The "rules" of Monopoly

If you've ever played Monopoly, you probably haven't followed the rules. The Campaign for Real Monopoly (via marco) would like to remind you of the real rules and the reasons for sticking to them.

BUYING PROPERTY...Whenever you land on an unowned property you may buy that property from the Bank at its printed price. You receive the Title Deed card showing ownership; place it face up in front of you.

If you do not wish to buy the property, the Banker sells it at auction to the highest bidder. The buyer pays the Bank the amount of the bid in cash and receives the Title Deed card for that property. Any player, including the one who declined the option to buy it at the printed price, may bid. Bidding may start at any price.

Although, as Andy Baio notes, the rules of Monopoly weren't always the rules of Monopoly.

Contrary to popular belief, Charles Darrow didn't invent Monopoly in 1933 from scratch. It was heavily based on The Landlord's Game, an innovative board game patented in 1904 by Lizzie Magie, to be a "practical demonstration of the present system of land-grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences."

The Wire Monopoly

A version of Monopoly based on The Wire.

(via @tcarmody)

The shortest possible game of Monopoly

Here are two people playing the world's shortest Monopoly game (21 seconds long):

The four turns required are detailed here.

Helvetica Monopoly

A Helvetica-themed version of Monopoly. (via df)

Print your own Monopoly money

Unlike the US government, Hasbro lets you print out your own Monopoly money. There are PDFs for 1,5,10,20,50,100, and 500 dollar bills.

Hasbro is releasing a special "Regular Monopoly"

Hasbro is releasing a special "Regular Monopoly" edition of the popular game, following the success of hits like Star Wars Monopoly and Simpsons Monopoly.

[The game] replaces the iconic, high-valued properties of Mariowalk and Luigi Place with its own fancifully named "Boardwalk" and "Park Place."

How to win at Monopoly, a surefire

How to win at Monopoly, a surefire strategy.

Always buy Railroads; never buy Utilities (at full price). For every other property type, only buy them to complete a monopoly or to prevent opponents from completing one.

A new version of Monopoly will do

A new version of Monopoly will do away with the cash and replace it with Visa debit cards. (thx, janelle)

Winerd (wine + nerd, get it?) is a

Winerd (wine + nerd, get it?) is a board game that involves wine tasting and looks like a cross between Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, and Asshole.