Monopoly

Description

--- Monopoly is a property-trading board game where players acquire and develop land to bankrupt opponents, often altered by house rules that prolong play and hinder bankruptcy. Key mechanics include: - *Dice-driven movement* Players roll two dice to advance around the board. - *Property acquisition* Unowned properties can be bought or auctioned to the highest bidder, starting bids as low as $1. - *Monopoly development* Owning all properties in a color group enables building houses and hotels to increase rent income. - *Rent payment* Landing on opponents' properties requires paying rent based on land value and improvements. - *Chance/Community Chest cards* Landing on specific spaces draws cards for actions like collecting income, paying fines, or going to jail. - *Taxes and fines* Certain spaces demand tax payments or other expenditures. - *Mortgaging* Players can mortgage properties to raise cash during financial hardship. - *Jail mechanics* Players may enter jail via cards, spaces, or rolls, affecting movement. Monopoly casts players as landowners who buy, develop properties, and generate income from opponents landing on them while paying rent on others' lands, mortgaging assets amid taxes, fines, and misfortunes. Core gameplay involves rolling two dice to move, purchasing or auctioning unowned properties, developing monopolies with houses and hotels for escalated rents, drawing Chance/Community Chest cards for variable effects, and navigating non-purchasable spaces like taxes or jail. The objective is to be the last player with money, though some editions end upon first bankruptcy. Notably, despite official rules, most learn via others, leading to entrenched house rules that undermine gameplay by averting bankruptcy—such as Free Parking jackpots inflating bankrolls via centralized payments, unlimited bank "loans," or ignorance of low-bid auctions—thus slowing property acquisition and extending play indefinitely. ---