Power Grid: Factory Manager – Game Rules

Let’s dive into the exciting world of Power Grid: Factory Manager and learn the rules of the game together.

In Power Grid: Factory Manager, I’m given the opportunity to become a factory manager and make crucial decisions that will shape the success of my business. I’ll need to balance various factors like resources, money, and efficiency to ensure my factory thrives.

The game is played over several rounds, each consisting of four phases: Planning, Action, Production, and Administration. In the Planning phase, I’ll select the order in which I want my action markers to be activated. This is an important decision that will determine the sequence of my actions in the upcoming round.

During the Action phase, I’ll carry out the actions I’ve chosen in the Planning phase. These actions include purchasing new machines to improve my factory’s efficiency, hiring workers to operate the machines, buying resources, or selling goods in the market. Each action has its own costs and benefits, and I’ll need to make wise decisions to ensure profitability.

Once the Action phase is complete, it’s time for the Production phase. This is when I’ll generate income based on the efficiency of my machines and the resources I have available. Efficient machines and a well-managed supply chain will result in higher profits.

Finally, it’s time for the Administration phase. In this phase, I’ll pay the costs of maintaining my factory, such as worker salaries and machine maintenance. I’ll also have the opportunity to upgrade my factory and invest in new technologies for future rounds.

The game continues for several rounds, with each round representing a month of operation for my factory. After a predetermined number of rounds, the game ends, and the player with the most money is declared the winner.

Power Grid: Factory Manager is a game that challenges my strategic thinking, decision-making skills, and ability to adapt to changing circumstances. I must carefully manage my resources and plan my actions wisely to outperform my competitors and build a prosperous factory.

So, are you ready to step into the shoes of a factory manager and take on the challenge of Power Grid: Factory Manager? Get ready to make strategic decisions, optimize your factory’s efficiency, and emerge victorious. The world of factory management awaits!

Welcome to the world of entrepreneurs! In Factory Manager, I have my own factory and my goal is to make as much money as possible. The player who ends up with the most money at the end of the game is the winner.

How do I achieve this? Well, it’s all about careful planning and making the most of my workers. I need to buy the best machines and robots, and run my factory efficiently. But that’s not all – I also have to keep an eye on my factory’s energy consumption. The cost of energy keeps increasing, so I need to make sure that running my factory doesn’t become too expensive.

It’s important to note that the game only lasts for 5 rounds. After that, the player with the most money wins. So, any mistakes I make along the way will hurt my chances of winning.

Components

The inventory helps me get an overview of everything:

I’ve got a list here of the things you’ll find in the game:

1. Five factory boards

2. One storage board (that has an energy price track)

3. Money in Elektro

4. A total of 106 factory tiles, which come in six different types:

– 35 storage tiles (including 15 that you start with)

– 27 machine tiles (including 10 that you start with)

– 18 working robot tiles

– 9 personnel robot tiles

– 9 control tiles

– 8 optimization tiles

5. A group of 35 workers (each player gets 7)

6. Some seasonal workers – 10 in total (each player gets 2)

7. 15 markers (each player gets 3)

8. 8 energy price tiles

9. 12 player order tiles (numbered 1-12)

10. 1 energy price marker

11. 10 shut down tile markers

Make sure to sort the factory tiles based on the images on their backs.

Important: Before you begin playing your first game, it’s essential to carefully read supplement A: “the player’s factory” and supplement B: “the market mechanism.” These supplements provide important information about the factory layouts and the central market mechanism.

Setting Up the Game

Did you know that every large international company had humble beginnings as a small factory? Let’s get started with the setup:

1. First, choose a color for yourself. Then, gather your 7 workers and 3 markers in that color, along with a factory board and 18 Elektro.
2. Next, take a set of factory tiles (options A, B, C, D, or E – look for the letters on the back) and place the 3 storage tiles and 2 machine tiles on the first 5 spaces of your factory floor. If there are fewer than 5 players, keep the remaining sets in the box. Now, place your markers on the starting spaces of the three tracks on your factory board: production value is 2, storage size , and energy consumption are both 4. At the beginning of the game, each machine tile requires 2 workers . So, make sure to place 4 of your workers in the canteen of your factory. Leave the remaining 3 workers next to your factory, ready for action. Take a moment to understand why your factory has these starting values on the tracks using supplement A.

Getting Started

Hey there! Today, I want to talk to you about an awesome board game called Power Grid Factory Manager. It’s a game that challenges your strategic thinking and decision-making abilities. Are you ready to dive in? Let’s get started!

First things first, we need to set up the game. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Place the remaining money and the shut down tile markers in the middle of the table. Don’t forget to add the seasonal workers, too!
2. Okay, now let’s talk about player order. We’re going to use player order tiles. First, shuffle them up and give one to each player. The tiles we aren’t using right now can be put away in the game box. Keep them safe!
3. 
4. Now, we need to create a draw stack of tiles. Shuffle them and place them face down near the playing area.
5. But wait, before we go any further, let me give you a special exception for the first game: grab one of the “0” energy price tiles and set it aside. Shuffle the remaining 7 tiles and remove 3 from the game. Now we’re ready to play!

And there you have it! With these simple steps, you’re all set to start playing Power Grid Factory Manager. So grab some friends, sit down at the table, and let the energy flowing fun begin!

Let’s start by placing the “0” tile on top of the remaining 4 tiles. This will create a face-down draw stack. By placing the “0” at the top, we make it easier for players to start their first game. The energy price won’t rise at the end of the first turn, which can be a tough challenge for beginners. We want to avoid any one player taking an early lead and running away with the game. However, if you’re an experienced player, you should follow the regular setup.

How to Play the Game

Playing the game is easy! It’s divided into 5 rounds, each with its own set of 5 phases. Let me walk you through them:

1. Auctioning the New Player Order: In this phase, we determine the order in which players will take their turns. The player with the highest player order tile starts.
2. Preparing the Market: Here, we get the market ready for action. This phase sets the stage for the rest of the game.
3. Buying & Placing Tiles, and Hiring Workers: In this phase, players make important decisions about the tiles and workers they’ll acquire. It’s all about strategy!
4. Bureaucracy and Energy Prices: Now it’s time for some bureaucracy! Players face new energy prices and adjust their strategies accordingly.
5. Distributing Income: Finally, we distribute income to players. Cha-ching!

The order in which players act during each phase depends on their player order tiles. It can either go from lowest to highest or the other way around. So, choose your tiles wisely!

When we start a new game, each player needs to know their turn order. To determine this, we draw player order tiles from a pile, one for each player. These tiles are then placed face-up in the playing area. The two remaining tiles are set aside, facedown.

The player who had the highest-numbered tile from the last game gets to choose their new tile first. This player will start the bidding process for that tile using their workers.

Keep in mind: during the game, workers are only available if they are standing next to the factory boards and have not been used in the canteens or as part of a bid for a player order tile.

The starting player can choose to bid zero available workers, but they can also start with a higher bid. In clockwise order, each player has the option to raise the bid or pass. Once a player passes, they cannot re-enter the auction.

Alright, here’s what you need to do:

Keep the auction going until there’s only one player left. That lucky player gets to take the player order tile that they won and put it face up in their play area. Then, they can place the number of workers they bid on the tile. Those workers can’t be used anymore until the turn is over. After that, they just need to put their old player order tile face-down next to the new one to show that they’ve already won an auction.

Remember: These auctions don’t last long because players don’t have a lot of workers to use.

Also, listen up: A player always has to have at least one worker available. And when you’re making a bid, the highest it can be is one less than the total number of workers you have.

So, when I win an auction for a new player order tile, I can’t bid for another one in the same turn. Now, if I happened to be the starting player and I won the auction for the tile I chose, the player with the second highest old player tile gets to be the starting player for the next auction. But, if another player won the auction for the tile I chose, then I still get to choose the next new player order tile to auction.

Now, here’s something interesting. The last player gets the remaining new player order tile, and get this, they can get it for a bid of zero available workers. Crazy, right? They do have the option to offer some of their available workers though, if they want to, let’s say, have fewer factory tiles added to the market in the next phase. It’s all about strategy!

Finally, after everyone has gotten a new player order tile, we shuffle the draw stack with the old player order tiles and put them back next to the playing area. And we’re ready to go again!

When it’s time to continue playing, we start by determining the order in which players will take their turns for the following phases. This order is based on the new player order tiles that were acquired in phase 1 of this round. The player who has the lowest player order tile gets to start this phase.

2. Getting the Market Ready

The most important part of being a factory manager is selecting the factory tiles for the market and buying these tiles for the factories. If you want more information about how the market mechanism works, you can check out supplement B: “the market mechanism”.

Now, each player gets to choose a factory tile from any of the 6 columns for each of their workers that are available. They have to place their chosen tile in the market area, but they must choose the cheapest one from the column. Remember, each player gets to choose all their tiles before the next player in the turn order gets to choose theirs.

Just a quick note: In the first round, there are 3 extra factory tiles with an X in the market area.

When you’re playing the game, it’s important to remember that you need to choose a tile for each of your workers. You can’t just decide to skip a turn and choose fewer tiles. You have to make a choice for each worker! And don’t forget, your workers will still be available for the next phase of the game.

The last person to take their turn, which is the person with the highest player order card, adds extra factory tiles to the market area (see table).

You don’t have to choose these extra tiles if you don’t want to. You can intentionally decide to add fewer or no additional tiles to the market area at all!

3. Buying & placing factory tiles, tearing down factory tiles, and hiring seasonal workers

This phase starts with the person who has the lowest player order tile.

You can use your available workers to do one of two things: buy a factory tile from the market area and put it in your factory floor, or tear down a factory tile in your factory floor. You get to take all your actions for this turn before the next person in line takes their turn.

Buying & Placing Factory Tiles:

When you’re looking for a factory tile to buy, you can choose any one from the market area. If you have one of the player order cards numbered 4-12, you’ll get a discount on each tile you buy. The discount will be the small number on your player order card. Keep in mind that the price for a factory tile will never go below 0 Elektro.

After you’ve made your choice, you’ll need to pay the price for the tile and place it on your factory floor. Make sure you have an empty space on your floor, because if there are no empty spaces, you’ll have to remove a tile to make room for the new one.

When I step onto the factory floor, I begin by carefully positioning all the machines, robots, and storage spaces. It’s like assembling a puzzle – I can rearrange the tiles whenever I want to get a better understanding of the layout. Two special spaces catch my attention – the control station and the optimization hub. They are exclusive to the matching factory tiles and play a crucial role in maximizing efficiency.

But here’s the thing – I can only have one optimization tile and one control station at a time. So I need to strategize and choose wisely. Each decision I make will have a lasting impact on my factory’s performance.

One clever move I can make is storing an acquired tile beside my factory for future use. This way, I can place it in a later round without utilizing one of my workers. It’s a handy trick, especially if there’s an empty space waiting on the factory floor. This tactic saves me resources and keeps my production line running smoothly.

When you start playing the game, you can put tiles on the first 10 spaces of the factor floor without paying anything. It’s totally free! But there’s a catch. On the last two spaces, you have to pay 10 Elektro each time you place a tile there for the first time. It’s like a small fee for the special privilege. However, if you decide to replace a tile on one of these spaces later on, you don’t have to pay the 10 Elektro again. So, you get the chance to make changes without breaking the bank.

Tearing Down:

If you have a factory tile that you no longer want, you can use one of your workers to tear it down. To do this, simply pick up the tile and place it next to the factory board. Then, put your worker on top of the tile.

At the end of your turn, you can put the torn-down tile back in the box and your worker will be available again. You can tear down any type of factory tile, including Optimization and Control.

Once you have torn down a tile, you can immediately replace it with a new one. This can be a tile bought by another worker on the same turn or a tile from a previous turn that is still next to the factory floor.

Hiring A Seasonal Worker:

Once I’ve finished taking all my actions with my active workers, I have the option to hire up to 2 seasonal workers. Each of these workers costs 7 Elektro, but there’s a discount based on the player order cards between numbers 4 and 12.

Seasonal workers are just as capable as normal workers. They can do the same tasks like operating machines or buying turn-order tiles at auction. Once hired, these workers stay with me until the end of phase 3 of the next round.

If I decide not to pay to keep my seasonal workers, I have to return them to the general supply. The same goes if I used them to bid on a player order tile – they go back to the general storage.

Once everyone has taken their turns, we need to tidy up the game. All of the remaining factory tiles in the market go back to their spots on the storage board, ready for the next round. This also applies to the X tiles that haven’t been purchased yet.

The Boring Part: Bureaucracy and New Energy Price

Now it’s time for some bureaucracy stuff. We all move our markers on our factory tracks and put the right number of workers in the canteen. Oh, and don’t forget to adjust the energy price too.

Note: It’s important to remember that when setting up your factories, you need to make sure you always have at least one worker available. This worker can be a seasonal one. Additionally, you can only use as many robots in your factory as you have active machines. In other words, each machine can only have one robot operating it.

Now, let me explain the process step by step. First, you’ll place all your workers in the available workers area next to your factory. This is done in player order, so each player takes their turn. Once that’s done, you’ll need to check all the factory tiles on your factory floor. This is to update the three scales: production, storage, and energy consumption. Make sure everything is up to date.

After that, it’s time to focus on your canteen. You’ll need to place enough workers there to operate all your machines. This is an important step, as without enough workers in the canteen, your machines won’t function properly.

Energy Consumption: Ok, so here’s the deal. When I talk about energy consumption, I’m talking about how much energy a factory uses. You see, each factory has these energy symbols on its tiles. Some are white and some are dark. The white numbers next to the symbols tell you how much energy the factory adds, while the dark numbers tell you how much energy it takes away. Now, here’s where it gets interesting. To figure out the factory’s total energy consumption, all you have to do is add up all the white numbers and then subtract the dark numbers. Simple, right? The result of that little equation is the new energy consumption of the factory. Oh, and one more thing. The energy consumption of a factory can never go below 1. So even if you end up with a negative number after doing the math, you round up to 1. Gotta have at least a sliver of energy, you know?

Let’s talk about production: When I play this game, I look at all the dark numbers next to the production symbol on my factory tiles. I add them up to find out the actual production value of my factory.

Let’s Talk Storage: So, here’s how it works – you and I each have our own storage tiles, and they’re pretty important. You see, I have these dark numbers on my tiles, and you have them too. Now, we both add up all the dark numbers on our tiles, to get the total storage space of our factory.

Workers in the Canteen

In my factory, I need to consider the number of workers I have available for the upcoming round. I start by adding up all the white numbers next to the worker symbol on my factory tiles. Then, I subtract the dark numbers. The result tells me how many workers I need to place in the canteen of my factory. Keep in mind that I can have a minimum of 0 workers in the canteen. Any remaining workers can be used in the next round and are placed next to the factory board, ready to be put to work.

Shut Down Machines and Robots

There are situations where I may need to temporarily shut down machines or robots in my factory. Here are a couple of instances where this could happen:

– If I don’t have enough workers in the canteen to operate all the machines, I must shut down the “un-manned” machines until I have enough workers available.

– If I have built more robots than machines in my factory, I can only have one robot per machine. So, if I have any unused robots, I need to shut them down for now.

It’s important to make these adjustments to ensure everything in my factory runs smoothly.

When I play the game, I mark the tiles that I temporarily shut down with a “shut-down” marker.

Every round, my friends and I decide which machines and robots we want to shut down. We can change our choices each round because the shutdowns are only temporary. Sometimes, we shut down factory tiles strategically, like when we want more workers available for the next turn.

When a machine or robot is shut down, it doesn’t need energy. Its values don’t count when we adjust the three scales, so the scales can move up or down. But I always make sure to have enough workers in my canteen.

The New Energy Price:

When I draw the topmost energy price tile, I need to make sure to adjust the marker on the energy price track accordingly. I should move it a number of spaces equal to the number on the energy price tile, which can be between 0 and 2 spaces.

Now, here’s the important part: during the first round of my first game, the tile with “0” will be the one drawn, so the energy price will stay at 1. It’s only during the second round that the price may rise!

5. Income

Okay, now it’s time for the income phase. During this phase, all of us players will take our income from the bank. Your income is based on your earnings, which is the lower number of either your production or storage, minus the actual energy costs.

When I play this game, I earn money based on my production and storage levels. It’s important to increase both of these values to maximize my earnings. For example, if I have a production level of 3 and a storage level of 8, I will only earn 30 Elektro, which is the lower of the two values.

I also have to consider the energy costs for my factory. These costs are determined by multiplying my energy consumption by the current energy price. As the game progresses, the energy costs will increase, so I’ll have to pay more and more for energy!

Once I know my energy costs, I subtract them from my earnings. This gives me my adjusted income in Elektro, which I can then collect from the bank.

Imagine this: when the game starts, you have a factory that brings in 20 Elektro, even though your storage can only hold 3. You have to consider that your company uses up 4 units of energy. Luckily, the energy price at the beginning is only 1 Elektro, so you get 16 Elektro from the bank (20 Elektro income minus 4 units of energy times 1 Elektro).

Guess what? During the fifth and final round, everyone’s income is doubled!

Winning the Game

When the game reaches its end after five rounds, the player who has accumulated the most amount of cash emerges as the winner. If there happens to be a tie, the player with a higher income in the final turn is declared the winner.