Alternative House Rules for MONOPOLY: Addendum to Strategic Property Depreciation
Cineviews
constructive criticsm concerning the notion of my house-rules Demolition
Process versus the original Monopoly rules' allowance of building sell-backs to
the Bank: "Why would I ever 'demolish' houses and hotels [before setting up a
Trailer Park] rather than 'sell them back to the bank' as provided for in the
original rules? Demolishing costs me 10% of the building cost, whereas selling
back GAINS me 50% of the building cost, and in either case I'm left with an
empty property on which I can build trailer parks."
[For more on the Demolition Process, please see my original Sept. 23 post
entiled: "Alternative House Rules for MONOPOLY: Strategic Property Devaluation
& Double-Dipping Rent Collection Vs. Eviction."]
Don's question inspired me to write the following addendum to my original
post.
Addendum to
STRATEGIC DEPRECIATION OF OPPONENTS' PROPERTY VALUES
Alternative House Rules for Parker Brothers' "Monopoly" game
(C) Copyright 2000 by James W. King (cine...@aol.com); All Rights Reserved.
BANKING ON RISK VS. REWARD
Just as in the real world when citizens get riled up by the notion of
somebody's intent to build some sort of property-depreciating enterprise
adjacent/near their own property, I've duplicated that notion into the game
world of Monopoly by this house rules addendum. However, please note that these
house rules apply ONLY in cases where a cash-strapped player has sold back
Houses or Hotels to the Bank for a particular Color Grup of properties and
later announces that he is going to build a Trailer Park on those same
properties. In this case and this case ONLY, the owner(s) of either or both of
the two adjacent Complete-Color-Group properties may file suit against him to
stall or prevent him from going forward with his Trailer Park.
The reason that players are given this one exceptional right to file suit
is because the player in question failed to return to its original development
the property in question from which he previously sold back those Houses or
Hotels to the Bank. In other words, if you originally had three houses on each
of the Complete-Color-Group properties in question and later sold them all off
to the Bank to raise money for yourself to meet expenses, then you would need
to re-develop the property to its original condition (three houses per
property) and then begin the proper Demolishment Process before setting up a
Trailer Park.
Again, it's NOT against the rules for a player to set up a Trailer Park on
prior-developed properties which once contained Houses and Hotels that were
sold back to the Bank for quick cash instead of having undergone the proper
Demolition Process. No, it's not against the rules, but a player who chooses
this route does so at his/her own risk, calculated or otherwise.
In terms of the internal reality of the game, although you sold those Houses
or Hotels to the Bank and their icons no longer technically appear on the board
as buildings you still own, it can be understood that in a sense those Houses
or Hotels still do exist on your land as unseen buildings owned by other
non-player entities (like the Bank). When you once again buy the Houses or
Hotels from the Bank to restore your Complete-Color-Group land properties to
their original development, you are in essence re-acquiring those original
buildings which you earlier sold back to the Bank when you were strapped for
cash.
It is assumed that when you follow the proper Demolishment Process to
"build down" developed properties containing Houses or Hotels to a Trailer
Park, you are following a proscribed legal process which cannot be challenged.
However, when you deliberately decide to circumvent that process, you leave
yourself open for possible lawsuits. [Note: If you have not yet built any
Houses or Hotels on your properties in question, then you are not prevented
from building a Trailer Park from the outset instead. And properties containing
Trailer Parks or Quickie Motels must likewise be deconstructed evenly as per
the Demolishment Process house rules that pertain to them before a player can
upgrade a property to build Houses.]
After you announce your intent to build a Trailer Park on your properties,
any neighboring player(s) owning properties directly adjacent to yours who
opposes your plans should immediately voice his/her/their objection and each
pay the Bank $25 to file suit to prevent the conversion of your property into a
Trailer Park.
It is up to Players themselves to remember or keep track of those who sell
Houses and Hotels back to the Bank. So, after announcing his intentions to
build a Trailer Park, a player who's sold back Houses or Hotels to the Bank
from the property in question does NOT of his own accord have to remind fellow
players about those past transactions. However, after he announces his Trailer
Park plans, if he/she is then asked a specific question about prior House and
Hotel sell-back transactions for that particular property or Complete Color
Group, the player must tell the truth.
When asked specific questions, a player may NEVER lie about having sold
back Houses or Hotels to the Bank. But once the Bank has already sold a player
a Trailer to park on a particular property, his fellow players may not then ask
him questions about his prior House- or Hotel-selling transactions with the
Bank for that particular property. Players may, however, ask about his prior
House- or Hotel-selling transactions with the Bank for one or more of his
properties within that same Color Group which still don't have a Trailer parked
on them. (That's why it's best to evenly develop one's property Color Group by
parking at least one Trailer on all properties from the outset to prevent this
sort of snafu.)
After a player who's announced plans for a Trailer Park has been discovered
to have sold back Houses or Hotels to the Bank without going through the proper
Demolishment Process, his fellow players, the plaintiffs, pay their respective
$25 court-filing fees to the Bank and the defendant player rolls the two
Monopoly dice to determine whether the Judge will grant or deny him permission
to go forward with his Trailer Park plans.
The numbers before each of the elevent judge-ruling entries below correspond
to the dice number thrown by the defendant:
2. TEMPORARY DENIAL: The Judge rules a temporary denial prohibiting you
from setting up a Trailer Park *on this particular turn* but you may try to
seek his permission again later -- even though you may face the same opposition
in court again. In either case, you must wait at least three turns before
announcing plans to circumvent the Demolition Process and go forward with your
Trailer Park for this Color-Group of properties OR you may reconsider and
re-think your strategy.
3. GRANTED DELUXE: The Judge not only grants you permission to begin
construction of your Trailer Park but also rules that because of his/their
having brought a nonsense suit against you, the player(s) who opposed you in
court now must *each* reimburse you to the tune of the cost of one Trailer
House.
4. FLAT INFLATIONARY DENIAL: Judge denies you permission to ever
construct a Trailer Park on your property and makes you reimburse $25 to each
legal opponent against you for the costs he/she/they incurred in filing suit
against you. Henceforth, the plaintiff owners of adjacent properties also shall
for the duration of the game receive a 50% discount on rent when landing their
tokens on this particular Color Group of properties of yours.
5. EMERGENCY GRANT IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST: Because he believes your
enterprise so advances the Public Good that all other considerations are hardly
worth his scrutiny, the Judge delivers you an emergency grant to immediatley
commence setting up your Trailer Park -- in return for an under-the-bench
campaign donation of $500. You may make the payoff either to the Bank OR put it
under "Free Parking" for the Lottery fund (to be collected when a player lands
there). If, however, you can't afford to pay the bribe or simply don't want to
pay it, then you may never build a Trailer Park on any properties of the Color
Group in question for the duration ofthe game.
6. DENIED DELUXE: The Judge not only denies you permission to set up a
Trailer Park but also rules that you must sell this particular property at 25%
of its original board price back to the Bank. The Bank immediately auctions it
off to the highest bidder. The original owner may not participate in the
bidding, even if the property goes unsold. If no other player buys it at
auction, then the property is considered available for purchase when a player's
token lands on it by exact count. If the property is still available for
purchase when the token of the original owner lands on it again, he may buy it
from the Bank and develop it.
7. GRANTED WITH BALANCED COMMUNITY PROTECTIONS: In an effort to balance
your request with appeals for Community Standards petitioned by hundreds of
citizens of local NIMBY (Not In *MY* Back Yard) citizens groups, the Judge
grants you permission to develop your property ONLY as a Trailer Park or
Housing Tract or Hotels, and for the duration of the game prohibits you and any
other player who might later acquire it from ever constructing a Quickie Motel
on it. Henceforth, the plaintiff owners of your neighboring adjacent properties
also shall for the duration of the game *each* receive 10% of all monies
collected for rent on on this particular Color-Group of properties of yours.
8. RIVETINGLY RIBBITING DENIAL: Citing protests, sit-ins and civil
unrest by ardent members of the environmental-friendly Sierra Club, the Judge
denies your request to set up a Trailer Park for the time being and imposes a
10-turn waiting period before you can go forward with your Trailer Park plans
for all properties comprising this particular Color Group of yours.
This pause will not only give the Sierra Club enough time to conduct an
approximate count of the rare and endangered species, the Great Horned Tree
Toad, inhabiting your properties but also allow the group enough time to
capture and resettle the toads in more secure environs far from the suburbs.
Afterwards, for the duration of the game, you will be obligated to check for
any remaining uncaptured Great Horned Tree Toads who escapted the initial
dragnet before you park a Trailer or construct any buildings on your properties
since the toad is on the Government's Endangered Species List.
If you happen to find some more toads, the Judge requires you to notify the
Sierra Club and skip your next turn in order to give the society enough time to
capture the more elusive toads with special handling equipment (since the toads
are infamous for their poison-laden skin). As a result, for the remainder of
the game, you will have to roll a die each time before setting up a Trailer
Park, Quickie Motel, House and/or Hotel on each and every one of these
particular Color Group properties.
If you roll an even number, that means you found no Great Horned Tree Toads
in the immediate area of your property that you're about to build on, thus
allowing you to proceed to pay the Bank for the mobile home or building and put
it on your property.
If, however, you roll an odd number, notify the Sierra Club, ignore this
property for one turn in order to allow the group to capture the toads and
*then* on your next turn thereafter you may pay the Bank for the mobile home or
building and put it on your property.
[Note: If you're wanting to develop evenly by putting one Trailer on each
of your properties at a time and that Color Group of yours has three
properties, then if you roll an odd number (meaning toads were found), you must
ignore these properties for the next three turns so that the Sierra Club can
canvass all three for toads. Thereafter, you can park a Trailer on each one of
them.]
9. BARELY GRANTED: The Judge grants you the right to not only set up a
Trailer Park but also declares the zone encompassed by this particular
Color-Group of properties of yours as an alternative enterprise zone, thereby
enabling you -- after evenly developing your properties with Trailers and then
Quickie Motels -- to build Nudist Resorts.
The construction of a Nudist Resort costs 1 Quickie Motel PLUS a $ amount
equal to the price of 10 Trailers. To figure out the amount of rent that
opponents must pay when landing on a property of yours with a Nudist Resort,
subtract 50% from the Hotel rent listed on the Title Deed card. A Nudist Resort
depreciates the rental value of adjacent Color-Group properties by 85%.
Moreover, whenever your own token lands on any of your properties of this
Color Group containing a Nudist Resort, you yourself must pay the $ amount of
its rent for resort-maintenance and landscaping-upkeep expenses. You may make
the payment either to the Bank OR put it under "Free Parking" for the Lottery
fund (to be collected when a player lands there).
[Note: Henceforth, for the duration of the game, this property may not be
used for regular Housing and Hotel construction. The Nudist Resort tokens
should be rectangular and painted pink.]
10. HEALTHY DENIAL: Citing EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) concerns
about toxic wastes found on properties comprising this particular Color-Group
of yours, the Judge denies your request to set up a Trailer Park for the time
being and imposes a 20-turn waiting time in order for the land to be properly
cleaned up, aerated and made safe for human habitation. As a result, for the
duration of the game, you will have to pay an extra 50% in cost for all
buildings -- Trailers, Quickie Motels, Houses and/or Hotels -- in order to
compensate the Government for the environmental clean-up.
11. GRANTED TO THE BONE: The Judge grants you the right to not only set
up a Trailer Park but also declares the zone encompassed by this particular
Color-Group of properties of yours as an evolving libertine free-market zone,
better known as a Red-Light District, thereby enabling you -- after evenly
developing your properties first with Trailers and then Quickie Motels -- to
construct "Gentlemen's Clubs," also known as Bordellos [sometimes called a
Brothels (but better known as a *Cathouses*)].
The contruction of a Gentlemen's Club costs 1 Quickie Motel PLUS a $ amount
equal to the price of 20 Trailers. To figure out the amount of rent that
opponents must pay when landing on a property of yours with a Gentlemen's Club,
subtract 25% from the Hotel rent listed on the Title Deed card. A Gentlemen's
Club depreciates the rental value of adjacent Color-Group properties by 95%.
Moreover, whenever your own token lands on any of your properties of this
Color Group containing a Gentlemen's Club, you yourself must pay the $ amount
of its rent as a Sin Tax. You may make the payment either to the Bank OR put it
under "Free Parking" for the Lottery fund (to be collected when a player lands
there).
[Note: Henceforth, for the duration of the game, this property may not be
used for regular Housing and Hotel construction. The Gentleman's Club tokens
should be rectangular and painted purple.]
12. DENIAL MAXIMUS: Citing archaic and obscure city zoning laws, the
Judge denies you permission to ever set up a Trailer Park on this particular
Color-Group of properties of yours -- period.
As you may have surmised, half of the eleven possible rulings above by the
Judge might offer enough temptation to inspire some players in certain game
situations to deliberately circumvent the Demolition Process for select Color
Group properties of his in order to take a calculated risk for enhancing his
long-term strategic advantage. On the other hand, his opponents may be equally
hard-pressed to decide whether to legally challenge him.
ADDING A HOTEL CASINO TO YOUR PROPERTIES
Players can upgrade their existing Hotels into Hotel Casinos.
Hotel Casinos may be bought for a $ amount equal to 10 Houses PLUS one
regular Hotel. The reason that Hotel Casinos cost so much more than regular
Hotels is that they are far more ambitious in scope, housing not only a much
grander hotel but also indoor restaurants, an amusement park and casino -- all
in one complex. For this reason, Hotel Casinos charge rent 50% higher than that
listed for Hotels on the Title Deed card. Only one Hotel Casino can be erected
per lot.
There *are* two catches, however, to adding a Hotel Casino to your property:
1. Whenever your own token lands by exact even-number count on any of your
own properties containing a Casino Hotel, you yourself must pay HALF the $
amount of its rent for maintenance, repair and groundskeeping expenses.
2. Whenever your own token lands by exact odd-number count on any of your
own properties containing a Casino Hotel, you yourself must pay DOUBLE the $
amount of its rent as a state Gambling Tax.
You may make those payments either to the Bank OR put it under "Free
Parking" for the Lottery fund (to be collected when a player lands there).
Like Houses and regular Hotels, Hotel Casinos may be resold by players to
the Bank only. This may be done at any time and the Bank will pay 50% of the
price paid for them. (Casino Hotels may be sold back to the Bank for the price
of 15 Houses.)
The simplest token to use for a Hotel Casino is a red poker chip or wooden
disk painted red.
All in all, I hope these house rules add a little more interactive interplay
and conflict and in the long make each a player armed his/her trusty handheld
calculator a better accountant. : )
-- James King
Cineviews
Hotels to more fairly balance my house rules. The section below replaces that
of my previous post.
-- James King
Corrections to the
ADDING A HOTEL CASINO TO YOUR PROPERTIES
Section of my Addendum post to my original one entitled "Strategic Depreciation
of Opponents' Property Values"
Alternative House Rules for Parker Brothers' "Monopoly" game
(C) Copyright 2000 by James W. King (cine...@aol.com); All Rights Reserved.
> ADDING A HOTEL CASINO TO YOUR PROPERTIES
Players can upgrade their existing Hotels into Hotel Casinos.
Hotel Casinos may be bought from the Bank for a $ amount equal to 5 Houses
PLUS one regular Hotel. The reason that Hotel Casinos cost double the price of
regular Hotels is that they are far more ambitious in scope, housing not only a
much grander hotel but also indoor restaurants, an amusement park and casino --
all in one complex. For this reason, Hotel Casinos charge rent 50% higher than
that listed for Hotels on the Title Deed card. Only one Hotel Casino can be
erected per lot.
There *are* two catches, however, to adding a Hotel Casino to your property:
1. Whenever your own token lands by exact even-number count on any of your
own properties containing a Casino Hotel, you yourself must pay HALF the $
amount of its rent for maintenance, repair and groundskeeping expenses.
2. Whenever your own token lands by exact odd-number count on any of your
own properties containing a Casino Hotel, you yourself must pay DOUBLE the $
amount of its rent as a state Gambling Tax.
You may make those payments either to the Bank OR put it under "Free
Parking" for the Lottery fund (to be collected when a player lands there).
Like Houses and regular Hotels, Hotel Casinos may be resold by players to
the Bank only. This may be done at any time and the Bank will pay 50% of the
price paid for them. (Casino Hotels may be sold back to the Bank for half
price. Half a Casino Hotel's price would equal the $ amount of 5 Houses.)