How to Play Monopoly
More Ways To Play Monopoly
Monopoly is the board game most often played out of all the board games in the world, according to Hasbro.
If you’ve got a craving to play it, here are a few ideas on how to play Monopoly in a way that reduces the monotony.
First, set a time limit
Decide exactly when the game will stop, and then stick to it. You can set up a hard time limit or set a limit on the amount of turns the game will last. Once you reach the end, call an end to the game, add up assets, and declare the winner.
Second, consider keeping free parking free.
Many
Monopoly players introduce a house rule wherein landing on the “Free
Parking” square nets the played something like a fixed amount of cash, the
accumulated Community Chest and Chance winnings, or the like. This is a bad
idea. Putting more money in circulation is doesn't make Monopoly any more
fun to play, especially when the cash is dished out by the whim of the dice.
It just prolongs the game, and makes it even more luck-based.
Third, consider a closed-bid auction system.
Some players have found Monopoly’s official auction process intimidating or time-consuming. If you agree but still want to have auctions, you can just switch to a closed-bid system. Have each player write down a top bid on a slip of paper and give them to the banker. The top bidder wins the auction, and will pay the amount the second highest bidder wrote.
Fourth, try raising the prices
Oftentimes, Monopoly players find there is just too much money flying around. If you have a lot of money, there is less focus on strategy; purchasing decisions become unimportant. Since those decisions are usually the only type of decisions you will be making for most of the game, that is a big loss. Consider increasing the face value of all properties by 50 percent or even 100 percent, and keep all other game values (including the mortgages) the same. If your money does not stretch as far, the player thinks more about where to spend it.
Fifth, try auctioning off the first turn
After all, in Monopoly, the player who ends up going first knows knows they won't start off paying rent. On the flip side, the player whose turn is last is likely to see many of the starting row of property already purchased, and thus is also more likely to wind up having rent to pay. If all the the players bid for the first turn opportunity with some of the starting money, it makes the game much more strategic and exciting.
Six, how about ditching utilities?
Or at least making them more worthwhile by making them fifth and sixth railroads. Keep their cost the same as the other railroad properties. Afterward, you then just need to increase the rent values in proportion for players holding five or six “railroads”.
Finally, consider allowing for bartering
Many Monopoly games ending up adopting this rule as the game progresses on. It seems natural, as adding another human dimension to to Monopoly deepens its strategy. With bartering, all deals agreed to between players are on. Want to loan money and charge interest? Go right ahead. Wish to trade your properties to get someone else's Get Out Of Jail Free card? That's not a problem. Have the idea to give another player some free rent on a property you own, or care arrange a profit-share deal? Go right ahead. Just be sure you are prepared for a topsy-turvy, if engrossing, Monopoly session of both skulduggery and strategy.