry/manufacturing theme, and Discoveries: The Journals of Lewis and Clark and Kingsburg are two medium-light games that also utilize worker placement with dice workers.

What Should I Pledge?:
$25 Manufactions: includes the new Manufactions expansion, Faction Pack 1, and Promo Pack 2.
$40 Both Expansions!: includes everything in the Manufactions pledge level, plus the Subterfuge expansion.
$49 Everything New!: includes everything in the Both Expansions! pledge level, plus a Playmat.
$79 Everything!: includes everything in the Everything New! pledge level, plus a copy of the Fantastic Factories base game and Promo Pack 1.

Add-Ons:
$5 Promo Pack 1
$5 Promo Pack 2
$5 Faction Pack 1
$20 Playmat
$40 Fantastic Factories
$25 Manufactions
$15 Subterfuge

KS Exclusives
The Collector’s Edition, including the Collector’s Edition Box, Plastic Organizer Trays System, and stretch goals from both campaigns.

All-In Total: In the continental U.S., you’re looking at $79 for Everything! plus $9 in shipping for a total of $88.

Fantastic Factories: Manufactions completes its Kickstarter on Tuesday, October 27th and tentatively ships in June 2021.