In this article, I will introduce you to the basic rules of the board game Monopoly and show you how to play. The object of the game is to be the last player standing.
Set out the board
Each player picks a token for themselves and places it on go. Give each player $1,500 divided as follows – 500 s 150 s 20 s and 5 tens, fives and ones. All the remaining money stays with the game and is called the bank. One person is the banker and manages the money of the bank which must stay separate from their personal funds. Besides money, the bank holds control of all the title deeds houses and hotels. The bank pays players money and receives money.
Gameplay
Roll dice and add the total sum together, the player with the highest total goes first. On your turn, you roll both dice and add them together. Move your marker exactly that many spaces clockwise around the board. If you land on an unknown property you may buy it from the bank for the listed price. You receive the title and place it face up in front of you.
If you do not wish to buy it then the bank sells it at auction to the highest bidder. If the property is owned by another player, then pay them to rent according to the property card. Also, if they own all the properties of the same color this is called a monopoly then you must pay them double rent on unimproved properties. If they have houses or a hotel you must pay them the corresponding price. The property owner may not collect rent if he fails to ask for it before the next player rolls the dice.
If you do not have enough money you must sell houses, hotels and mortgage properties until you can pay the creditor. If you sell and mortgage everything and still doesn’t have enough money you are bankrupt and you are out of the game. You give all that you have to the creditor. Mortgage properties remain mortgaged. No player may ever give or lend money to another player as you travel around the board.
Chance and Community Chest
Several things can happen if you land on a Chance or Community Chest. You draw one card from its respected draw pile and follow the instructions on the card. If you land on a taxing pace you pay the bank the proper amount. If you land on free parking nothing happens. When you land on or pass go you collect $200 from the bank. If you roll doubles you go again unless this is the third time in a single turn. Then you go straight to jail and do not collect $200. If you land on go to jail you go immediately to jail, you do not pass go and you do not collect $200. If you land on the jail space you aren’t in jail but are visiting.
Also, if you’re in jail you still are allowed to buy and sell houses, trade with players and collect rent. However, at the start of your turn, you must pay $50 to be released from jail. Roll dice and continue your turn as normal or if you choose not to pay, you roll dice. If you roll doubles you are released from jail and move that many spaces. You do not get to roll again if you fail to roll doubles by your third turn in jail. You must pay $50 and move the number of spaces you did roll.
Trade
During the game you may only trade with other players cash, get out of jail free cards and unimproved properties. You may not sell buildings to players. You may not trade them free rent or loan players money. Also, you may not give players money. When you own all the properties of the same color you have a monopoly. You are allowed to build houses and hotels on those properties. The price of a house is listed on each property. You must build and sell houses evenly across all properties.
In a monopoly, you are not allowed to build up or break down just one property. If the bank runs out of houses to buy you must wait until another player sells houses or buys hotels before you can buy houses. When you sell houses back to the bank the bank gives you half the value you purchase them for. You may sell and buy houses during your turn or in between turns. When a player has four houses on each of their properties in a monopoly they may upgrade those properties to hotels for the cost of another house. Instead of placing the fifth house replace the four houses on the property with a hotel. A property with a hotel may not be improved further.
Houses and Hotels
There are 32 houses and 12 hotels in the game, you may not play with more than this. You may mortgage unimproved properties (that are properties that don’t have any houses or hotels on them) and the bank pays you the mortgage price. Players that land on mortgage property don’t pay rent and are not allowed to buy the mortgaged property. To unmortgage a property you must pay the bank the mortgage price plus 10%. Unimproved properties in a monopoly still receive the double rent bonus even if some of the properties are mortgaged. When paying income tax you must decide whether you are going to pay the fixed price or the 10% of your total worth of cash, properties, and buildings before adding everything up. The last player remaining wins.
While these are the printed rules to the game there are many house rules that many people play that slightly alter these rules.