John Company: Second Edition
- Players
- 1-6
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 5 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 240 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 13+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 4.5 / 5
- Year
- 2022
About the game
John Company: Second Edition puts players in charge of ambitious families jockeying for personal gain within the British East India Company. Rather than controlling their own firms, players collectively steer the Company's fate by securing positions of power and constantly negotiating with one another over money, favors, and reputation. As the Company's fortunes rise and fall, family members retire into estates, and players compete for prestige in a game that engages seriously with the history of imperialism and corporate ambition.
Hobbli's Notes
This is a heavy, thoughtful negotiation game that asks a lot of its players, both in time and in engagement with difficult historical themes. It rewards a mature, talkative group willing to lean fully into constant deal-making, and it tells genuinely surprising emergent stories as a result.
What we like
- Deep, negotiation-driven economic simulation unlike most Euro games.
- Thoughtful, serious engagement with historical themes of colonialism.
- Unique semi-cooperative structure sharing control of one company.
- Highly replayable thanks to emergent, player-driven stories.
Keep in mind
- Very long playtime, often exceeding four hours.
- Requires a fully engaged, negotiation-willing group to work well.
- Mature subject matter needs group buy-in beforehand.
- Steep learning curve for players new to the system.
Who it's for
Best for experienced, mature gamers ages 16 and up, ideally in larger groups of five to six, who enjoy heavy negotiation and historical economic simulation.
