John Company 2021 Prototype Teach

A full teach of the 1710 scenario John Company: Second Edition with designer Cole Wehrle using the current Tabletop Simulator Mod (as of March 27, 2021). Art and rules are not finalized! Posted as a teaching tool for Kickstarter campaign launching March 30.

2023 Notes: This was the video used when we launched on Kickstarter and there are many changes that were implemented in the final version of the game. If you are looking for a finalized full teach of John Company, please watch either of these videos:

[EricLebigot]

Here is an idea for a future game or video: Cole, you are in a very good position for mentioning the thematic reasons behind certain rules, so I would love it if you could mention them. It would help with remembering the rules or with simply appreciating them. The video would be a tad longer maybe, but it would maybe feel shorter because it would be more interesting than a mechanical exposition of the rules. 😀

[ilqrd.]

25 minutes in and I’m lost. A good sign!

[EricLebigot]

Here is a usability suggestion: I understand that when the marker falls on the 0 of the pass/fail track, it should be flipped, so I'm thinking that it would help if the 0 space showed a little "flip" icon. 😊

[Mutucas]

Thanks for the tutorial! Amazing way to flatten the learning curve.

[davidvelazquez]

Any chance that we'll see an update video with a playthrough of the current rules as is before the pledge manager/late pledge closes?

[scottdirrane]

With each Video I'm getting more pumped about this game. Great job! Hopefully we'll see a physical copy rules video down the line. Thanks for all your hard work.

[KristofferYiFredriksson]

Thanks for the video and congratulations on the successful kickstarter! If you find the time to add some time stamps, I would really appreciate it.

[obiezeoputa]

Thanks for the video. I have the game and can’t wait to play

[oleksiikovalskyi]

Thank you for this game and tutorial !!!

[commiejake]

I'm curious, how much, if at all, did the rules change from this teach to the final?

[EricLebigot]

Good outcomes are associated with low dice rolls. Is there a particular reason why the opposite convention (keep the highest roll, 5–6 is a success, etc.) couldn't be used? This would be similar to the common convention. I'm only in the middle of the video and realize that I may have missed something that explains the current convention...

[irene]

Tried the base game (1710) yesterday with TTS. A great game

[anja]

I have a question: it seems like the governor General is meant the director of trade obsolete, but who then can transfer existing ships to different regions? I can't seem to find it in the rulebook or on the cards so far.

[jjschm]

How much has the game changed since this video? The board on TTS right now looks different.

[yantremblay-cote]

One thing that bugs me is the combined Standing and Debt track with different markers. I feel like it's not very pratical.

[Vytautas-Kubilius]

Is the TTS mod already available? Is there a Discord group that would be patient with a new player over a weekend?;)

[kcboyfv]

Can the Director of Trade use his ability to open orders multiple times in a turn? I guess I have the same question for other similar abilities.

[analog_arnie]

Hey Drew/Cole. Can we put "old" in the title of these outdated videos? I just had a new player who watched the entire video, and sent it to our new group. Only for me to inform him that it was super out of date.

[philipsams]

Great looking game, interesting concepts and game play, but way too many fiddly rules (2X - 3X my budget) A "game about negotiation" but after an hour+ of explanation, you did not get to negotiation examples. I watched the gameplay videos and have a better idea. Maybe combine the two - gameplay with teaching in one video. It may be too late for this loved old project - I really want to back it, but having a tough time imagining getting it to the table for a gaming group unless they are all invested enough to study the rules and play multiple times. Likely rewarding fun for the right group, but unfortunately, not for me. I would have to relearn the rules between plays, and reteach - too big a barrier. Looking forward to Pax Pamir! Edit: there is some discussion of negotiation starting at 1:22:30, but watch the training videos for a much better understanding, and see page 8 of the current draft of the rules linked from the kickstarter page.

[АндрійШульга-ък]

The board and cards design are great, but gameplay is too random. 30 mins of negotiations can be busted with a roll of a die. When storms come to all seas, the company can lose almost all of its' fleet. That is totally unreasonable. I wonder how the gameplay was designed...