You’ve Probably Been Playing Monopoly Wrong This Whole Time

Monopoly, ever-evolving wet weather contingency plan designed to teach kids about the brutality of capitalism and the importance of incremental wealth accumulation has long been the board game of choice for families across the nation. But a revelatory social media campaign suggests that we’ve all been playing the game wrong this whole time.

A games blogger at Critical Miss has identified a common misconception about the most iconic board game in the world perpetuated by generations of people who never really bothered to read the rules properly.

Here’s how we’ve been fucking it up this whole time.

When a player lands on an unowned property square it is understood that they must immediately decide whether or not they want to purchase that property. Correct. If the answer is “yes” they fork over the required Benjamins and secure the title deed. If the answer is “no” the property remains unowned until someone else lands on that square and decides to purchase it. WRONG!!

Refer to the part of the rules dedicated to 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.

Yep.

 
In a revelation that both speeds up the game and makes it more grudge-inducing, strategic and less impingement on luck, property, according to the rules we’ve not been reading this whole time, is put to auction once a player has landed on that square and decided not to purchase it. Anyone can bid on it. Even the player who passed it up. This creates a whole new strategic focus to the game which encourages players to be the biggest dicks possible i.e. jack up the prices of property other players need to complete a set or purchase property at far below the market price because no one else has the money to purchase it. It also means that the board fills up quicker, people get angrier and cash changes hands more frequently, curbing that hours-long Monopoly fatigue that can suck all the fun out of the game at its latter stages.

Consider our minds blown. We can’t wait to play this properly.