I’m continuing my alphabetical look at favorite games in my game collection. Let’s see what F has in store!
Factory Funner
Factory Funner is a puzzly game where each round players add a new machine to their factory. As they add machines, they have to work out how to lay out vats of goo, pipes, and output collectors. Bonus points if they can feed the output of one machine into the input of another. All the while, they want to make money, which means adding and moving the fewest possible pieces each round.
I love puzzle games, and this one is a highlight of my collection. Each round, there is an array of machines available — the number is equal to the number of players — and whoever takes a machine first, gets it. Now, often I don’t enjoy a “real time” element like that in a game, but here it doesn’t bother me. Everyone reveals a machine to the center of the table, and then we all stare at them for several moments. I’m usually trying to figure out if the red goo output and yellow goo input are on the right sides of the machine for what I’ve got going on in my factory floor. In fact, we’ve had several rounds where everyone waits for everyone else to take a machine first!
I also love trying to work out my best arrangement of pipes and goo vats, and cursing when I took a machine that is just wrong for what I already have in my factory. Factory Funner always brings a lot of laughter to the table.
Fantastic Factories
Fantastic Factories is an engine-building game where players are building out their factories that are powered by dice. Each round players will draft a new card, either a machine to their hand or a contractor for a special ability or boost. Then they’ll roll their dice and simultaneously play cards to their factory and use their dice. One trick is that to play a card, players need to not only have the right resources (energy and/or metal), but they also have to discard a card of the same type. But they can do these actions in any order, so they can get resources with one machine and a couple of dice, then use those to build another machine, and then use that machine with their leftover dice to get a few points.
I enjoy the fun of building your array of machines and then figuring out how to activate them in Fantastic Factories. There’s the frustration when the dice don’t do what you want, but you can always get a few resources or new cards, no matter what comes up. I always love trying to build one “big” machine that needs very specific dice to run, and knowing that I may only get the right dice to run it once throughout the game. And when I get to run it, it feels so good!. And besides all that, I love the art on the cards.
Flamecraft
Flamecraft is a sweet game where players are moving around to the shops of town. Each turn, players will visit a new shop and decide whether to gather or enchant. If they gather, they’ll gain resources, optionally add an artisan dragon, fire up one of the dragons that’s at the shop, and use the shop’s ability. If they enchant, they’ll pay resources, add the enchantment to the shop and gain its rewards, and then optionally fire up all of the artisan dragons at the shop.
I 100% got into Flamecraft because of the art, but I also love the game itself. I love that with each turn players are making the town better, leaving the shops they visit more powerful for other players. Of course you’re trying to get points, but in the nicest way. It’s a game where you can amass a lot of resources, and often are looking at the best way to spend them, rather than feeling desperate for things.
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What are your favorite games that start with the letter “F”? Or is there one from my list that you love or are hoping to try? Let me know in the comments!