John Company is an interactive historical game about the rise and fall of the British East India Company, from Cole Wehrle, the designer of Root, Pax Pamir, and Oath. It’s a business game with an important twist: everyone at the table has to steer the fate of a single, sprawling organization together. Players navigate the Company’s vast bureaucracy while reckoning with the consequences of their actions on the Indian subcontinent. The original game earned wide acclaim when it was released in 2017. This second edition reimagines it with lavish components and updated gameplay that brings new strategic challenges. The game draws on more than a decade of research into how the East India Company operated, and it offers an uncompromising portrait of the people who laid the foundations of the British Empire. The publisher asks that everyone in your group agree to this exploration before playing.

Gameplay Overview: Each player leads an ambitious family trying to get rich through the Company. You place family members in Company offices, and from those positions they run trade, command armies, and manage the Company’s affairs in India. Most actions are resolved with dice, and you can buy extra dice to improve your odds, but there’s always a chance of failure. Storms might sink your ships, or an unexpected windfall might come your way. Back home, Parliament meets and can change the rules the Company plays by. Over time, families retire their members to grand estates, which earn victory points, so success means turning the Company’s fortunes into your family’s legacy. Negotiation sits at the heart of everything. Deals, favors, and betrayals shape every turn, so the table talk can be just as important as the board. The game includes several scenarios, including a solo and two-player mode where you compete against the interests of the Crown. It’s a deep, challenging experience for groups who love negotiation, history, and big strategy games.