John Company (2nd Edition)

In John Company, players assume the roles of ambitious families attempting to use the British East India Company for personal gain. The game begins in the early eighteenth-century, when the Company has a weak foothold on the subcontinent. Over the course of the game, the Company might grow into the most powerful and insidious corporation in the world or collapse under the weight of its own ambition.

John Company is a game about state-sponsored trade monopoly. Unlike most economic games players often do not control their own firms. Instead, they will collectively guide the Company by securing positions of power, attempting to steer the Company’s fate in ways that benefit their own interests. However, the Company is an unwieldy thing. It is difficult to do anything alone, and players will often need to negotiate with one another. In John Company, most everything is up for negotiation.

Ultimately, this game isn’t about wealth; it’s about reputation. Each turn some of your family members may retire from their Company positions, giving them the opportunity establish estates. Critically, players do not have full control over when these retirements happen. You will often need to borrow money from other players to make the best use for a chance of retirement. Players also gain victory points by competing in the London Season for prestige and securing fashionable properties.

John Company engages very seriously with its theme. It is meant as a frank portrait of an institution that was as dysfunctional as it was influential. Accordingly, the game wrestles many of the key themes of imperialism and globalization in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and how those developments were felt domestically. As such, this game might not be suitable for all players. Please make sure everyone in your group consents to this exploration before playing.

The second edition is extensively revised and is not a reprint.

John Company: Second Edition is a dramatic reimagining of the first edition that took over two years of extensive design and production work. 

The first edition of John Company had a very limited production budget. For this new edition, we have overhauled every element of the physical production and have done our best to make sure the design has never been more approachable for new players.

We have rebuilt every graphical element in the game to make John Company more immersive and playable. The rulebook has been dramatically expanded, with plenty of examples and a more conversational style. 

Just about everything players own can be exchanged at any time. The old promise system has been redesigned to provide players with the ability to give away future favors for crucial leverage in the heat of a negotiation. Players have never had so many ways to make a deal. 

The old event tables have been replaced with a new event system that is much easier to resolve. Use 20 beautiful punchboard tiles featuring hand-painted Ganjifa-style art by Amita Pai, to bring the subcontinent to life. Though few in number, these tiles create a dizzying array of possible situations, from the reemergence of Mughal authority, the rise of new kingdoms, or the aggressive rejection of the Company's efforts. 

For this new edition, we have dramatically improved the game's scenarios, especially those dealing with the deregulation of the Company. John Company also features a revolutionary new automata from well-regarded solo designer Ricky Royal. Players will find the negotiations no less fierce in the single and two player modes against a bot that is able to wheel and deal like a human player.