Power Grid Factory Manager

Customer Reviews

If you like Power Grid, you’ll probably like PG: Factory Manager Review by Andrew

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First of all, the biggest similarity between PG: Factory Manager and Power Grid is the box art. In Power Grid, building routes on a map is important, auctions are important, and resources get more expensive as players’ demand for them increases. In Factory Manager, there is no route-building, the turn-order auctions seem tacked-on, and the energy costs aren't controlled by other players’ actions.

Despite this, if you like Power Grid, you’ll probably like PG: Factory Manager. They are both very strategic and very “mathy”. Timing of purchases and money management is important in both.

In PG: Factory Manager, the goal is to make the most money by adding new machines and robots to your factory. At the end of each of 5 rounds, your income is min( production, storage) – energy * energy cost. Balancing your production, storage, energy consumption, and manpower resources is key!

One intriguing aspect of this game is the “preparing the market” phase. Each player selects new factory upgrades which become available not just to the current player but to all players. (Depending on the turn order, another player may buy that fancy new robot you had just made available before you get the chance!)
(Posted on 8/21/10)

Factory Manager: A great economic game Review by Hogan

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In Power Grid: Factory manager (PGFM) your goal is to make the most money from your factory, and you do that by purchasing machines and placing them in your space limited factory. Now, what makes the game really interesting is the management of workers and the element of increasing power costs, as well as the fact that the game is only 5 turns long!

You always need workers to bid on turn order, and you REALLY need workers at the end of the game to make sure you get some of those great machines that are finally becoming available. If you forget about your power, however, you will end up spending way too much money on it and have a really poor factory. All of these elements combine to make the strategies of PGFM vary from game to game.

Overall, the game is incredibly worth the price, it plays fast and is easy to learn. I recommend this game to anyone! (Posted on 7/23/10)

Power Grid Factory Manager's another winning variant of the award winning Power Grid. Review by TR

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Power Grid Factory Manager's another winning variant of the award winning Power Grid. With touches of the same mechanic of Power Grid, Factory Manager is still its own game. Like the original game, players bid for various upgrades, in this case machines and improvements for their factory. However, Factory Manager removes the entire route building mechanic from Power Grid, instead it adds the worker management and spacial planning of the factory to the game. You're still trying to make the most money, you're just doing it in each individual factory.

Overall, Power Grid Factory Manager plays faster and the additional strategy of pulling specific machinery down to purchase makes the game quite interesting through all stages. I actually prefer Factory Manager to Power Grid, though mostly because of the shorter time frame of the game. It’s certainly a ‘lighter’ game, but not necessarily a gateway game since there’s still a bit of math involved. I’m certainly a fan and it’s game I’m looking to add to my collection in time. (Posted on 3/6/10)