John Company (česky)

The story of John Company focuses on the British East India Company, which was founded in the early 17th century and is considered one of the world's first joint stock companies. The players, as several prominent families, work together to run the company. What is important to note, however, is that this is not a cooperative game in the slightest, which is somewhat odd at first glance, but ultimately quite logical. The aim is not to run the company efficiently, but to get to lucrative positions through it - perhaps even marrying into the royal family or being elected to the British Parliament - for which there are victory points (VB) at the end of the game.

The backbone of the game is negotiation and diplomacy between the players - I'll elect you chairman if you then put my uncle in charge of trade with the area, but well in return I want your buyer to buy primarily goods from my factory etc. Players can bribe each other, offer each other favours, but also exchange their game dice, which then act as promises. Unfulfilled promises (aka dice with other players count as negative VB at the end of the game). Promises can either be redeemed, or returned automatically on friendly gestures to opposing players.

Trade (and wars) with India are resolved by dice taking the lowest number of the entire roll - 1 and 2 are successes, 3 and 4 are minor failures, and 5 and 6 are fatal failures that cause the head of that section of the company to be immediately fired. This is not always a negative phenomenon. We've also bitten into warfare, players also indirectly build armies by buying weapons and sending family members as officers, which can bring them profits (on successful military campaigns).

This is a very unique game that is ultimately not as complex as it first appears. The author himself mentions in the rules that it only takes one person who knows the rules to teach the others "on the fly".

Package contents:
- double-sided game board
- Rulebook
- 120 dice (family members)
- 30 ships
- 30 goods tokens
- 60 game money discs
- 20 discs of closed offices and completed orders
- 60 cards (6 player cards, 8 region cards, 8 provincial office cards, 19 event cards, 18 award cards, 1 post-monopoly card)
- 10 six-sided dice
- 5 indicator dice

How to play the game (in English):