Build your chocolate factory to complete orders and earn money. The player making the most money wins.

Overview

Your player board is a factory. There is a conveyor belt running through the middle, as well as places for factory parts above and below the belt. (You start with three factory parts; see #Factory parts.) Raw cocoa beans will be delivered from the left of your factory, and by operating the factory parts, you can improve them to various chocolate products. To operate the factory parts, you need to use coal.

There are 7 kinds of chocolate used in the game, divided into 5 stages:

• • Beans look like, well, beans. They are the raw product entering your factory.
• • Cocoa look like a single brown square.
• • Bars look like chocolate bars. There are two kinds of bars: Chunks (divided into squares) and Fingers (like KitKat; the sticks are slightly split).
• • Wrapped look like candies. There are two kind of wrapped chocolate: Caramel (yellow) and Nuts (red).
• • Boxed look like blue hexagons.

The top three stages (bars, wrapped, boxed) are also called refined chocolates.

Your goal is to deliver chocolate to orders. There are two kinds of orders.

• • Corner Shop orders are personal; you have three available Corner Shop orders available exclusively for you. Some Corner Shop orders are split into stages; you must deliver the stages from the first (bottom-most) to last (top-most).
• • Department Store orders are shared and have an "area majority" aspect to them. There are 5 Department Stores available each game. Each Department Store order requests a certain type of chocolate; every time you supply some, you increase your standing with the store (marked by increasing your marker on its track). At the end of the game, players are awarded money based on their standings on each store.

The game takes place over 6 days (rounds). Each day, you will recruit an employee, which gives you a special power and also tells which Department Store order you may deliver to for the day. You will also get coal income and add a new part into your factory.

Day (round)

The game is divided into 6 days (Monday to Saturday). Each day is divided into five phases as follows.

1. Prepare

This phase is automated by BGA.

First, you get some coal. The amount of coal is 5 on Monday, 6 on Tuesday, 7 on Wednesday, and so on until 10 on Saturday.

Then, the day's employees and factory parts are dealt out, as follows.

• • The employees are divided into 5 decks, one for every Department Store. One is drawn from each deck, and they are shuffled together and divided into packets as explained below.
• • The factory parts are all in a single deck. The first 3 days use parts labeled "A" (tends to be weaker), the last 3 days use parts labeled "B" (stronger). Five of them are drawn and then divided into packets as explained below.

For example, in a 2-player game, there will be 4 packets total: a packet of 3 employees, a packet of 2 employees, a packet of 3 factory parts, and a packet of 2 factory parts.

2. Expand and Recruit

Starting from the starting player, each player will take one employee and one factory part in a "snake draft" fashion. The starting player gets the first turn, and then turn passes clockwise until the last player (just before the starting player). Then the last player takes another turn, and the turn passes counterclockwise back to the starting player.

On your turn, you must choose one packet and take one employee/part in it. Discard the other cards in the packet. You must end up with one employee and one factory part, so on the second pass, you must take a packet of the kind you haven't taken.

If you take an employee, you have their power for the rest of the day. See #Employees.

If you take a factory part, also decide where you will put it on your factory. The factory has 8 slots, and you may place your factory part on any slot. You may even cover an existing part, although then you lose access to that part.

Note: Remember that on BGA, "clockwise" means going down the list of players on the sidebar.

3. Run Factory

Each player runs their factory individually. If the "Simultaneous mode" setting is turned on, everyone may run their factory simultaneously; otherwise, players take turns starting from the starting player.

You run your factory in 3 shifts. Each shift operates in the following manner:

1. Load & Push

Load a bean onto a square of the belt, then push it into the belt. This causes every square of the belt to move one to the right. The rightmost square is pushed out of the factory; any chocolate still left there immediately goes to your storeroom. (In the physical game, this step is separated into two parts Load and Push, but BGA combines them.)

2. Operate

Operate your parts in any combination in any order. Other than the special Chute part, each factory part may only be operated once per shift, and requires coal to be operated. For more information on factory parts, see #Factory parts.

• • You must have enough coal to operate a factory part.
• • You may convert 1 chocolate (of any kind) from your storeroom for 1 coal at any time during this phase. You cannot exchange chocolate that is still on the belt.
• • A factory part may only operate on chocolate on the belt square that is aligned with it (exactly above/below it).
• • Coal you spend to operate a factory part should be placed on the part (BGA will do this for you). This makes sure the part is only used once per shift.
• • You must perform Load & Push first before you can operate any part.

Many employees have abilities that can be activated during this phase. Activating employees does not cost any coal, but they can only be activated a limited number of times.

3. Clear

Remove all coal on factory parts. You are ready to perform the next shift.

Any chocolate remaining on the belt stays for the next shift; if it's the last shift, it stays for the next day. However, at the end your last shift on Saturday, retrieve all chocolate from your belt.

4. Fulfill Orders

Starting from the starting player and going clockwise, each player may fulfill orders using chocolate in their storeroom. You cannot use chocolate that's still on your belt. (Remember that at the end of Saturday's shifts, all chocolate on your belt goes into your storeroom.)

There are two types of orders.

Corner Shop orders

Corner Shop orders are personal; you have 3 Corner Shop orders that are available exclusively for you, other players cannot mess with it. Each Corner Shop order consists of 1-3 stages, ordered from bottom to top.

You have a marker on each order indicating its progress. When you get a new Corner Shop order (including at the beginning of the game), your marker starts at the bottom, below the first stage.

To complete a stage of a Corner Shop order, simply discard the exact requested amount of chocolate of the next stage. You then move your marker one stage up and earn the money indicated.

You must complete stages of a Corner Shop order in order, from bottom to top. But it is legal to complete multiple stages in the same day, whether of the same order or of different orders.

If you complete a Corner Shop order (by completing the last stage), you will replace it with a new one in a later phase this day.

Department Store orders

Department Store orders are shared among all players. There are 5 Department Stores available for the entire game. Each Department Store has a track that represents the amount of chocolate you deliver to the store. The more chocolate you supply, the higher your position on the track. The track has 9 spaces; you cannot go higher than 9 spaces.

Each Department Store has its own rules on how you can rise on the track, although most of the time you simply rise 1 step every 1 chocolate supplied. See #Department Stores.

Department Stores award money at the end of the game based on the relative position of you against the other players on each track.

5. Cleanup

Starting from the starting player and going clockwise, you perform cleanup to prepare for the next day. This entire phase is skipped at the end of Saturday; instead, simply go to the end of game.

First, you may store only up to 2 pieces of chocolate in your storeroom. You must convert any excess to coal. (The rate is the same, 1 chocolate of any kind becomes 1 coal.)

Second, you replace any completed Corner Shop orders. The Corner Shop orders come in three stacks: small (1 stage), medium (2 stages), and large (3 stages). Reveal one from each stack and take one to replace a completed order; put the rest to the bottom of their respective stacks. You may replace the order with any order, you don't have to choose the same size. If you completed multiple orders at once, you process this one by one; each time you will reveal a new set of orders.

Finally, discard all current employees and move the starting player marker clockwise.

End of game

The game ends after 6 days. There is some final scoring, described below.

Corner Shop majority

The player with the most Corner Shop orders completed earns $12. If multiple players are tied, they all earn $12 each. Count all Corner Shop orders regardless of size. Any Corner Shop order that is not yet complete doesn't count.

Department Store scoring

For each Department Store, determine the relative ranking of all players. Any player whose marker is still at 0 for the store is out of the competition for that store and will not get any money. For the rest, rank the players from highest on the track to lowest. In case players are tied, the player that reaches that space first (and so their marker is at the bottom) is ranked higher.

The player in first place gets $16.

The player in second place gets $8, but only if their marker is at least half of the first place's marker (rounded up). Otherwise they get nothing.

The player in third place gets $4, but only if the second place reward was awarded, and their marker is at least half of the second place's marker (rounded up). Otherwise they get nothing.

For example, suppose the scores on a Department Store are 5, 3, 1 respectively. The 5 gets $16. The 3 gets $8 because they are at least half of the first place. The 1 doesn't get anything because they are not at least half of the second place.

As another example, suppose the scores are 5, 2, 1 instead. The 2 doesn't get anything because they are not at least half, and the 1 doesn't get anything because the second place reward was not awarded.

Department Store diversification

If your marker is higher than zero on 3/4/5 Department Stores, you earn a bonus of $6/$12/$24. This is in addition to any Department Store scoring you have.

Remaining chocolate and coal

Each remaining chocolate/coal in your storeroom is worth $1 per piece, no matter what kind.

After all the above final scoring, the player with the most money wins. In case of a tie, the player that played later in turn order on the final day is the winner.

Factory parts

Factory parts come in several types. Your factory begins with 3 parts already printed on your board. During the first 3 days, you will add a part from the "A" stack (generally weaker). During the last 3 days, you will add a part from the "B" stack (generally stronger).

Remember that each factory part can only process the pieces available to it (exactly above/below it, not on any other belt square).

Converters

An overwhelming majority of the factory parts are converters. They take some pieces of chocolate as input and produce some pieces of chocolate as output. You must provide the exact kinds of chocolate as the input.

Sometimes you have a choice, represented by a symbol that means different kinds of chocolate (e.g. a symbol for Bar instead of specifically Chunk or Finger). If it appears in the input, you may provide any matching chocolate (e.g. if the input asks for a Bar, you can provide either Chunk or Finger). If it appears in the output, you may take any matching chocolate (e.g. if a part produces two Bars, you can take two Chunks, two Fingers, or one Chunk and one Finger).

Some converters have two options. Each time you operate it, you may only choose one option. You may not operate it twice in the same shift, even if you intend to choose two different options.

Upgraders

One starting part, one part in "A", and one part in "B" are upgraders. When you operate such part, you get a number of "upgrade points" you can spend in any way on the pieces of chocolate available for the part. For each upgrade point, choose one piece of chocolate and progress it one step in the following list:

• 1. Bean
• 2. Cocoa
• 3. any Bar: Chunk or Finger
• 4. any Wrapped: Caramel or Nut
• 5. Boxed

If you have multiple upgrade points, you can spend them in any combination on the pieces; you may even upgrade the same piece multiple times. You do not have to spend all the upgrade points, but anything you don't spend is immediately lost.

Repeaters

One part in "A" and one part in "B" are repeaters. When you operate such part, choose one piece of chocolate and create an exact copy of that chocolate in the same belt square. For the part labeled "x2", you create 1 copy (so you "double" the chocolate). For the part labeled "x3", you create 2 copies (so you "triple" the chocolate).

Chute

The chute is a special part that begins on your factory board, but is not available otherwise. The chute does not require coal to operate, and may be used any number of times each shift. Take any piece of chocolate on the corresponding belt square and immediately put it into your storeroom (without having to wait until the chocolate comes out from the right side of your factory).

You may build over the chute, but then it is not available for the rest of the game.

Employees

For each Department Store, there are 7 employees for that store. You will see 6 of them throughout the game.

To use employees that require activation (with e.g. "1x today"), click on the employee then the corresponding object. To use employees that are assigned to a part (Mechanic and Technician), to assign the employee, click on the employee then the part. Then the employee's effect is active. The other employees are automatic and you don't have to click anything to activate them.

Department Stores

Each of the five Department Stores have two "sides". For each store, one side is chosen at the start of the game.

The Palace Boutique (brown)

• • Side A: Supply any number of refined chocolate of the same kind. Progress 1 space per chocolate.
• • Side B: Supply any number of refined chocolate of different kinds. Progress 1 space per chocolate. (You must supply all chocolate for each day at once, so you're capped to progress at most 5 spaces per day without the Director's effect.)

Fresh Fancies (orange)

• • Side A: Supply any number of Chunks. Progress 1 space per chocolate.
• • Side B: Supply any number of Fingers. Progress 1 space per chocolate.

Salter's Emporium (gray)

• • Side A: Supply any number of Caramels. Progress 1 space per chocolate.
• • Side B: Supply any number of Nuts. Progress 1 space per chocolate.

House of Luxury (blue)

• • Side A: Supply any number of Boxeds. Progress 1 space per chocolate.
• • Side B: Supply any number of sets of 2 Bars. Progress 1 space per set. (For example, you can supply a total of 5 Chunks and 3 Fingers to progress 4 spaces. BGA will ask you to choose the set every time.)

Dunstan & Gilbert's (green)

• • Side A: Supply any number of sets of 2 Wrappeds/Boxeds in any combination. Progress 1 space per set. (For example, you can supply a total of 2 Caramels, 1 Nut, and 3 Boxeds to progress 3 spaces. BGA will ask you to choose the set every time.)
• • Side B: Supply exactly two chocolates in one of the following forms: two Bars (progress 2 spaces), two Wrappeds (progress 3 spaces), or two Boxeds (progress 4 spaces). No other combination of chocolates is acceptable. Progress as indicated. (Unlike the other stores, you can only supply one set every day, so you're capped to progress at most 4 spaces per day without the Director's effect.)

Solo

In the solo game, you're trying to complete all demands by the end of the week.

Your goals

There are two kinds of goals: one Weekly Target and the Demand cards. You must complete them all.

One Weekly Target is chosen at random and is revealed at the start of the game. Some Weekly Targets come with "Special Orders"; the indicated Corner Shop orders are dealt next to the Weekly Target. These orders are separate from your usual Corner Shop orders.

In addition, there are 6 Demand cards. One Demand card is revealed at the start of the game, and the other five will be revealed one by one at the start of Monday to Friday.

The goals feature a variety of objectives. For all objective types below (except chocolate order objectives), at the end of the game, you must discard the indicated amount to complete that objective. This means everything you have cannot be double-counted: for example, if you have two money goals requiring $20 and $30, you need to have $50 so that you can pay $20 for the first and $30 for the second.

• • Money objectives: Pay this amount of money from Corner Shop orders. (You don't have any final scoring.)
• • Corner Shop objectives: Discard this many completed Corner Shop orders. Some of them have size conditions.
• • Department Store objectives: Move your Department Store markers backward this many steps. If there are multiple on the same card, you must move back markers from different Department Stores. For example, five "x1 Department Store" objectives on the same card can only be satisfied by having at least 1 space on every Department Store.
• • Chocolate order objectives and Special Orders: This kind of objectives can be completed during the game instead of at the end of the game. During phase 4 (fulfilling orders), you can deliver chocolate to these objectives just like other orders. Special Orders are in the form of Corner Shop orders; as usual, you must complete the stages in order.

You win if you complete all objectives on all the goal cards. You lose otherwise.

Changes within a round

• • Phase 1 (prepare): Also reveal the next Demand card if available. (You will not reveal any on Saturday.)
• • Phase 1 (prepare): The employees are not grouped into packets. Instead, each employee is dealt on its own. Then one of the employees is discarded, according to the day: on Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu/Fri, discard the green/blue/gray/orange/brown employee. (Nothing gets discarded on Saturday.) You choose any one of the remaining employees.
• • Phase 1 (prepare): The factory parts are also not grouped into packets. Deal 4 parts separately and discard a 5th one. (On Saturday, deal 5 parts, nothing gets discarded.) You choose any one of the remaining parts.
• • Phase 5 (cleanup): Any completed Special Orders (Corner Shop orders dealt into the goals) are not replaced. Your usual Corner Shop orders are replaced as normal.
• • Phase 5 (cleanup): You may keep 6 chocolates in your storeroom instead of just 2.
• • End of game: There is no final scoring; the only money you get comes from Corner Shop orders.