Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Monopoly FAQ

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Monopoly FAQ Feb 29th 2012, 11:04 This FAQ covers frequently asked questions about the board game Monopoly. Due in large part to the widespread popularity of Monopoly, many house rules have been developed over the years, some used by many players and others used only by a few. The answers provided here relate to the official rules of Monopoly -- but you should feel free to make adjustments as you see fit, as long as all the players agree to them ahead of time. Rules and Variants Are the official Monopoly rules available online? How can I make Monopoly more fun to play? What are the best rules variants for Monopoly? Money Can I borrow money from another player? How much money does the bank have? What happens if the bank runs out of money? Is the amount of money a player has public knowledge? Can I print my own Monopoly money? Building Houses and Hotels Do I have to build evenly? When can I buy houses and hotels? What happens if we run out of houses? Property, Rent and Mortgages Are the properties a player owns public knowledge? Can I collect rent from other players while I'm in Jail? When I mortgage a property, what can I use the money for? If one property is mortgaged, what happens to others that I own in that color group? I own all four railroads, but one is mortgaged -- how much rent do I collect? Deals with Other Players Can you trade for future considerations? Are side deals allowed between players? Other Gameplay Questions When can I begin purchasing property? How much money do I win for landing on Free Parking? How do I calculate how much I owe for Income Tax? When moving around the board because of a card, do I still collect $200 if I pass Go? History of Monopoly Who invented Monopoly? When was Monopoly first published? What tokens were originally included in the game? What tokens are included today? Have the property values on the board ever changed? In how many languages has Monopoly been published? Special Editions and Collecting Monopoly How much are old Monopoly games worth? How many copies of Monopoly have been sold? How many special editions of Monopoly have been published? How can I buy a specific edition of Monopoly? Miscellaneous Where can I buy replacement parts for my game? How do I enter an official Monopoly tournament? How can I play Monopoly online? If you have any questions about the board game Monopoly which aren't answered in this FAQ, please post them in the Board/Card Games Forum. You can get answers from gamers around the world. The answers in this FAQ are based on information from a variety of sources, including the official Monopoly rules, Hasbro, Monopoly.com, USAopoly, Ken Koury's Monopoly FAQ, and Richard Wilding's Monopoly FAQ.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Top 5 Travel Games

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Top 5 Travel Games Feb 29th 2012, 11:04 Hitting the road -- or the water, or the rails, or the air -- can be a trying experience. But if you're prepared with something to pass the time, your trip will seem much shorter. These board games are all designed to go along with you. 1. Scrabble Folio Edition The classic word game is available in a deluxe travel edition, with a board that features recessed spaces to hold the letters in place and a cloth bag to carry the tiles. 2. Chess Travel Edition A variety of Chess travel editions are available, some of which are very inexpensive. Some of the Chess travel editions also come with a travel version of Checkers, but separate Checkers travel games also are available. 3. Backgammon Travel Edition Because it mixes skill and luck quite nicely, Backgammon is a good game to have along on a trip; it appeals to players of various ages. 4. Quoridor Players compete to move their pawn from one side of the board to the other, but they can also erect fences to make their opponent's journey more difficult. 5. Boggle Folio Edition The Folio Edition of the classic word game Boggle is sold in a very travel-friendly package. It's one of my favorite games, at home or on the road. What Other Gamers Say See what other gamers think are the best travel games and add your own thoughts in our discussion forum.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Top 5 Car Racing Games

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Top 5 Car Racing Games Feb 29th 2012, 11:04 I love race games, and car racing is among the most popular game themes. These are my picks for the best car racing-themed board games and card games. (Here are my picks for the best horse racing games and other race games What are your favorite race games? Share your thoughts here. 1. Formula D Image courtesy of Asmodée Editions For 2 to 10 players, ages 10 and up. Designed by Laurent Lavaur and Eric Randall. Published by Asmodée Editions. Perhaps the most popular auto racing game available today, Formula D (formerly known as Formula De) uses a creative method of gear changing -- what gear you're in determines how big the die you roll is. Navigating turns can be tricky, and you need to watch your tires. With numerous tracks available (including some city courses and others based on actual tracks around the world), this is a must-have for fans of Formula One racing. 2. Rallyman Image courtesy of Rallyman For 1 to 4 players, ages 8 and up. Designed by Jean-Christophe Bouvier. Published by Rallyman. This is a very clever race game which simulates rally racing, so every player is racing against the clock rather than head-to-head against each other. The unique dice, the modular game boards, and the forced decisions about risk-taking make Rallyman one of my favorites. 3. Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix Image courtesy of Mayfair Games For 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up. Designed by Wolfgang Kramer. Published by Mayfair Games. There are no dice in this Formula One-themed race game, as players use cards (each picturing one to six of the car colors) to move cars around the track. The game begins with players being dealt a hand of cards, then bidding to own the cars. (After the race, winnings are distributed and the player with the most cast wins.) To move cars, a card is played and each of the pictured cars are moved (if possible -- there are some very narrow passages). The double-sided board features two race courses (Detroit and Cleveland, naturally). Detroit-Cleveland Grand Prix is in the same family as Kramer's Daytona 500, Top Race, and Formel 1. 4. PitchCar Image courtesy of Ferti For 2 to 8 players, ages 6 and up. Designed by Jean du Poel, published by Ferti. PitchCar is packed with finger-flicking fun. After assembling the wooden track (which can be put together in many different ways), players take turns flicking wooden discs around the track. If your disc flies off the track, you essentially lose your turn. The winner is the first to cross the finish line after a set number of laps. It's rare that I've played a game of PitchCar without a great deal of laughter. 5. Formula Motor Racing Image courtesy of GMT Games For 3 to 6 players, ages 8 and up. Designed by Reiner Knizia. Published by GMT Games. Formula Motor Racing is the most abstracted race game on this list. Each player receives two cars of the same color; their starting positions are randomly determined. (All 12 cars are used in every race, and it is possible that a "neutral" car can win.) Players receive five cards, and each turn consists of playing one and drawing one. The cards adjust the positions of the cars in various ways, sometimes using a 12-sided die to determine the precise effect. At the end of the race, the top six cars receive points. The player with the most points wins. (Often, multiple races are held with the scores combined.)

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Dominion Strategy: Trashing Cards

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Dominion Strategy: Trashing Cards Feb 29th 2012, 11:04 Dominion, as a deck-building card game, may seem to be all about adding good cards to your deck. However, an important thing to remember is that another way to improve the average card in your deck is to trash the bad cards. Here are some beginner strategy tips on how to thin your deck. Why Deck Thinning? In a game that's all about buying more and more cards to add to your deck, it may seem counter-intuitive to destroy your own cards. But the important thing to keep in mind is that you are trying to improve the average draw in your deck. And whenever you want to improve an average, you can either add things at the high end, or remove them at the low end. Ideally, you do both. Your starting deck consists of seven Copper and three Estates. Almost every card on the board, including the Silver that is always available for purchase and affordable in your first two turns, is better than your Copper and Estates. Once you start buying cards, your new cards are trying to push your average card value up, while your Coppers and Estates hang around and pull that average value down. To look at it another way, imagine that you bought two Silver on your first two turns. Your deck is now 2/12 Silver, so you have a 1/6 chance of any card you draw being Silver, and slightly less than 50% odds that any given 5-card hand will have a silver. But let's say you manage to thin your deck and trash six of your starting cards. Now your deck is 2/6 Silver, so you have a 1/3 chance of any card being Silver, and a guarantee that your 5-card hand has a least one Silver, with a good chance of both. In short, trashing your bad cards puts your good cards into your hand more often. So now that you understand the advantage of trashing cards, what cards in the base set allow you to trash things? Chapel is, bar-none, the most powerful deck-thinning card in the game. Chapel lets you trash up to four cards in a single action, and as such, is the perfect card for any serious deck-thinning strategy. Chapel users should remember to buy Silver, lest you find yourself with not enough buying power once you've trashed all of your Copper. But if you want to get rid of your starting cards fast, Chapel is the best way to do it. The other cards will only let you trash things one at a time. Moneylender trashes a single Copper, and gives you $3. In effect, this gives you as much buying power as a Silver would have, but lets you get rid of a Copper from your deck at the same time. This helps you improve your average card value in two ways at once, by removing a lowly Copper from your Deck, and serving as a boost to your buying power to acquire a new powerful card. As with the Chapel, if you are lending all the Copper out of your deck, it is important to remember to buy some Silver (or Gold, if you can afford it) so your deck maintains buying power. Remodel allows you to trash any card, and then gain a card worth up to $2 more than the card you trashed. This can be as simple as turning a Copper into a Cellar, or as big as turning a Gold into a Province. The versatility of Remodel makes it a card worth playing the whole game through, from the early game to the late game. You can use it in the early game to get rid of your starting cards, and Estates can be turned into more Remodels. This strips your deck of a hand-clogging green card, and gives you even more Remodels to improve other cards faster. Mine is unique in that while it technically trashes a card, what it really does is improve it. The Copper (or Silver) you trash from your hand is immediately replaced with any treasure costing up to $3 more, which in the base set means a Silver (or Gold) that goes right back into your hand. In effect, the Mine accomplishes three things: It trashes a worthless Copper, it gains you a Silver, and it improves your buying power by $1. Later in the game, mining Silver into Gold is even more valuable.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Best Settlers of Catan Games

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Best Settlers of Catan Games Feb 28th 2012, 11:04 The Settlers of Catan, a board game designed by Klaus Teuber, is a worldwide phenomenon -- this board game has sold more than 6 million copies, including expansions, in Germany alone. These are my picks for the best 5 Settlers of Catan games and expansions. 1. Settlers of Catan Nothing tops the original. More than any other single game, Settlers of Catan was responsible for the growth of designer games in the U.S. On the island of Catan, players work to obtain the resources they need to build roads, towns and cities. A variable game board, a good mix of luck and skill, and strong player interaction all combine to make it a classic. For 3 or 4 players. 2. Settlers of Catan 5-6 Player Expansion This expansion simply allows one or two additional players to take part in the fun of the original game. If your gaming group regularly includes 5 or 6 people, this should be your first acquisition after the original. 3. Settlers of Catan Card Game This card game version is a complete stand-alone game for 2 players. The basic theme is the same -- use resources to build roads, cities and civic improvements -- but the game play is rather different. Gamers have mixed reactions to this game, but many find it a great way to play in the Catan universe with just two players. 4. Seafarers of Catan Expansion This expansion to the original game adds more islands, plus pirates, gold, ships, and more. A 5-6 Player Expansion is also available for Seafarers. 5. Starfarers of Catan The Catan universe moves into space as players work to colonize other planets and trade with aliens. This is a complete stand-alone game, for which a 5-6 Player Expansion is available. The game Starship Catan is a two-player card game with a similar theme.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: Breakthrough - Free Game

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Breakthrough - Free Game Feb 28th 2012, 11:04 For 2 players Equipment One 8x8 game board (a Chess/Checkers board), 16 black counters and 16 white counters. Other colors may be substituted. You can print this 8x8 game board (PDF) with black and white squares, this one (PDF) with gray and white squares, or this one (PDF) with blue and white squares. Initial Board Setup Each player -- black and white -- has 16 counters occupying two rows on opposite sides of the board (exactly as Chess is set up). Rules Choose the start player randomly. A player wins by moving one piece to the opposite side. Pieces move one space forward or diagonally forward, and capture diagonally forward. Features of the Game Breakthrough has one of the simplest rule sets among boardgames. The game develops quickly because pieces have no choice but to move forward. Draws are mathematically impossible, which is a rare feature for move-based games. The game strategy is novel and sophisticated. A piece can "skirt" around an opponent piece by moving directly in front of it, where it cannot be captured, then moving diagonally around it. As a result, a single piece cannot by itself prevent an opponent piece from "breaking through" the ranks. Defense consists of arranging pieces in tandem so that the opponent cannot skirt around them. Basic offense consists of attacking opponent pieces that guard multiple attack routes, which may open up a route. The game is intuitive and immediately playable, but very difficult to master. Breakthrough is © 2001 Dan Troyka.

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Board / Card Games: What's Hot Now: HeroScape Beginner Armies

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HeroScape Beginner Armies Feb 28th 2012, 11:04 One of the best parts of playing HeroScape is building an army and discovering how the different characters can work together. The HeroScape Master Set, Rise of the Valkyrie, includes 10 heroes and six squads with a variety of powers. Many expansions have been released, bringing the total number of heroes and squads available to more than 85. For a beginner, the army options can seem overwhelming. With a little knowledge, you can feel confident that your army will be competitive. Note: This article focuses only on the Master Set, but the figures available in expansion packs can greatly increase your army strength. Some Master Set figures, e.g. Grimnak, are significantly more powerful with expansion figures. As you gain experience with HeroScape, you'll probably want to add new heroes and squads. Heroes from HeroScape Master Set: Rise of the Valkyrie Agent Carr (100 points) Deathwalker 9000 (140) Finn the Viking Champion (80) Grimnak (120) Mimring (150) Ne-Gok-Sa (90) Raelin the Kyrie Warrior (80) Sgt Drake Alexander (110) Syvarris (100) Thorgrim the Viking Champion (80) Squads from HeroScape Master Set: Rise of the Valkyrie Airborne Elite (110) Izumi Samurai (60) Krav Maga Agents (100) Marro Warriors (50) Tarn Viking Warriors (50) Zettian Guards (70) Building an Army So that armies are generally balanced, every hero and squad in HeroScape has a cost, represented by points. The Master Set rulebook includes scenarios for 160-point, 200-point, 300-point, 400-point, and 500-point armies. There are two kinds of HeroScape armies: pre-built and drafted. Using pre-built armies means that each player selects their army without regard to what his opponents are doing with their armies. With drafted armies, each player chooses a unit in turn and you can react to what other players draft. How strong an army is depends on the map and scenario. One of the beauties of HeroScape is that there is no single best army. When putting an army together, there are three keys to keep in mind: Direct synergy. Example: Deathwalker 9000 explicitly helps the Zettian Guards with range enhancement. Explicit synergies are more common as you add figures from expansions. Indirect synergy. Example: Raelin's defensive aura helps every unit on your team, but it helps some more than others: the Izumi Samurai and the Krav Maga Agents both have special abilities which rely on good defense. Your opponents' special powers. In a draft, you have to pay attention to who your opponent has taken. For example, if your opponent chooses Sgt. Alexander, normal ranged figures are less useful because Drake's Thorian speed is strong against them. Instead, consider Mimring or Deathwalker 9000; their ranged special attacks work against Sgt. Alexander. By remembering these basics and the fact that a great deal of fun comes from exploring the HeroScape universe to learn how figures work in various situations, here are some suggestions designed to help beginning players get started. 160-Point Armies Syvarris and Izumi: The Izumis have staying power to protect Syvarris, who can use his strong ranged attack to pick off your opponents. Raelin and Izumi: Raelin's defensive aura is helpful to every figure, but giving an additional two defense to the Izumi with their counter strike power is extra deadly. Tarn Vikings and Airborne Elite: The Tarns should be able to stay alive long enough to allow the Airborne Elite to enter the game. If it works, you could have eight figures on the board. Tarn Vikings and Krav Maga: The Krav Maga are hard to kill and have good range; the Tarns are a solid hand-to-hand force. Krav Maga and Izumi: Great defense makes for great offense with this army. 200-Point Armies Krav Maga, Marro Warriors and Tarn Vikings: Range, speed and multiple attacks. Agent Carr and Krav Maga: Brute strength paired with range and defense. Grimnak and Raelin: Grimnak can chomp most of the Master Set; Raelin's defensive aura helps keep him alive. Raelin and Krav Maga: With Raelin's defensive aura helping the Krav Maga, they have a good chance to pick off the emeny. Deathwalker 9000 and Izumi: A hard team to attack because Deathwalker rolls nine defense dice and the Izumi roll five. 300-Point Armies Raelin, Krav Maga and Sgt. Alexander. Ne-Gok-Sa, Marro Warriors, Finn and Thorgrim. Mimring, Raelin and Zettian Guards. Sgt. Alexander, Airborne Elite and Finn. 400-Point Armies Agent Carr, Marro Warriors, Izumi Samurai, Ne-Gok-Sa and Syvarris. Thogrim, Krav Maga Agents, Grimnak and Agent Carr. Deathwalker 9000, Zettian Guards, Syvvaris and Ne-Gok-Sa. Deathwalker 9000, Zettian Guards and Raelin. 500-Point Armies Raelin, Izumi Samurai, Tarn Vikings, Deathwalker 9000, Zettian Guards and Krav Maga Agents. Syvvaris, Sgt. Alexander, Airborne Elite, Grimnak and Marro Warriors. Thanks to the Heroscapers.com community members who helped with this article: CornPuff, Elginb, happyjosiah, reapersaurus, Rychean and yagyuninja.

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