Games You Rarely See Played "Correctly"

[Reynard]

I have never seen anyone play AD&D with all the rules. I don't know if that counts as "as intended" since we know Gygax did not play it that way either, but there it is.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I definately back VtM on this one. We played it throughout the 90s and we hated the "Monster I Am, Less A Monster I Become" aspect. We always played it as a game of political intrigue within the society and had a much better game of it.

The mechanics of the various editions in the 1990s didn't always support the "monster within" aspect of the game, even if the flavor text claimed otherwise. (White Wolf was finding its way and figuring it out as they went, like a lot of game companies.)

Playing it as a game of politics or, very commonly, as Underworld, was a completely standard way to play the game instead.

 

[Arnie_Wan_Kenobi]

When they don't have the funds to do so.

Literally JUST played a two-player "RaW" game with my kid. "Just" as in, he's still stomping the t-rex through the houses and hotels as I type this (he's 8). On more then one occasion I was able to get a property at under cost because I couldn't afford the list price, but I COULD outbid the cash he had on hand, so I opened up bidding. He did the same thing to me.

I play RAW too. The game still sucks.

We also called it after "one more time around the board" after all of the properties were sold. Winner was "higest asset value + cash on hand," because I saw the game getting long and tedious. He still beat me. Again. 8 year old.

I once played "Brittany Spears Monopoly," which includes a "fast game" rule where every player starts with three randomly-drawn properties. I randomly drew Boardwalk, Park Place, and one of the yellows, I think. Made the game go extra fast. In both games, I had fun playing Monopoly, but that was probably more the people I was playing with rather than Monopoly.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Two things can be true:

1) Monopoly is a very dated game and was never a great game to begin with.

2) Everyone playing with house rules like "bonus cash on Free Parking" makes the game slower and worse.

That said, it's the most popular board game on Earth, so we'll all have to play a bunch more games of it before we die, ideally not in the middle of a game.

 

[Arnie_Wan_Kenobi]

Two things can be true:

1) Monopoly is a very dated game and was never a great game to begin with.

2) Everyone playing with house rules like "bonus cash on Free Parking" makes the game slower and worse.

That said, it's the most popular board game on Earth, so we'll all have to play a bunch more games of it before we die, ideally not in the middle of a game.

I have heard the same comment about Monopoly and Diplomacy, "The game to play with your friends when you absolutely want to have to find a new group of friends."

I liked that the directions for the edition I played today specifically called out Free Parking rules, under "To keep games short and sweet, don't use house rules!" on the back cover; "Never put cash in the center of the board..."