Philosophy & Goals

As this scenario is being developed, there are several philosophies and goals that are being followed. These goals halped shape the overall vision and provide guidance during development. The following is a summary of those philosophies:

i. A Longer, Advanced Scenario for Experienced Players

Each scenario in John Company achieves a purpose and tells a unique story:

1. The 1710 scenario introduces the base concepts of the game, functioning as a lengthy tutorial while providing enough
2. The 1813 scenario introduces the firm rules, which provide a different narrative and changes some strategies.
3. The 1758 scenario adds the deregulation vote, enabling the players to negotiate when to change from the base rules to the firm rules, while still keeping the game about 5 turns.
4. The long 1710 scenario uses the same ruleset as the 1758 scenario, with an additional length of turns to heighten the simulation and the negotiation.

John Company is a complex game and this 1733 scenario adds even more rules into the system. Therefore, this expansion is only for those who have played multiple games of the other scenarios.

Scenario Length

The thought is that this is a 4-turn scenario, using turns 2-5. Similar to the 1813 scenario, the additional rules will lead to longer turns and the turn length should account for that. Each turn represents about 15-20 years (as opposed to the 20-25 of the base scenarios), leading this scenario to be completed around the 1790s-1800s.

This will mean that this scenario is longer than the three original “short” scenarios, but it shouldn’t take as much time as a full game of the long 1710 scenario.

ii. A Scenario for Larger Groups of Players

Due to the additional board space and roles, this scenario is aimed at supporting larger player counts (4-6 players). In the base scenarios, the number of available roles do not scale with an increased player count, thus depending on firms or governorships to increase the amount of available positions. In this scenario, in addition to additional government roles, there is additional importance placed on military (and thus governors) in India. The combined effect establishes a increased pool of actions for those with larger groups who want more roles to be distributed amongst the players.

iii. Reuse Mechanisms and Components

John Company has already established a number of systems and mechanics. We want to utilize the same mechanics in this scenario. Learning the rules becomes easier and it helps this scenario to feel integrated with the base game. It also helps the players to play quicker, due to their familiarity with the existing mechanics.

Some example of the mechanics we want to keep:

1. The dice system.

   The “low-luck” dice system provides increasing but never guaranteed odds. This system is a core aspect of the game, acting as a gambling mechanic. Even if the odds are altered, we want to keep the outcome of

   • 1-2 is a success,
   • 3-4 is a failure with minor impacts, and
   • 5-6 is a catastrophic failure with major consequences

   … as a component of any dice roll.

2. Procedural offices and flow.

   This scenario will implement a few additional offices and positions. We want to integrate those into the natural procedural flow of how the company and the turn structure operates.

3. Abstract trading with orders.

   The backdrop of the game is about ecomonics and monopolies. The orders present on that represent both demand and geography. A filled order represents less demand and leverage over an area, obtaining less value. A closed order represents economic instability that prevents the Company or a firm from negotiating effectively. When the firms are involved, the initative mechanic rewards smaller, more nimble organizations (and fortunate rolling).

   Unrest represents political instability that can manifest in economic and military consequences. Having political control requires military defense and increases the risk of economic impact.

4. The prestige, law and event decks.

   To ensure the flavor and theme of the scenario, historical and scenario-specific elements need to be added. However, each deck has a specific ratio of cards that are carefully balanced. Modifying those decks will disrupt the careful balance and purpose that those decks provide. In addition, we don’t want to remove the focus from India and the history that is in the original game.

5. Export icons.

   Most of the trades in John Company are fairly abstracted. When a specific trade commodity is needed, the export icons (representing opium) are printed directly on the board on specific trade orders. Similarly, other orders that need to have specific commodities or resources should use a similar mechanic.

   Caution

   Again, these should be kept fairly low and have a very specific need/purpose.

iv. Easy to Learn, Setup and Store

The integration of this scenario in with the existing rules and components is very important.

• The original scenarios can be switched between without much impact.

  Changing between the base 1710 scenario and the other scenarios is simple. The only setup difference is using the appropriate scenario setup cards and locating any scenario-specific law cards in the deck. There is no mixing or shuffling of additional cards or components. Only a few rules are modified or removed between the scenarios; almost all of the rule changes are additive.

  Our goal for the 1733 scenario is to be similar (although more extensive): that the rules and components are as additive as possible.

  • Use the specified scenario setup cards.
  • Add the scenario-specific components and decks.
  • The scenario-specific rules are additive and should feel familiar to players.

  The hope is that there is no need to shuffle in (or remove) scenario-specific cards from the existing decks, other than locating a specific card or two during setup.

• We want to keep the additional components this scenario requires fairly small in size.

  There is not much room in the John Company: 2nd edition box. One of the common complaints is that it can be difficult to get the lid flush once the cards are sleeved. For this print-and-play scenario, we want to keep the additional boards and components small. By doing so, it increases the likelihood that this scenario could fit in the box with the original.

v. Provide Contrast and Purpose

Because each of the scenarios are unique, they not only have their own rules and setup, they also tell a unique story. Similarly, to have a reason for being, 1733 needs to tell its own story, both thematically and mechanically. While rule and mechanic consistency is important, it is also needed to add certain twists on those rules to highlight the differences in the narrative.

Caution

This somewhat contradicts the desire to be consistent with the mechanics and rules in the other scenarios. Getting the balance right is hard. One complaint of John Company is that the details on the systems and rules can be challenging to get right the first few times.

The additional rules and flavor emphasize (again) that this scenario is designed for experienced players only.