Author Topic: Monopoly  (Read 7964 times)

Offline Scott

  • Administrator
  • Viscount Chevalier
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 3184
  • Merit: 113
    • View Profile
    • CarcassonneCentral
Monopoly
« on: December 17, 2013, 08:50:34 PM »
What feelings did you have when you read the title of this thread? Did it bring back warm childhood memories, or did you cringe a little because by today's Euro-game standards the game of Monopoly seems archaic and outdated?

When I was growing up, there were two kinds of board games. The kind that we had in our games closet, and the kind that other people had in their games closet. We didn't have Monopoly at my house. It was a game which held a certain mystique for me. I don't know what it was, but something about the game appealed to me. I learned how to play from other people, which of course meant that I learned how to play the wrong way. Landing on Free Parking meant winning a giant pile of cash, which turned me off from the game a bit because I never seemed to land there. I wasn't until decades later that I actually read the rules and discovered the truth about Free Parking.

I always wanted my own copy of the game, but more than a decade went by until I found a copy at a second-hand shop and convinced my Mom to buy it for me. Buying games from second-hand shops was a bit of a gamble; sometimes there were pieces missing. Sure enough, this copy of Monopoly was missing one of the title deed cards and all of the tokens. This was LONG before you could easily obtain replacement components on eBay, or find an image on BGG and print your own. Some people had photoshop... I had a photocopier. I photocopied enough title deed cards to get all the letters to spell Pennsylvania Avenue, and I made a new title deed card on the photocopier. It was black and white and terrible, but it worked. Replacing the tokens was equally creative: instead of car, dog, and shoe - my Monopoly game had rubber washer, 3/16" hex nut, and wing nut. Whatever small pieces of junk I could find in the junk drawer became playing pieces.

As my brothers lost interest in playing board games, Monopoly faded into a distant memory along with everything else. Over the past year, I've been thinking about my childhood again, and all the things I wanted but never got to have. I did my research to see what was out there, find the best prices, and started buying. Eventually I remembered Monopoly, and I read all sorts of pages on BGG to see what was out there. I learned about the Stock Exchange add-on. This was interesting to me because my cousins used to play Monopoly and Stock Ticker simultaneously.

The penultimate Monopoly set seemed to be the Franklin Mint set, but according to the prices on eBay this was way out of my price range. Then I found an obscure reference on World of Monopoly to a cheaper set made by the Danbury Mint which was supposedly better. (It's better in some respects, but I also like certain things about the Franklin set.) I managed to find a copy on eBay at a price I was willing to pay, and it arrived last week. All the components are there, but no instructions. Back to the Internet, where several different versions of the rules are available. Which one to pick? What's this about a Speed Die? Hey look, the rules for Stock Exchange and all the files I need to print my own copy!

You might be able to guess what I did last Saturday. I started writing a Complete Annotated Rules for Monopoly. ::) I also started printing the Stock Exchange expansion files to upgrade my game, but I need to find some colored card stock to match the Community Chest and Chance cards. I also made a few eBay purchases to make this the best Monopoly set I can.

Next year I plan to buy a copy of the Mega Edition. Gas Company here I come!

Did you play Monopoly as a kid?
Any special memories?
What was your favorite token?
Do you still play?

Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=550.0

Offline kettlefish

  • Global Moderator
  • Chatelain Officier
  • *
  • Posts: 4682
  • Merit: 127
    • View Profile
Re: Monopoly
« Reply #1 on: December 18, 2013, 01:48:37 AM »
When you look each year in the stores (especially in the Christmas time) - you can find many versions of Monopoly.

Really good games like Carcassonne - you have to look behind the shelves with all the Monopoly.

I hate the game in my childhood and I hate already the game. I have never the chance to win. I don't like games that you know during the game that you have no choice to win. It is boring for me. Only the first part of the game I like - as long as the Hotel building don't stand on the roads...

I personally know only the classical version of Monopoly.
I know that many companies have made their "own" version of Monopoly.

Monopoly was a game that I don't like to play many years any board games.
I was in a group they tested prototypes of games - that I liked, because there were games without the typical Monopoly effect. But sometimes I liked such game so much and it was never published - that maked me sad...

Offline Paul

  • Marquis Chevalier
  • ***
  • Posts: 2491
  • Merit: 86
    • View Profile
    • sydby.com
Re: Monopoly
« Reply #2 on: December 18, 2013, 03:46:04 AM »
We used to play Monopoly here. Me, my sister, my brother and my cousin. I was literally undefeated until we went abroad to Belgium and they all ganged up on me subdued by a relative living there and finally took me down. It was the mightiest of battles and oddly our last time we played the game.
  I can see myself playing it again if we find the time. Usually it's Carcassonne these days.

From what I read in previous comments sounds like the game is hard to find. Maybe I misunderstood? Either way, though, the game's always been available here in Sweden and I do not recall the rules ever been changed past three decades.
  Most toystores also have the variants such as Star Wars Monopoly and whatever is in season. Think I saw Family Guy edition last time visited the store few days ago.

We also had Finans. If not heard of it, it has the same principle of following the path around on the board but one side of rows being of squares inside a bank allowing you to buy bonds and streets if memory serves me well.
  Also, I had a used copy of Data Finans which is similar but comes with an electronic device (missing in my version).

 :meeple:
World record holder for a single game of Carcassonne using 10 007 tiles!

Offline Tacita

  • La folia!
  • Viscount
  • ****
  • *
  • Posts: 821
  • Merit: 18
  • The last cookie!
    • View Profile
Re: Monopoly
« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2013, 05:52:33 AM »
Yepp, we played Monopoly now and then. As far as I can remember Free parking meant just that and did not have any cash on it. We never did any auctioning, that I can recall.

I think I usually played with the hat as my piece, but since I can not remember all the different pieces it might very well be wrong. The only memories I have around it are in regards to the length; the game never bloody ended! Usually the winner was certain, but the game just dragged on and on.

Given the opportunity I probably would play it again, but with auctioning.

We also played the games Yellow mentioned: (Nya) Finans and other versions. We liked those better than Monoploy.
"We do not want to make someone buy a whole set just to get a few new cards. We like our fans!" - Donald X Vaccarino

Link

Offline Bixby

  • Marquis
  • ***
  • Posts: 500
  • Merit: 18
  • Guinness is Goodness
    • View Profile
    • Bixby's Bar & Grill
Re: Monopoly
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2013, 07:22:07 AM »
I played a fair bit of Monopoly growing up. Played it a bit with our kids too over the years. We no longer own Monopoly. With the extensive game collection we have now, we just find that there are many alternatives that offer a more rewarding experience for the players. Some of our "Go To" games these days are:

Castles of Burgundy
Carcassonne
Alhambra
Crokinole
Sequence
RoboRally
Code 777
KakerlakenPoker
My KARMA ran over your DOGMA

Offline Carcking

  • Duke Chevalier
  • *
  • *
  • Posts: 1853
  • Merit: 33
  • I call Red!
    • View Profile
Re: Monopoly
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2013, 07:28:21 AM »
I have never been a fan of games of attrition. Games like Monopoly and Risk and others that eliminate players don't really fit in well at game night.

IMO Monopoly has an inherent flaw in that the trading of properties can be very subjective. In a familiar group the same people seem to make the same seemingly lopsided trades to the disadvantage of other players. It's not difficult for a particular player to dominate such play.
I just drew the perfect tile for my MonKnighThieFarmer!

Offline Nebus

  • Freeman
  • ****
  • Posts: 67
  • Merit: 1
  • Lost in the CarcaZone!
    • View Profile
Re: Monopoly
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2014, 11:35:35 AM »
I've had a love hate relationship with Monopoly. My brothers and I had a set growing up and often played it but as with brothers and games things often slipped into bickering and then chaos, to the point where I just couldn't play anymore.

Later in life when a little older I played again and in fact bought one of the special edition releases. That being said, I agree with some of the above comments about there begin some flaws in the game that can really be frustrating/annoying/maddening!

Nowadays I never play Monopoly and to be honest I'll probably never suggest playing it again whilst at home because I would much rather spend the time playing Carcassonne or one of the other games we have. But, if out at a friend's house and they suggested a game, and the mood was right then I wouldn't be against it!

 :black-meeple:

Offline Paul

  • Marquis Chevalier
  • ***
  • Posts: 2491
  • Merit: 86
    • View Profile
    • sydby.com
Re: Monopoly
« Reply #7 on: May 17, 2014, 12:46:23 PM »
The older games are pretty much like anything else old. Back then it was the best and all we had. Today, our lives are different.

I can't even remember anything I loved so dearly back then, reliving it today and felt I like it, to the full extent.

For example, the first series (G1) of Transformers back then was awesome. Few years ago, friend of mine got this on DVD and we loaded up with pizza and beer to watch it. We barely made it to the half of episode 2.
  I will always cherish the memories but some things, whether it be TV, computer games or board games, are very hard to keep alive after all these years.
  Many things will have a reboot or new versions, some succeed, some don't.

That being said, it's not all that bad, really. Once a year or so, it's fun to break out the old games such as Monopoly, giving it a another go. I see this game as one giant dice roll luck and knowing this, not taking it seriously, makes it so much fun, even if it means losing.

Last Monopoly game we played, four players, I came second almost won. An incredible feat considering I was in jail literally half the time we played and only passed Go twice. To know I would've won had I not started trading to make complete sets.  :@

 :meeple:


Share via delicious Share via digg Share via facebook Share via furl Share via linkedin Share via myspace Share via reddit Share via stumble Share via technorati Share via twitter