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Ponzi Scheme box art

Base game

Ponzi Scheme

Kritiku rating

Not rated

Published
2015
Reach
Niche
Players
3–5
Play time
60–90 min
Weight
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How it plays

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Main mechanics

  • Set collection
  • Trading & negotiation
  • Set collection: Scoring comes from completing the right combinations.
  • Trading & negotiation: Deals between players move the game forward.
Full publisher description

Based on the textbook example of financial scams, Ponzi Scheme is the term used to describe the technique Charles Ponzi employed in 1919 to operate one of the most notorious financial frauds in history. The goal of the game is simple: Don't be the first player to go bankrupt! In the game Ponzi Scheme , players are scammers trying to trick investors into funding fraudulent investments with the promise of extremely high returns. You need elaborate trading skills to keep your operation afloat as long as possible, and as time goes on the dividends you need to pay every turn will only pile higher and higher! But when someone declares bankruptcy, the remaining fraudster who forged the biggest shell corporation wins the game! In more detail, on each turn, players must take one new Fund card from the Funding boards along with a corresponding Industry tile and cash as indicated on the card. You need to pay the promised reward of each Fund card in a number of rounds. After all players have taken their Fund cards, they may choose to initiate an inside trade with one other player in order to buy the Industry you want with a price they can't refuse, or sell your own Industry to them with a good price. At the end of the round, players rotate their Time Wheel 1 or 2 spaces, and pay the promised reward to the bank if any Fund card is due. The game continues until at least one player cannot pay the promised reward due and goes bankrupt. That player is out of the game, and the remaining player who has the most VP on their Industry wins.

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