Go Faster Dice

For some reason, Monopoly has the reputation of taking hours and hours to play. Even the mention of its name causes a severe reaction within some people. For others, it seems to bring out the very competitive nature lurking within.

To counter the image of extra-long games taking days, weeks, even years to complete, Monopoly have introduced a new feature to quicken games. Now you can play faster with the Speed Die. In addition to the standard white dice, there is a red die in the newer versions. The red die is special, with 1, 2, 3, as well as a picture of a bus, and two pictures of Mr Monopoly (for the 6 sides of the die).



If all 3 dice show the same number, then you can move to any square on the board! If you get the bus, then you can move either the number of squares on one die, the other die, or both dice. If you get Mr Monopoly, then you do your turn as normal (paying rents or whatever), but then automatically move to the next unowned property which you can buy or auction. If all properties are owned, then you must move to the next property on which you can pay rent to another player.

I recently played this way with Stewart, and the properties are all snapped up very quickly. Mr Monopoly kept appearing (given that there's a 1 in 3 chance of him rather than a 1 in 6 chance for the other sides), but it's bad news when Stewart has hotels and you land on the first one with Mr Monopoly ushering you onto the second hotelled property too. In both games I regret to say, I was bankrupt.

Both games, with 2 players were finished in about an hour and a half each, which isn't bad for Monopoly. With more players, perhaps it could be quicker, although it could also get more complicated. All in all, Speed Die Monopoly is well worth it. Thank you Hasbro and Parker!