
- BGG rank
- BGG #630
- BGG rating
- 7.3
QE
- 3–5 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2019

Rules assistance for Q.E.: Fifth Player Expansion
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Q.E.: Fifth Player Expansion is an expansion for Q.E. released in 2018 for 5 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Gavin Birnbaum and its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding.
This expansion allows Q.E. to be played with five players and includes an additional nation and an additional industry for that fifth player, along with new company tiles to cover these, as well as new "view winning bid" tokens which give players the option to see what the winning bid was in one auction of their choice during the game. It also introduces a new scoring opportunity: "Globalization", which awards points for players investing in companies with nationalities other than their own.
Q.E.: Fifth Player Expansion supports 5 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Q.E.: Fifth Player Expansion is 45–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Q.E.: Fifth Player Expansion for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Q.E.: Fifth Player Expansion belongs to these categories: Economic and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Auction / Bidding. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Q.E.: Fifth Player Expansion are: Gavin Birnbaum. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Q.E.: Fifth Player Expansion as an expansion for Q.E.. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Q.E. to use it. Check that your edition of Q.E. is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.