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 fraud in history.
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!
The goal of the game is simple: Don't be the first player to go bankrupt!
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
