Q.E. Game Rules

Hey there! Ready to dive into the world of Q.E.? Let me break down the rules for you in a simple and exciting way.

First things first, let me tell you what Q.E. stands for. It’s short for “Quantitative Easing,” which is a term used to describe a process where the central bank of a country prints money to stimulate the economy.

In this game, you get to take on the role of a central bank. How cool is that? You’ll have the power to print as much money as you want, but you need to be careful because there’s a twist. The catch is that the currency you’ll be printing is measured in arbitrary units, and these units can’t be converted into any other currency.

The goal of the game is to gain the most points by bidding on different assets. These assets could be anything from a famous painting to a luxury car or even a space station. Your task is to evaluate each asset and decide how much you’re willing to bid for it.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. At the end of the game, the player with the highest bids will win the assets they bid on. But here’s the catch: the player who spent the least amount of money throughout the game will also win all the remaining assets. So even if you don’t win any bids, you still have a chance to come out on top.

To make things more challenging, there’s a time limit. You only have a certain number of turns to make your bids and prove that you are the best central banker in town.

So, what do you think? Ready to show off your financial skills and make some strategic moves? Gather your friends and let the Q.E. game begin! Remember, it’s not just about spending money; it’s about spending it wisely and winning the most assets. Good luck, and may the best central banker win!

Alright, let me break it down for you. When you open the box, you’ll find:

• 21 Company Tiles
• 5 Industry Tokens
• 5 Bid Tiles
• 5 Player Score Boards
• 5 Dry Erase Markers
• First Auctioneer Token
• Rulebook

Now that we have the materials… it’s time to understand the game’s goal.

So, picture this: you represent a country, and you’re bidding to save big companies that are on the brink of collapse during an economic crisis in 2008.

When the game ends, you’ll score points based on the companies you’ve collected. The player with the most points wins. But, here’s the catch: the player who spent the most money is out. Why? Well, they’ve gone and messed up their economy by inflating their currency.

Now that you know what the game is all about, it’s time to get set up.

1 First, I’ll give you a Bid Tile and a Player Score Board for your chosen nation. Make sure to use the correct side of the Player Score Board based on the number of players. (Note: The UK is only used in a 5-player game).

2 Next, I’ll shuffle the Industry Tokens and deal one to each player. Take a look at your Industry Token, but keep it hidden from other players. (Note: The Government Token is only used in a 5-player game).

3 Now, let’s remove some Company Tiles depending on the number of players:

If there are 3 or 4 players, we need to remove:

• the 3 UK Company Tiles
• the JP Government Tile
• the CN Government Tile

That leaves us with 16 Company Tiles in play.

If there are 5 players, we need to remove:

• the 4 1 VP Company Tiles
• the JP Agriculture Tile
• the CN Financial Tile

There will be 15 Company Tiles in play.

Step 4: Shuffle the Company Tiles face down into one stack.

Step 5: The player who most recently visited a bank is the first Auctioneer and takes The First Auctioneer Token. You keep the token for the whole game. It’s just there to remind us when a new round begins.

#image.jpg

Game Play

When you play this game with 3 or 4 players, there will be a total of 16 turns. If you have 5 players, there will be 15 turns. During each turn, a Company will be up for auction. You and the other players will have the chance to bid on the Company, and the highest bidder will win the Company Tile.

Let me break down each turn into 5 phases for you:

1. The Opening Bid

The Auctioneer:

The Auctioneer is the person who conducts the auction. They reveal the top Company Tile from the stack and put it face up on the table for everyone to see.

• They write down how much they are willing to pay for the Company on their Bid Tile and place it face up in front of them.
• The Auctioneer must bid a positive, whole number- no decimals or negatives.

2. Secret Bids

Next, it’s your turn:

• Write down your bid for the Company on your Bid Tile at the same time as everyone else.
• Hand your Bid Tile to the Auctioneer without showing it to the other players.
• You can bid any positive whole number, including zero, but not the same amount as the Auctioneer.

3. Give out the Company Tile

The Auctioneer:

• I carefully examine all the Bid Tiles.
• I announce the player who submitted the highest bid (I can even win the bid myself).
• Confidentially, I write the winning bid amount on the back of the Company Tile.
• I give the Company Tile to the highest bidder while keeping the bid amount hidden, but I leave the Tile face up so everyone can see.

If I made the highest bid, I must openly record it for everyone to see.

Note: You can always check the amounts of your own previously-won Company Tiles.

#image.jpg

Step 4: Discovering Undesired Bids and Keeping Score

(not applicable in a game with 3 players)

• Now, it’s time for the Auctioneer to unveil any bids of zero

For Those Who Bid Zero:

• You earn 2 victory points (VP)
• Remember to mark off the 2 VP spot for your zero bid in this round
• Each player can only claim the 2 VP bonus for bidding zero once per round

A “round” refers to when every player serves as the Auctioneer one time. A new round begins each time the player holding the First Auctioneer Token starts an auction.

Step 5: Wrapping Up the Sale

The Auctioneer:

• When it’s my turn as the Auctioneer, I give the Bid Tiles back to their owners so they can clean them.
• We keep playing in Phase 1 until there are no more Companies left to be auctioned. That’s when the game is over.
• After that, the player on my left becomes the new Auctioneer.

End of the Game

When everyone has received all the Company Tiles, the game comes to an end.

You have Company Tiles and Industry Tiles, and they each count separately for every category. You can use every tile for every category, but only once per category. Don’t forget to write down your scores on the Player Score Board.

To calculate your VP:

Companies

Zero Bids

Nationalization

When you have Company Tiles that match your nation, you earn Victory Points (VP). The number of VP you score depends on how many matching Companies you have. For each matching Company:

#image.jpg1 VP for 1 Company
3 VP for 2 Companies
6 VP for 3 Companies
10 VP for 4 Companies.
#image.jpg3 VP for 1 Company
6 VP for 2 Companies
10 VP for 3 Companies.

Monopolization

You can also score based on the number of Companies you own in each industry. The more Companies you have, the more VP you earn. For each industry:

#image.jpg3 VP for 2 Companies
6 VP for 3 Companies
10 VP for 4 Companies.
#image.jpg6 VP for 2 Companies
10 VP for 3 Companies
16 VP for 4 Companies.

Note: When scoring, remember to include both your Company Tiles and your face-down Industry Token. You can score in multiple Industry types.

Diversify Your Investments for Better Results

When it comes to investing, diversification is key. It’s important to spread your money across different industries to minimize risk and maximize potential returns. The more diverse your investments are, the better chances you have of earning profits.

For each set of companies that contains only unique industries, you score points. The number of points depends on the number of different industries in the set. You get 4 points for 3 different industries, and 8 points for 4. If you have more industries in the set, you earn even more points – 8 points for 3 different industries, 12 points for 4, and 17 points for 5.

Note: When calculating your score for this category, remember to include both your company tiles and your face-down industry token. You can score multiple times by creating multiple sets of companies.

Calculate Your Subtotal

Keep Track of Your Total Expenses

When you play the game, you’ll have to calculate the total amount of money you spend by adding up the values on your Company Tiles. The player who spends the most will be eliminated, and if there’s a tie, all tied players will be eliminated. On the other hand, the player who spends the least will score victory points. If there’s a tie for the least amount spent, all tied players will score the maximum number of points: 6 VP. Image of Company Tiles: [see image]. This is followed by scoring 7 VP: [see image].

At the end of the game, if there’s a tie, the player who spent the least overall will be the winner.

If there’s a tie for the highest bid, all tied players will have to bid again. The new bids must follow the normal rules and don’t have to be higher than the first bid.

After all the bids are made, they will be re-evaluated. If there’s a tie for the third time in a row, the highest bid that is not tied will win.

For games with three players, there’s a special rule. The last player to take a turn will have an advantage called the Last Tile Rule.

Hey there! Let me explain how the auction works in our game.

First things first, to make sure everyone has an equal chance at being the Auctioneer, we don’t have an Auctioneer on the last turn of a 3-player game. That way, everyone gets a fair shot!

Now, let’s talk about bidding. All three players make a secret bid, and the highest bid wins, just like you’d expect. But if there’s a tie, no one gets the Company. It’s like a little rule we have to keep things interesting.

Now, here’s a special rule for our 5-player game called the One Peek Rule.

In a 5-player game, things are a bit different. You don’t get as many chances to be the Auctioneer and see the winning bid. So, we came up with the One Peek Rule.

Basically, each player can request to see the winning bid of an auction once per game. It’s like a secret power you can use to gain an advantage. But once you use it, you have to cross off your “See the winning bid” spot. So, use it wisely!