Factory 42 tells the story of the workweek of a Marxist dwarven society in an industrial steampunk setting. Players take the roles of factory Overseers striving to manage the most efficient workforce. It combines worker placement and a cube tower to create a resource management puzzle with a large amount of player interaction. Factory 42 is a worker-placement game set in the world of Zanziar. Two to five players compete as Dwarven factory foremen guiding their workers through the manufacturing process and earning rewards from the fulfillment of government orders. But bureaucracy hinders the smooth flowing of the factory affecting the supply of resources and penalising foremen for failing to fulfill orders. Factory quotas must be met, rivals undercut, tools improved and shady deals made. The factory production line has quotas to be met, rivals to undercut, tools to improve, and shady deals to be made. Life is tough for a Dwarf on the production line, especially for the team leaders. Players take on the roles of the foremen of Factory 42. They must manage workers and commissars to overcome bureaucracy and ensure production goals are met in order to fulfill government needs and desires.