Draft:Sugarworks

Sugarworks is a strategy board game designed by Joshua Koester and Michael Young and published by Through The Ash.. Set in a candy factory, the game has players manipulate a shared system of conveyor belts to direct pieces of candy into packages and fulfill orders. Sugarworks supports one to four players and includes competitive, cooperative, and solo modes. The game was crowdfunded in 2026 following public playtesting during its development and is scheduled for commercial release in late 2026.

Gameplay

In Sugarworks, players operate a candy factory in which candy travels along conveyor belts. Players complete orders by directing the required candy into packages while manipulating the layout and operation of the factory.

Each player takes an Order Action followed by a Factory Action. Order actions allow players to take a face-up order, draw an order from the deck, or discard an available order. Players may hold up to five incomplete orders.

Factory actions allow players to reposition a candy output, place or replace a conveyor tile, or create a piece of candy by discarding an incomplete order. After all players have taken their actions, the Candy Movement phase begins and the conveyor system moves the candy through the factory.

Candy is resolved according to its type and moves according to the conveyor tiles it encounters. Candy that leaves the board without entering a shipping crate is considered lost. When one piece of candy collides with another, a mechanic called a "Bonk!" determines how the pieces move. Collisions can cause additional collisions and create chain reactions across the factory floor.

In the competitive game, play ends when the supply of one type of candy is exhausted; players then score based on their completed orders. Sugarworks also includes cooperative and solo modes.

Development and crowdfunding

Sugarworks was designed by Joshua Koester and Michael Young and is the debut title from Through The Ash, a U.S.-based tabletop game publisher founded by Koester and Young.

The game was publicly playtested during its development. In 2024, Through The Ash presented Sugarworks at the First Exposure Playtest Hall, where it was scheduled for eight playtest sessions. The version presented there already featured the shared conveyor system, order cards, and programmed candy-collision mechanics that became central elements of the game.

The game's artwork is credited to Joshua Koester, Julie Perez, and Parker Simpson. Perez contributed to the game's visual development in 2024, producing an illustration for the box and marketing materials for Through The Ash.

Sugarworks was crowdfunded in 2026. The campaign ran from February 10 to March 12, with an initial funding goal of $5,000. It ultimately raised $42,458 from 579 backers, reaching 849 percent of its original goal.

Release

Following its crowdfunding campaign, Sugarworks entered production for a planned commercial release in late 2026. The game was subsequently made available for preorder through tabletop game retailers, with retailers listing an expected release date of November 20, 2026.

Reception

Sugarworks received review and preview coverage from board-game publications and media outlets during its development and crowdfunding period. The Fifth Meeple Board Game Podcast discussed the game after sampling it at the Origins Game Fair. One of the podcast's hosts, David, compared its programming and board-manipulation elements to RoboRally, describing Sugarworks as lighter and more family-friendly. Fellow host Chris praised the game's components and highlighted the unpredictability created by the game's collision mechanic.

The game also received international coverage prior to its crowdfunding campaign. Spanish board-game reviewer Círculo Friki covered Sugarworks in January 2026, discussing its candy-factory setting, conveyor manipulation, and order-fulfillment mechanics.

In a review published by The Playground, Rufus of Boardgame Pirate praised Sugarworks for its colorful presentation and modular design, highlighting the variety created by different starting layouts, scenarios, and player abilities. The review described the game's conveyor system and chain reactions as creating a constantly changing puzzle, while noting that the rapidly shifting board state made long-term planning difficult and required players to frequently adapt their tactics. The reviewer also found the scoring straightforward and noted that watching the candy move through the factory helped keep perceived downtime relatively low..

French board-game channel DéludiK also covered Sugarworks in a dedicated video examining the game's rules and solo mode and providing a review of the game.

One Board Family also previewed Sugarworks prior to its crowdfunding campaign, featuring the game in a dedicated playthrough and discussing its programming, conveyor manipulation, and candy-collision mechanics.

Eat Drink Game previewed Sugarworks prior to its crowdfunding campaign, featuring a family playthrough of the game and discussing their experience with its candy-factory gameplay.