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If you were to compare Factory Manager to Stone Age and Power Grid, is it fair to say that the mental stress needed is somewhere inbetween those two games or not ?
I find that Stone Age I can always see all the options and do the calculation in my head where as Power Grid i need a pen and paper at certain times
Also what are the flaws that most of you see in this game ?
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Dave Eisen
United States
Silicon Valley
California
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Factory manager is harder to calculate than Power Grid and thus much harder to calculate than Stone Age. Other players' actions are less predictable and impact your profit/loss a great deal.
Interesting game.
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Factory manager is harder to calculate than Power Grid ?!
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James Klemm
United States
Walnut Creek
California
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In terms of predicting which tiles will be chosen by other players and which will be bought, yes.
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Kevin B. Smith
United States
Margate
Florida
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MisterBond wrote: In terms of predicting which tiles will be chosen by other players and which will be bought, yes.
So you're saying that FM is not harder to calculate as in *calculate* (as in math), but may be harder to figure out in advance what your plan for the round should be. I think I agree with that. I have played PG 3 times and FM once, and I felt like the actual mathematical calculations in FM were quite a bit easier.
The first game of PG, I felt like I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to do--I just couldn't because other players kept getting in my way. The first game of FM, I felt like I had very little idea of what to do. However, from a rules standpoint, FM was no heavier than PG. Next time I play FM, I will not feel lost.
So to answer the OP: yes, I would put the overall mental stress of FM as above SA and below PG. In PG I felt like I had to try to think 2-3 rounds ahead in city planning, whereas in FM it seemed enough to think one round ahead (mostly).
Flaws in FM? I didn't see any "flaws", exactly, but I can think of some reasons that FM might not work for some people:
The only interaction are the turn order auction and grabbing tiles that someone wanted. I like that level of interaction, but it definitely felt less combative than PG to me, which would be a drawback for some. FM is probably on par with SA in that regard.
SA requires a fair bit of division, and quick probability calculations. FM requires a lot of addition and subtraction, with just a dash of multiplication. FM may feel mathier overall because the focus is more number-oriented, which would be a drawback for some.
In FM, you are trying to configure your factory to maximize your profit in each of 5 rounds. For some, that will feel dry and uninteresting. Some might also find it to be too short (our 4p learning game was just 65 minutes).
Some people have expressed concerns about replayability, because there is only one main strategy ("make money").
The artwork in FM is unexciting, especially compared to PG or SA.
SA setup is a bit fiddly, putting all those tiles for the right number of players in the right place.
I quite enjoyed my first game of FM, and look forward to playing again.
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Aaron Bohm
United States
Appleton
Wisconsin
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I always describe Factory Manager as Power Grid lite. Factory Manager is easier to explain, it plays faster, and it scratches the same itch Power Grid does with similar strategic considerations (such as the importance of turn order, bidding, etc) that Power Grid does in a fraction of the time.
The strategy in FM however is much more subtle however. A lot of it has to do with workers, bidding workers, and which turn order you try for. Also, pulling down the "right" improvements is huge and not something that is easily understood by new people. The big one that always gets me is the cost of a building vs. the relative income advantage it will net me throughout the game, that's usually the tough one to calculate but unnecessary for newer players to try and take on right out the gate.
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Kevin B. Smith
United States
Margate
Florida
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Never Knows Best wrote: I always describe Factory Manager as Power Grid lite.
I would never describe Factory Manager as Power Grid anything. To me, they are just completely different. About the only things they have in common (besides the green box) are that you are increasing your capacity and income throughout the game.
PG has critical auctions, and intense competition on a map, and odd triggers for different game stages, and a variable length, and an artificial victory condition. FM has none of that, which is fine. Just very different. For me, they do not scratch the same itch.
I agree that the strategies in FM are subtle, and that it is relatively easy for new players to play (as long as they don't feel the need to do great in their first game), and that it goes quickly.
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