D&D General D&D Monopoly

[Dausuul]

Monopoly is a terrible board game. Giving it a D&D or a Star Wars skin doesn't make it any better. There's a reason I haven't played it since I was about 12, and that's that since it was published nearly century ago there have been thousands of better boardgames made.

Most people turn Monopoly into a terrible game by adding terrible house rules (usually thinking they are playing it correctly, because whoever taught them played it that way). Two in particular drag the game out for hours:

• Not auctioning unbought properties. When a player lands on a property and doesn't buy it for the face value, you are supposed to auction it off to the highest bidder, starting at a bid of $1. If you don't do this, it takes way longer for players to build up their holdings, and it removes one of the few strategic elements in the game.
• Putting the money from fines and taxes onto Free Parking. You aren't supposed to get anything for landing here; it's just Free Parking. Taxes and fines are meant to drain cash out of the economy and push the game toward a conclusion. Recycling that money means the game never freakin' ends. (If you want to make this house rule super extra bad, throw in a bonus $500 bill just because.)

If you play the game correctly, it works fairly well for what it is: A game for general audiences that illustrates the... ah... joys of monopoly capitalism. I won't claim it is a game of deep and intricate strategy--it ain't. But it is well designed for its intended purpose.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

FR has been turned into novels, board games, video games of nearly every type, is likely going to get a TV show is getting a movie, mugs, t-shirts, dice, minis, box sets, and the first D&D setting to get the MtG treatment (whose success will likely herald the merging of Multiverses), so it's no surprise that Hasbro has made Monopoly and Clue versions of it.

It's their most popular setting for every edition since it came out. So naturally everyone thinks I'm crazy for believing a Faerun Campaign book is coming this year or early next year. FR is just looking like a an IP worth tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars.

The saddest part with all this merchandise and profits all Ed Greenwood got was a ****ing computer for the rights and stabbed in the back when they ended the novel line. They can release a flawed FR Monopoly, but not Ed Greenwood novels? WTF?

 

[Dire Bare]

What kind of discussion board is this that has so many folks cavalierly bad-wrong-funning others!?!

(So, you're saying there's hope my 11yo might stop liking it soon!?!?)

Sigh. No.

Stating that you don't like something, that you think it is bad and not fun . . . is not claiming badwrongfun. It's just expressing your opinion of a game.

Badwrongfun is "You're doing it wrong, even if you are having fun." If you instead said, "What? You like Monopoly? You think it's fun? You're wrong, and you shouldn't play that game, it's terrible!" That would be claiming badwrongfun. Which nobody here is doing.

 

[Cadence]

Sigh. No.

Stating that you don't like something, that you think it is bad and not fun . . . is not claiming badwrongfun. It's just expressing your opinion of a game.

Badwrongfun is "You're doing it wrong, even if you are having fun." If you instead said, "What? You like Monopoly? You think it's fun? You're wrong, and you shouldn't play that game, it's terrible!" That would be claiming badwrongfun. Which nobody here is doing.

I thought my second sentence made it clear I was being sarcastic/hyperobolic/whatnot


But anyway some of the posts read more as a bald judgement on its merits a la edition waring "the game is terrible" , and not a "I don't like it but ymmv*. Maybe I've just heard it toI much from hard core boardgamers and was projecting. Many of them certainly seem appalled enough if someone plays it that it seems like they mean even worse than badwrongfun.

 

[FarBeyondC]

Sigh. No.

Stating that you don't like something, that you think it is bad and not fun . . . is not claiming badwrongfun. It's just expressing your opinion of a game.

Badwrongfun is "You're doing it wrong, even if you are having fun." If you instead said, "What? You like Monopoly? You think it's fun? You're wrong, and you shouldn't play that game, it's terrible!" That would be claiming badwrongfun. Which nobody here is doing.

Counterpoint.

Expressing you think a game (and it's latest variant) is bad and/or not fun and practically nothing else, in a thread centered around discussing the release of said new variant, is effectively claiming badwrongfun because otherwise why even make the post?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Most people turn Monopoly into a terrible game by adding terrible house rules (usually thinking they are playing it correctly, because whoever taught them played it that way). Two in particular drag the game out for hours:

• Not auctioning unbought properties. When a player lands on a property and doesn't buy it for the face value, you are supposed to auction it off to the highest bidder, starting at a bid of $1. If you don't do this, it takes way longer for players to build up their holdings, and it removes one of the few strategic elements in the game.
• Putting the money from fines and taxes onto Free Parking. You aren't supposed to get anything for landing here; it's just Free Parking. Taxes and fines are meant to drain cash out of the economy and push the game toward a conclusion. Recycling that money means the game never freakin' ends. (If you want to make this house rule super extra bad, throw in a bonus $500 bill just because.)

If you play the game correctly, it works fairly well for what it is: A game for general audiences that illustrates the... ah... joys of monopoly capitalism. I won't claim it is a game of deep and intricate strategy--it ain't. But it is well designed for its intended purpose.

Every time I ever played Monopoly as a kid, we used the common stupid houserules that you describe, because that's how we were taught to play it. So of course, as an adult I've always thought that it was a terrible game.

I learned the facts that you point out a few years back. I have to admit it's... tempted me... to try to play the game properly by-the-rules. Tempted. But I haven't done it yet.

It definitely sounds like it would be much better that way.

On the subject of D&D Monopoly - I am very disappointed that "Go" "Just Visiting" "Free Parking" and "Go to Jail" spaces are traditional Monopoly squares. That's just wrong. "Go" should be "The Bounty Board" or some other version of "Start your Quest" and "Free Parking" should be "Long Rest" and "Go to Jail" should be "Town Guard"... or something more D&D-ish, anyway.

 

[Dire Bare]

I thought my second sentence made it clear I was being sarcastic/hyperobolic/whatnot


But anyway some of the posts read more as a bald judgement on its merits a la edition waring "the game is terrible" , and not a "I don't like it but ymmv*. Maybe I've just heard it toI much from hard core boardgamers and was projecting. Many of them certainly seem appalled enough if someone plays it that it seems like they mean even worse than badwrongfun.

Nope. Not clear. Not to me at least.

Folks do have a tendency to get hyperbolic over things they don't like, sure. But when someone says, "That's terrible!" You can generally assume an implied "IMO" along with the negative judgement.

Counterpoint.

Expressing you think a game (and it's latest variant) is bad and/or not fun and practically nothing else, in a thread centered around discussing the release of said new variant, is effectively claiming badwrongfun because otherwise why even make the post?

Nah. Those posting that they think Monopoly is a bad game . . . are D&D fans. They are posting their opinions on the mix of the two franchises, that D&D and Monopoly together are not their personal peanut butter cup. And that's not badwrongfun either.

If you (or anyone) enjoys Monopoly and is excited about a D&D version of it . . . post away. That would be a counterpoint worth hearing about.

 

[Dire Bare]

On the subject of D&D Monopoly - I am very disappointed that "Go" "Just Visiting" "Free Parking" and "Go to Jail" spaces are traditional Monopoly squares. That's just wrong. "Go" should be "The Bounty Board" or some other version of "Start your Quest" and "Free Parking" should be "Long Rest" and "Go to Jail" should be "Town Guard"... or something more D&D-ish, anyway.

This goes beyond just D&D Monopoly. Every specialized version of Monopoly that I've seen does the same thing. Mixes up the game in all sorts of ways, except for the corner spaces for some reason. I guess they are considered central to the Monopoly experience or brand?

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Whatever the merits of the underlying game, this strategy of creating endless editions for every conceivable IP by nonsensically changing all the proper nouns is both cynical and creatively bankrupt. This particular edition replaces the properties with living beings, many of them intelligent so it also effectively makes it into a slave trading game. Fortunately it does it in a way too brain-deadly meaningless to be offensive.

Sorry to be super negative. The whole themed monopoly shtick has worn out it's welcome with me. If this one makes you happy more power to you.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

This goes beyond just D&D Monopoly. Every specialized version of Monopoly that I've seen does the same thing. Mixes up the game in all sorts of ways, except for the corner spaces for some reason. I guess they are considered central to the Monopoly experience or brand?

I guess they think so, but it sounds like a decision made by a foolish suit with a very poor understanding of what is important to a "brand" when it comes to cross-marketing. It's a shame.