Monopoly: Cheaters Edition is indicative of our times

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/01/31/monopoly-cheaters-edition-is.html

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The game was originally designed to demonstrate how awful capitalism is, and now it even more accurately reflects that. Well done, Hasbro!

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Good grief, the handcuff aspect would be infernally frustrating. Far too easy to disrupt the board and all of its contents with one swift move of your arm, intentionally or not.

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I believe that Hasbro’s research indicates that that’s how over half of all Monopoly games end anyway, so…

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Late Stage Captialism

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There’s a game called ‘Illuminati’ in which cheating was allowed. It was pretty good fun, even though I never really tried to cheat myself. Monopoly doesn’t seem complicated enough to be as fun, but it is a pretty fun idea actually.

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I guess Hasbro didn’t wanna cough up the licensing fee for ‘Monopoly Trump Administration Edition’

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They missed a huuuuuuge marketing opportunity by not replacing monocle guy’s face with Trump’s…

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I totally ruled at that game.

If you’re the banker, and you routinely slip other players extra money, they never check to see how much you’re skimming for yourself.

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Isn’t that the version where one person starts by owning all the property on the board, yet still manages to go bankrupt?

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Either the game lists specific ways in which one may “cheat” in which case it’s not cheating, but part of the rules of the game, or it simply encourages cheating as a concept in which case one can simply pick up all of the money from the bank as well as the property and houses and declare victory.

No you didn’t. I ruled, because neither version used money, (unless you controlled the Federal Reserve.)

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The very first versions of SJ Games Illuminati had little chits for money. I really liked the CCG version, but never could find anyone else to play with. That said, this card – produced in the 1995 band continues to bother me:

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I wish to advertise the excellent card game Cheating Moth. It’s basically Uno (so, trying to get rid of all your cards) plus a strictly regulated game mechanic called “cheating”, which involves ditching cards (only one at a time, not your last card, not while cheating is being adjudicated). Punishment for cheating is harsh: you must become the Guard Bug, who may not cheat. It is strictly forbidden in the rules to narc on other players, and hilarity ensues when a newbie becomes Guard Bug and the people around you are cheating like crazy. One of my favorites. ($13 on Amazon at the moment)

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I assume the rule is that getting caught is the crime, not the cheating. Considering the kind of people who want to play a game like that I expect heated discussions where the cheater denies he did anything wrong.

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Late stage capitalism, the game. Sort of like ‘trump, the game’.

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Depends on what kind of cheating you’re doing and if you’re on the Boardwalk or Vermont Ave.

Does it bother you because prescience, or because jet fuel? :wink:

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What about bribing politicians to give you a big fat subsidy on your electric company or railroad (taken from every opponent at each turn)?

I actually know these two guys. (Hi Bill! Hi Doug!)

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