QE

To set up the game, each player is assigned a nation and receives a corresponding player board, a dry-erase marker, and a secret industry tile. The company tiles are shuffled and placed face down in a draw pile. The QE token is given to the starting player. Each player secretly looks at their industry tile, which indicates a specific industry they are trying to collect for end-game scoring.

The primary objective of QE is to accumulate the most victory points by the end of the game. Players earn points through various strategies including acquiring valuable companies, achieving nationalization by collecting companies from their own nation, monopolizing industries by gathering multiple companies of the same type, and diversifying their portfolio by collecting one company from each industry. A crucial twist is that the player who has spent the most money throughout the game is eliminated from final scoring, making careful financial management essential.

A turn begins with the current player revealing a company tile from the draw pile. This tile shows the company's value and its industry type. All players, including the current player, then secretly write down their bid on their individual dry-erase money cards. Players cannot bid the same amount as the opening bid if they are not the opening bidder. Once all bids are revealed, the player with the highest bid acquires the company tile. The amount bid by each player is recorded on their player board, and the company tile is placed face down in front of the winning player, with the bid amount written on its back.

Scoring occurs at the end of the game. Players earn points for the total value of the companies they acquired. Additional points are awarded for zero bids made during the game (only one per player per round). Nationalization points are given for collecting companies from a player's own nation (1, 3, 6, or 10 points for 1, 2, 3, or 4 companies, respectively). Monopolization points are earned for collecting multiple companies of the same industry (3, 6, or 10 points for 2, 3, or 4 companies, respectively). Diversification points are awarded for collecting one company from each of the four different industries (8 points). All these points are tallied to determine a subtotal.

The game concludes once all company tiles have been revealed and auctioned off. At this point, all players calculate their total spending throughout the game. The player who has spent the highest cumulative amount of money is immediately eliminated from the game and cannot win. The remaining players then compare their total victory points (subtotal plus points for being the lowest spender, if applicable), and the player with the highest grand total is declared the winner.