Introduction: Factory Funner Boardgame (Customisable Machines)

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About: Into abstract boardgames, twisty puzzes and mechanical tinklets. You'll get to know me through my designs.

Do you know the boardgame Factory Funner?

It is a superb, commercially available abstract 1-5 person boardgame!

The goal of the game: position a set of "machines" each requiring specific inputs & generating output, on a plant room and connect piping between them in an efficient manner.

One minor caveat though, even in the various expansion(s): The machines layout is limited to a pre-fixed subset of tiles!

Luckily, there's an free-to-play online game (single & match play), featuring random machines.

However, even that's not enough to satisfy my customisation hunger, leading me to:

Fully customisable Factory Funner (Machines)!

Supplies

Interest in abstact boardgame Factory Funner

2x MDF plates of 600 x 300 mm
5 colours of Ink or paint, preferably Red, Green, Blue, Orange, Black

A Laser cutter

Step 1: What?

So... To play this game we need/want to make (per person):
* means it is included in this instructable

  • Customisable "empty" machines, with 4 slots for input / output colours *. The plants in this instructable are about 38 mm side to side, making them compatible with -though slightly smaller than- their commercial counterparts, which are 48 mm side to side.
  • inlays to represent the size (1,2 or 3) and colour of the product (one of 5 possibilities) *

Great to have:

  • a tray to store non-used machines or reservoirs *
  • a tray to store non-used inlays *

Optional (if you have the boardgame, you already have these!):

  • a standard or XL board * (or you can use the commercially available board)
  • 4 supply reservoirs * (or can use the ones in the commercially available board) a dozen white and black end
  • product reservoirs * (or you can use the commercially available reservoirs)
  • pipes and pipe crossings (or can use the commercially available ones (NOT included in this instructable... maybe in a next one/a derivative?)

Step 2: Create a Vector Drawing

Create a vector drawing of the desired layout. A custom file can be made using drawing software, e.g. GIMP. My template for board, inlays, machines & trays are available in attachment. This was generated in Autocad.

As the base material, I used 2 MDF boards of 600 x 300 mm:

  • One for the game-board with place next to it, to position up to 20 machine and reservoir tiles
  • One MDF board to make the machine tiles (labled 0 to 11), several black and white reservoirs (labeled "Z" & " W" ) & 4 primary color reservoirs (labeled "R", "G","O" and "B"), and to a large set of machine flow inserts, in 3 volume sizes (1-2-3), the inlay feet and an insert storage board.

PS: You could also use plexi or acryl (more expensive, but also a neater finish)!

Attachments

Step 3: Cut / Engrave It With a Laser Cutter

I used following standard color scheme (blue/black = engrave, red lines = cut).

You can use this file, or apply a custom scheme and set the software accordingly.

Step 4: Glue the Inlays

Glue the inlays with volume of 1,2 and 3 (labeled "A") to a small inlay-base (ellips-shaped shapes, labeled B).

The small inlay base will slide in the machine slots, while the volume will be visible clearly on top of the machine.

Step 5: Color the Inlays

Step 4: Color the inlays in desired product flow colours

The traditional game limits itself to Black, Blue, Orange(/yellow), Red (and black),
But why restrict yourself when you are customising?! ;-)

The expansion included rainbow or choice tiles.

Some alternative creative coloring ideas:

  • Make the game color-impared- friendly: colours to use then are black, orange, sky-blue, green and yellow.
  • a plant with variable color each machine phase, depending on the number of input plant you are currently placing.
  • a plant that needs 2 out of 3 inputs connected.

Step 6: Prepare the Custom Machines With Inlays

Prepare the custom machines by:

  • Placing a color inlay at the OUTPUT positon (top of numbered hexagonal tiles) for each machine
  • Place up to 3 color inlays at the bottom, INPUT position of the tile (bottom of numbered hexagonal tiles)

    for each machine

Prepare up to 8 machines for a game match, or up to 12 for a XL game.

Step 7: Play the Game!

Play the game!

Rules (also available on boardgamegeek):
0) Place the pillars (spider-web marked tiles) on a fixed (predefined, random or given) position

For machine 0 to 7 (or 0 to 11):

  1. Try to position the machine on the board, withouth changing the position of the other previously placed machines.
  2. Connect each machine with existing or new pipes to the appropriate coloured input and output reservoirs with sufficient flow.
  3. Check if there are no circular loops in your layout
  4. Restart step 1 for the next machine.

(& Repeat for another board/machine layout ;-)

Happy Factory-Funning!