Inflation is a simple auction game for three or more players (the original rules give no upper limit; six seems like a practical maximum). The game requires a supply of counters and three decks of ten cards each. Each deck is used in turn: it is shuffled and the cards are auctioned off using open bidding. Bidding is done with the counters; every player gets one counter before each auction. The first deck contains two cards worth four points, four worth two, and four worth one. Each succeeding deck has the same distribution of cards but halves their values, e.g. the second deck has two two-point cards. Once all cards have been auctioned the player with the greatest total value of cards wins; counters are worth nothing.

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