House rules in Monopoly

[watervole]

temeres asked me what house rules I'd come across in Monopoly and mentioned one that I hadn't come across before (there's a 500 pound note in the middle of the board that goes to whoever lands on Free Parking.)

Here's a few I know of, please tell me of any other ones:

all money paid in fines goes into a pile that is claimed by anyone landing on Free Parking

No one does any trading until all properties have been bought (I'd hate that one, it could make the game drag on for hours)

Selling a hotel gets you half the price of a house and four houses. (Many people are surprised to realise this one isn't in the rules, but the rules are very clear when you read them - when you sell a hotel, you get half the price you paid for it and half the money you paid for the four houses. This rule is devastating tactically becasue of the 'build evenly' rule - you sell just one hotel and everything you've built has to come down. Our family only build hotels when we're very very certain we can afford the risk)

Variations on 'get out of jail free'. Does the card allow you to leave jail after rolling the dice? I think the rules probably don't intend it this way, but there is a bit of ambuiguity.

A lot of people forget the 10% interest when demortaging and transfering mortgaged property between players.

The rules as written tend to reduce the chance element in the game (though it is always there to a fair extent) I usually play to the rules, simply because it eliminates potential friction between players used to different house rules. It gives an ultimate arbiter when players suddenly realise they have different assumptions.

I enjoy my games without arguments, so finding ways to eliminate them in advance is useful. Competition is fun, arguments/vinditiveness are not.

Comments

[kerravonsen]

House rules can emerge even when one wasn't aware of it. One of my brothers plays Settlers of Catan with a different interpretation of "longest road"; he plays that (contrary to the rules) one loses the Longest Road card as soon as someone gets a road which is equal in length, not longer -- the card goes back in the box, to be claimed by the next person who then makes a longer road.

The problem with things like this is that one isn't actually aware that the other party plays it differently until the event happens, wheras if one is aware beforehand of the differing assumptions, one can negotiate which rules to play by.

Likewise, there are a few variations in Elfenland that we've had to sort out: whether all lakes use two rafts, or just Mare Magnum, whether one always deals 8 cards, whether one plays with obstacles, and so on.

And then you have the deliberate variations -- at least people in those cases are aware that they are variations and not house rules.

[hawkeye7.livejournal.com]

Other common house rules I've encountered:

"Once around rule": Players have to travel around the board once before properties can be purchased.

"Maximum Sentence": Rental on properties cannot be collected while you are in gaol.

"Pay rent when mortgaged": Rental on properties can still be collected when the property is mortgaged.

"Pass instead of auction": Properties are not auctioned by the bank if a player passes on it. (My sister and I always played this rule as it is better in a two-player game.)

"Income Tax on Cash": Income tax is calculated on cash rather that total worth, because that is a pain to calculate.

"Utility rental roll": The dice are rolled again on landing on a utility rather than using the roll that landed you on the utility.

"Demolish evenly rule": Houses must be demolished as well as built evenly.

For tactics, btw, some people are unaware of the "building shortage" rule which fixes the number of houses at those the set came with. Block other players with four houses on Baltic Avenue.

[temeres.livejournal.com]

If we're going into games other than Monopoly, the king of house rules must be Dungeons and Dragons, in all its variant forms. But that's a game that needs house rules.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

"Pay rent when mortgaged": Rental on properties can still be collected when the property is mortgaged.

That rather misses the point of mortgages!

"Pass instead of auction": Properties are not auctioned by the bank if a player passes on it. (My sister and I always played this rule as it is better in a two-player game.)

Sounds like you're missing a better option which is within the rules. Remember that there is nothing in the rules to forbid the player who refused to buy at the list price from bidding in the auction. I find the use of this tends to bring prices down to sensible levels in two player games.


"Income Tax on Cash": Income tax is calculated on cash rather that total worth, because that is a pain to calculate.

er. Income tax is flat rate, not a percentage.


"Demolish evenly rule": Houses must be demolished as well as built evenly.

That is how the rules read anyway.

For tactics, btw, some people are unaware of the "building shortage" rule which fixes the number of houses at those the set came with. Block other players with four houses on Baltic Avenue.

Every time - grin. Though astute players will note the rule on auctioning houses when the stock falls low and that benefits the players with more expensive houses.

[hawkida.livejournal.com]

The above all assumes that "the rules" is a single unchanging document and it appears it isn't. We got a game of Jersey Monopoly for Christmas and although it talks about selling houses it never tells you what they're worth or how to sell them!

[watervole.livejournal.com]

THat may be a byproduct of the original copyright on Monopoly expiring. People may not be reproducing the rules properly.

Houses can be sold on your turn. They can only be sold to the bank. Each house sells for half of what you paid to buy it. (the purchase price should be on the title deed for the property you build the house on)

THe official Monopoly rules may be found here
Official Monopoly Rules Page (http://richard_wilding.tripod.com/monorules.htm)