We played with auctions when I was younger once someone read the rules. Unlike Joe, I've never seen a game of Monopoly go in less than an hour. I can see that happening only if everyone is really familiar with the game and is playing rally fast. (Of course, if Joe is Joe Huber, the speed of games he plays in is legendary.) Typical play time for us has been right around two hours.
I agree with Joe that at its heart, Monopoly is really a trading game. Purchasing the properties serves the same purpose as the minor company distribution in 18xx--it gives everyone a varied position from which to start. However, the manner in which this is done typically leads to widely varying holding values based purely on chance and takes a long time to complete. Just like some 18xx, the game can be won and lost in this phase.
As a trading game, if no one at the table is willing to trade, and no one has a natural property set, the game is going to really drag. There's not really an in game mechanism to force the game to completion, at least not quickly. The game is also going to drag if people are trading, but no one is pushing the game to the end by extracting money from their opponents.
Unfortunately, the roll and move aspects of the game can hinder everything. You can be stuck with virtually no property, so you're not really involved in the trading aspect. And a great setup in property and developments can still be undone by die rolls that favor another. Who wants to spend two plus hours doing that?
I actually did play with auctions as a kid. But the problem with many Monopoly variants is that they extend the game without adding anything - played with the rules as written, (1) the game can be finished in 45-75 minutes, (2) the focus tends to be on trading, which is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the game. This still doesn't make it a favorite - but I _do_ consider it to be an above average game, which I'm happy to play if requested
We played with auctions when I was younger once someone read the rules. Unlike Joe, I've never seen a game of Monopoly go in less than an hour. I can see that happening only if everyone is really familiar with the game and is playing rally fast. (Of course, if Joe is Joe Huber, the speed of games he plays in is legendary.) Typical play time for us has been right around two hours.
I agree with Joe that at its heart, Monopoly is really a trading game. Purchasing the properties serves the same purpose as the minor company distribution in 18xx--it gives everyone a varied position from which to start. However, the manner in which this is done typically leads to widely varying holding values based purely on chance and takes a long time to complete. Just like some 18xx, the game can be won and lost in this phase.
As a trading game, if no one at the table is willing to trade, and no one has a natural property set, the game is going to really drag. There's not really an in game mechanism to force the game to completion, at least not quickly. The game is also going to drag if people are trading, but no one is pushing the game to the end by extracting money from their opponents.
Unfortunately, the roll and move aspects of the game can hinder everything. You can be stuck with virtually no property, so you're not really involved in the trading aspect. And a great setup in property and developments can still be undone by die rolls that favor another. Who wants to spend two plus hours doing that?
Believe "Magie" is typo'ed?
Titan would be a successful game with roll-and-move and player elimination, though probably still best as a two-player game.
Yes, thank you ... fixed.
Titan was the game I was thinking of when I wrote that Footnote (although Fast Food Franchise also comes to mind).
I actually did play with auctions as a kid. But the problem with many Monopoly variants is that they extend the game without adding anything - played with the rules as written, (1) the game can be finished in 45-75 minutes, (2) the focus tends to be on trading, which is perhaps the most interesting aspect of the game. This still doesn't make it a favorite - but I _do_ consider it to be an above average game, which I'm happy to play if requested