Build your own factory

Pick valuable machines and build the best production chains. Optimally connect all your machines and reservoirs to create the most profitable factory.

Components

• 55 Machine tiles
• 144 Connector tiles
• 5 Optional Diagonal Intersection tiles
• 13 End-product Reservoir tiles
• 15 Output Reservoir tiles
• 7 Supply Container tiles
• 40 Bonus tokens
• Money Track
• 5 Pillar tokens
• 5 Scoring tokens
• 5 Factory boards
• Instructions

Setup

General Setup

The Player appointed to be the Banker takes the Money Track and the Scoring token from each Player, stacking them on the 2 spot of the Money Track.

The game box containing the connector tiles is placed in one corner of the table, the tiles easily accessible to all Players.

• 10 Machine tiles per Player are stacked, face down near the center of the table. The remaining Machine tiles are put back in the box unseen.
• Place on the table 2 Green, 2 Red, 2 Blue and 2 Orange Supply Containers and the 13 End-product Reservoirs.
• The Players decide whether they will play with the Classic or the Expert side of the Factory boards, and whether they will play with the optional Diagonal Intersection tiles.

Player Setup

Each Player takes:

• One Factory board that they place in front of them.
• One Pillar token of the same color as their board, that they place on the pillar spot.
• One of each color of the Supply Containers.
• Three Output Reservoirs.
• One Diagonal Intersection tile if the Players chose to play with them.

With the Expert side, the Factory boards are a bit harder to build on and are more varied. You can let experienced factory builders start with an Expert Factory board.

Game Elements

The Products

There are 5 Products in the game, of two types. The four Basic products that the Machines both require and yield in various combinations and amounts: Green, Red, Blue and Orange.

The End-product, that no Machine can use as a raw material: Black.

The Machines

All Machines have one to three input connectors and one output connector. Each input connector requires one of the 4 Basic products: Green, Red, Blue or Orange, in a fixed amount of either 1,2 or 3, noted on the tile.

The output connector yields a fixed amount of 1,2 or 3 of one of the 4 Basic products, or Black, which is the End-product and has no amount.

The direction of the production flow is indicated by arrows on the colored connectors, and the output connector is further highlighted by a clear half circle.

The numbers on the input and output connectors (1, 2 or 3) and their width show the amount of product this Machine requires and the amount it yields. In the center of the Machine tile is its revenue.

Game Play

Each round consists of two phases:

Phase 1: Pick a Machine

Each Player takes one Machine tile from the Machine tiles stack, and places it face down in front him, near the center of the table. All Players decide which hand is their 'turning-hand' and which is their 'taking-hand'.

They place their turning-hand on their Machine tile, and their taking-hand on the table at their side. One Player slowly counts down: "3 ... 2 ... 1 ... TURN".

When "TURN" is called, all Players quickly flip their tile face up with their turning- hand.

Each Player can pick one Machine tile he desires from among all those just turned, with his taking-hand.

As soon as a Machine tile is touched by a Player, he must pick it. Players may not hold their hand above or near the Machine tiles. Each Player may only pick 1 Machine tile each game round.

Picking a Machine tile is not compulsory. If any Machine tiles are not picked they are removed from the game.

Phase 2: Add the machine to your Factory Board

Each Player must now add the Machine tile he picked to his Factory board, obeying the following building rules:

1. The Machine tile must occupy 2 squares on the Factory board.

2. The input connectors and output connector of the Machine tile must get connected.

3. Input must come from a Supply Container OR from the output of one or more other Machines. (The Supply Containers contain unlimited quantities. Different Reservoirs can be adjacent to each other).

4. The output connector must connect to an Output Reservoir or to the input connector of another Machine.

   

   In the first round you pick the MULTI FITTER, and place it on your Factory board.

   Since you cannot leave a machine unconnected, you must build a Blue and a Red Supply Container, plus a Product Reservoir, that you take from your own supply. All machine connectors are connected.

   The Supply Containers feed the Machine with the products it requires and the machine output connects to one of the three output reservoirs of the player.

5. Input and output colors must match (Green, Red, Blue, Orange)

   
   
   

6. When connecting one Machine output connector to another Machine input connector, the output number must be equal to or greater than the input-number.

   

   Incorrect : The output amount is 1 while the connected machine requires at least 2.

   
   
   

   Correct : The Green output is 2 while the connected machine needs only 1.

   
   

7. The Black product output (End-product, with "*" instead of a number), must be connected to an End-product Reservoir from the stock.

   
   
   

8. The End-product output of 2 or more Machines cannot be connected to the same End-product Reservoir.

9. Connector tiles can be built between Supply Containers, Machines, Output Reservoirs or End-product Reservoirs. They are taken from the unlimited stock on table.

   
   
   

10. Connectors may never be left with unconnected ends at the end of the round.

    
    
    

11. The splitting connectors allow to split or merge product flows of the same color.

    
    
    

12. A Machine output can never be merged with the output from a Supply Container.

    
    
    

13. Tiles may never be placed on top of each other.

14. A Machine cannot feed itself, even through other Machines. So a loop (perpetual motion) is not allowed.

    
    
    

    Incorrect: The high pressor yields orange and feeds it to the flexfixer, that in turn yields blue and feeds it to the multi fitter, that in turn yields green and feeds it back to the high pressor.

Bonus Supply Containers

5 of the Machine tiles have a "+" and a Supply Container. If a Player picks one of these Machine tiles to his Factory board, he earns the depicted extra Supply Container, which can be used immediately.

One of the Bonus tiles have a circled "?". A Player who picks this Machine tile can choose the color of the bonus Supply Container he earns.

Building Costs

• Placing a new machine is free.

  (Those costs are already calculated in the profit number on the machine tiles).

• Placing any type of reservoir, container or connector (straight, curved, 3-way split or 4-way split connector) costs 1. Thus, two connectors on one tile (intersecting or not) cost 1 each.

  Example: When you previously placed a single straight connector on your floor, and you now want to intersect that pipeline with a new straight connector, then you replace your single-straight-connector tile by a 2-straight-connectors tile. One of the two connectors is new, so that costs 1.

  
  
  
  
  

Repositioning and removing are allowed, but only in a game round in which you add a new machine.

• Repositioning a machine costs 2. You may reposition no more than two machines in a single game round.

• Repositioning any type of reservoir, container or connector costs 1. If you change the production flow through connectors and leave the connectors in the same place, you may turn the arrows without costs.

• Removing any type of reservoir, container or connector costs nothing. You may not remove a previously placed machine. Removed Reservoirs or Containers are returned to your private stock. Removed connectors are returned to the common stock.

Building Revenues

The direct revenue of a new Machine is printed in the center of the Machine tile, in the white circle.

When a Player connects the output connector from one or more Machines to the input connector of another Machine, whether directly or through connector tiles, he places a bonus chip of the amount of five times the input number of the receiving input connector on the receiving Machine.

These production bonuses will be added up at the end of the game.

When a Player changes the layout of his factory, he can connect machines differently; at such times he must recalculate the Chain bonuses and place the appropriate tokens.

Banker

The Banker moves each Player's Scoring token on the Money Track at the end of each game round, after all Players finished building: Forward or Backward depending on the revenue of each Player's new Machine tile minus the building costs.

A Player must forfeit building if his Score token would fall below the 1 spot on the Money Track.

Not Placing a new Machine

If a Player picks a Machine but decides to not add it to his Factory, he pays a penalty of 5. The Machine goes back to the box and is removed from the game. When doing this the Player Score token cannot fall below 1 on the Money Track.

A Player who ponders picking the last Machine of a game round can pick it up and see if it fits in his Factory. He will not pay a penalty of 5 points if he ultimately does not place this Machine.

End of the Game

After 10 game rounds the game ends. Add up all numbers on the bonus tokens in your factory. Add this to the money track. The wealthiest Player wins.

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