So You Liked Monopoly… Now What?

The shadow of Monopoly looms large over the board gaming hobby. Board game players tend to view Monopoly with distain as it has many failings (limited player agency, a runaway leader problem, veeeerrrryyyy loooonnnggg play time). People who played Monopoly and hated it are often put off board games because of it, tarring other better games with the same brush. But what of the third group of people… those who like Monopoly? Or played it and didn’t hate it! If you are one of those people, GOOD NEWS, you are in for a treat, as no matter what you liked about Monopoly there will be another game that delivers it better. To select that game you have to answer a simple question, why do you like Monopoly?

 

Nostalgia

There is bad news and good news, the bad news is that nostalgia only works on other games you played in the past; the good news is you can set up amazing future nostalgia by playing fun games now!

 

I like that it’s simple to learn

[row][one_third] [/one_third][two_third]A common complaint about getting people to try modern board games is that they are too complex and there are too many rules. For this article I’ve tried to only mention games that have reasonably simple rules. If simplicity is the only thing you are looking for, the classic gateway trio of Catan, Carcassone and Ticket to Ride, are the games to check out, but the games listed below have more in common with Monopoly.

Carcassonne, named for the famous walled city in France, sees players building and populating a grand stretch of French countryside, with farms, roads, abbeys and little walled cities. The game is also famous for introducing the little wooden people known as meeples to the board gaming world!

Catan is a game all about trading resources so that you can build roads and towns over the fictional land of Catan, that you are settling. With its emphasis on trading and some dice to roll, it is the game with the most similarities to Monopoly of the three… just about!

Ticket to Ride is about building train routes across a grand map, trying to connect destinations that you keep secret from the other players. Lots of different maps are available to expand the game, the UK map was just released in fact![/two_third][/row]

 

I like getting lots of money!

[row][one_third][/one_third][two_third]I present to you Acquire the game that Monopoly had a poster of on its wall and wished it could become. In Acquire, you buy shares in hotel chains, whilst physically making chains of the hotels on the board. When a chain changes size, so does the value of its shares. When chains collide, a merger occurs, paying out money to whoever owns the most shares in the company involved. The rules are simple, you can play it in 60-90 minutes, and you get the thrilling feel of playing the stock market![/two_third][/row]

 

I like the trading

[row][one_third][/one_third][two_third]If you play Monopoly with a strong emphasis on trading, convincing naïve friends and family to give you exactly the property you need for less money than it’s worth, you might like Chinatown. There is no dice rolling and rent charging between all your clever deals, it’s all deals all the time! You get money, building plots, and shop types and are let loose! It’s great fun and is also only 60-90 min, and whilst luck of the initial draw is a factor, if you win at Chinatown it will probably be due to you having swindled someone in an unfair trade. Great![/two_third][/row]

 

I like building properties and collecting in the money from them.

[row][one_third][/one_third][two_third]This next recommendation is a little more complex to play, but still has a simple rule set. Power grid involves building connected properties across a map, then powering them up with power plants you bought at auction. You also have to buy resources to use in the plants and pay connection costs between cities, making this a game with a lot of interesting ways to manage your economy. Best of all, the game comes with different maps for all over the world, with minor rule variations based on how the country produces energy in the real world. Educational! However don’t be convinced that this game is dull, getting new plants and spreading over the board is very satisfying, and few things in life thrill me as much as the rare “Quantum fusion plant”.[/two_third][/row]

 

 I like the competition!

Great news! The majority of games involve competing with each other. Including the others listed here, however if the economy aspect isn’t a draw at all, you might prefer playing more combative games. For this see the follow up article, “So you liked Risk….now What?” which lists combative games that are easy to pick up and play. (Matt: to be published in the next couple of weeks, stay tuned!)

 

I like feeling resentment slowly build up in the room until the atmosphere becomes unbearable.

[row][one_third][/one_third][two_third]There are many games that do this deliberately as part of the game system, rather than as an unfortunate by-product. Complex traitor games like Battlestar Galactica and Dead of Winter achieve this…. however The Resistance or Avalon would be great entry points into games with a super-charged atmosphere.[/two_third][/row]

 

I like the idea of simulating a complex economic system, and watching it slowly destroy the other people sitting at the table and then watch it destroy my own plans just as effectively, as all dreams turn to dust.

Either play 1830* or get psychological help. Whichever is easier. Personally I opted for both.

 

*Note 1830 is actually great** but is not a good choice for someone just trying board games   

 

**Matt: maybe

 

So now you’ve seen our suggestions, what would you recommend to the world’s Monopoly fans? Tell us in the comments!

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Image credit goes to Board Game Geek users: Fawkes, sbilbey, W Eric Martin, Aarontu.