Last week, I tried to define what makes a board game the worst board game.
Obviously, I tried to keep it light. I genuinely strive for the tone of PuzzCulture to be positive. I love puzzles. I love games. I love RPGs. And writing about them, for the most part, is a blast, and I hope it’s fun to read about them as well.
And last week, I avoided discussing Monopoly because, well, it’s difficult to maintain a positive tone about Monopoly. I don’t particularly enjoy playing Monopoly.
Monopoly has its issues. It takes a long time to play, and if you fall behind, it’s incredibly difficult to catch up. Plus, if you get eliminated, it’s not much fun to watch other people keep going.
But Monopoly is a best-selling game. It’s one of the most well-known games. Clearly there are things about Monopoly that many people quite enjoy.
So that’s the notion behind today’s post. Let’s take a look at different aspects of Monopoly that people enjoy, and then look at other games that do those things as well or better!
That’s keeping it positive, isn’t it?
Here we go!
Maybe you enjoy buying property and building it up with enhancements and generating money with it.
That’s great. You should check out Lords of Vegas.
It’s a casino-building game set in the early days of Las Vegas. It’s got play money, dice, all sorts of strategy, plus a gambling mechanic where you can make up for monetary shortfalls. It’s a brilliant game and so so much fun.
It recently got a six-player refresh and some new mechanics, but at heart, it’s a lot of the guts of Monopoly in a more streamlined, more immersive package.
Other recommendations for property games: The Estates, Suburbia, For Sale.
Maybe it’s collecting valuable cards, negotiating and trading with other players that you enjoy most about Monopoly.
Terrific! You should try Sheriff of Nottingham.
In Sheriff of Nottingham, players collect cards that represent different goods for you to take to market — apples, chickens, bread, and cheese — as well as cards of contraband items (like spices, mead, and weapons).
Each turn, one player is the Sheriff, trying to stop the other players from sneaking contraband into the market. So you can bluff, or bribe, or try to sneak goods past the Sheriff, or just play it straight with regular goods.
The game allows for trading, cutting deals, being sneaky, and bonuses for being the person with the most of certain goods (apples, for instance) at the market. It’s a blast, and allows for lots of fun interaction throughout the game, since nobody is ever eliminated.
It’s the bargaining and negotiating aspect of Monopoly turned up to 11, but with some craftiness built into the dealings. It’s a can’t-miss choice.
Other recommendations for negotiating games: Bohnanza, Chinatown, Illuminati.
Do you like completing colored sets of items? Outmaneuvering other players? Claiming valuable property that other players want? Pretty much everything involved in Monopoly is also part of Ticket to Ride.
In Ticket to Ride, players collect cards and play cards on a map in order to complete different train routes to earn points. Not only can you score by completing those routes under your banner, but you gain bonus points if you can connect distant locations through your railways.
It covers a lot of the strategy and forward planning that made Monopoly famous, but in a sleeker, quicker package. (And like Monopoly, it has different varieties set in different locations!)
Other recommendations for Monopoly But More: Food Chain Magnate, Cosmic Encounter, Power Grid.
Oh, and if you want a totally off-the-walls Monopoly-inspired game, there’s always The Doom That Came to Atlantic City.
In this game, you crush houses to claim properties, play Chants (instead of Chance) cards, and basically try to be the best doomsday cultist at the table. It’s a race between various Lovecraftian cults, all hoping to summon their particular monstrous world-ending god before the other players can.
It’s delightfully tongue-in-cheek, a riotous time, and a hilarious inversion of a lot of classic Monopoly tropes. I highly recommend it.
Are you a Monopoly fan, fellow player? Please tell us what you love about Monopoly in the comment section below! And if you’re not a fan, tell us what you prefer to play instead!
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