Game review: QE

On my last game night, I was introduced to QE, aka Quantitative Easing, a bidding game with a wonky economic theme. I honestly didn't expect much but I was curious how the game managed to work around such a niche concept. 

Setup: Each player gets a scoring board representing a country and a blank check, that's about it!

Gameplay: Each player, in turn, will set a price on a fictional company, for everyone else to bid on; the bids are only revealed to the price setter. The company has an intrinsic point value, and can yield more with others of the same country or industry. The conundrum is to figure how to set the price and bid, given that the only frame of reference is prior prices, the bids you observed as price setter and the scoring board (to gauge everyone's interest); add to that the tension that while there is no technically no limit to how much you can bid, there is both an incentive (bonus points) to spending less as well as a disincentive to being the heaviest spender (who gets eliminated outright regardless of scoring)

Theme: I like a theme that informs the game and helps understand and assimilate the mechanics. Here, it's mostly a wink-wink: you're a reserve bank minting money like there's no tomorrow and the blank check you get comes in as a funny (and nerdy) reminder of that; on the flip side, the bidding system doesn't entirely fit the whole bailout money premise, since it's not really competitive in nature. Ultimately, it doesn't detract from the game, as it's not geared towards an immersive experience. Once you're playing, it's all in the rearview mirror.

Impression: the whole game revolves around a pretty clever bidding system; it's easy to learn, quick to play and very interactive. Probably a bit light for avid players, but both a great casual game and filler when time is running short.

Score: 7 / 10

Cheers,

Ady