Franchise

Franchise arrived with the sort of suspicion I reserve for a Queen Games purchase, then disposed of it fairly quickly. The rules are simple, the table is clear, and at five players it produces that satisfying corporate grudge: everyone wants their company across America, and nobody is keen to watch you do it comfortably.

At its centre, it is an area-influence game. You establish your company’s presence and try to come out ahead on the map, without carrying a rule set that demands a second reading. The rulebook earns a quiet B: it does the job, then lets you get on with the game.

And you get on with it quickly. Downtime is close to absent, while the interaction is not merely decorative: you watch where someone is spreading, deny them space, and see a lovely expansion become their problem. With five, the pressure stays on. Who is holding that area?

I initially wondered about replayability, because its leanness might also have been its limit. Even then, though, the first impression was strongly positive: a pleasant, quick influence game that does not stop to admire itself.

Updated session

Bringing it back to the table removed that reservation. Franchise works very comfortably as a mid-range choice and has proved it can last, even when one player beats the rest of us cleanly and without apology. It is not the game that makes a noise to get your attention; it is the one you bring out again because you know it will have everyone fighting over the map at once.