Board Game Expansions: Monopoly 2.0

Monopoly is, despite all of it’s problems, actually a pretty balanced game. Now, this is assuming that you use the actual rules of the game and not the house rule variations that most of us have added in order to spice up our gaming lives. It’s also a relatively complicated game, from a math and balance perspective. How much money you get as you move around the board, versus how much you will spend on properties, versus how much you will spend in rent is a complex system. Since you’re playing AGAINST someone else, it doesn’t have to be perfect. The balance comes in part because you have the same opportunities as your opponent and if you use the real rules around auctions for properties, the game balances out relatively well.

We took our inspiration for our Monopoly expansion from the game Talisman. No, we did not add a Necromancer or the Sword of Power…although these are not terrible ideas for a game that the Queen of England has banned for her family. Instead, we built board expansions off of the four corners. Essentially, instead of just going around the board like you always had, there was an opportunity to take a slightly different path and loop around the ends of the boards. We also stole some inspiration for this from the game Careers which lets you take an inside track around sections of the board.

We designed new properties and purposes for each corner. One corner was more lucrative than many other spots, although there was an opportunity to lose a lot as well (see balance) while another corner offered you the ability to snag some low-end properties and quickly add some houses and hotels. These corner paths also gave you the opportunity to avoid spaces that might cost you.

Did it work?

Yes. And it helped with something else as well. Taking a relatively balanced system and adding pieces and mechanics and retaining the balance is an excellent way to get better at how you use mechanics and resources in your own game.

These two paths recommended by Gabe were both very helpful. Redesigning an old, basic game and building an expansion for an existing game are two great ways to get started in game design.