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Monopoly/Monopoly Cheater's Edition - Original Rules

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Monopoly: Cheater's Edition, released in 2017, is a variant of Monopoly that adds an element of sleight of hand to the original game. As its name suggests it allows players to cheat - or more specifically, break the normal rules in specific ways to gain an advantage over their opponents.

Equipment

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Cheater's Edition comes with the following equipment:

  • The gameboard. It is designed with a unique aesthetic themed around the game box. In addition, the following alterations have been made:
    • The utility and tax spaces have been removed.
    • Some of the prices for the properties have been changed:
      • States Avenue/Whitehall has been lowered from 140 to 20.
      • Atlantic Avenue/Leicester Square has been lowered from 260 to 130.
      • Pennsylvania Avenue/Bond Street has been lowered from 320 to being free.
    • Connecticut Avenue/Pentonville Road's colour strip has an image of a hotel on it.
    • The four stations are no longer properties. This will be further explained later.
    • Five spaces for Cheat cards are designated in the centre of the board.
  • Six tokens (the racecar, top hat, T-rex, dog, cat and penguin), with unique designs.
  • Sixteen Chance and sixteen Community Chest cards. These have different effects themed around cheating.
  • Fifteen Cheat cards. Players will follow the instructions on these cards when attempting to cheat.
  • Sixteen hotels. There are no houses in Cheater's Edition because cheaters like to start at the top.
  • A Bank tray, which holds the money, cards and hotels. There is no Banker in Cheater's Edition - instead the Bank tray is passed between players along with the dice.
  • A pair of handcuffs attached to an orange base. These must be worn by the player currently in Jail.

Setup

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To setup the game:

  • The board is laid out on the playing surface.
  • The Chance and Community Chest card decks are shuffled and laid face down on their designated positions on the board.
  • The hotels and money are placed into the bank tray.
  • A single hotel is paced on Connecticut Avenue/Pentonville Road. The player who buys this property will receive the hotel for free.
  • The fifteen Cheat cards are shuffled, and five are dealt front side up onto the five spaces in the centre of the board. The remaining Cheat cards are placed in the Bank tray.
  • The Title Deed cards are laid face up next to their corresponding board spaces.
  • Each player selects a token and places it on GO.
  • Each player is dealt 1,500: two 500 notes, four 100 notes, one 50 note, one 20 note and three 10 notes.
  • The handcuffs are placed next to the board.
  • Each player rolls the dice. The player with the highest total goes first and receives the Bank tray, which they place in front of them. In the event of a tie, roll again.

Basic Gameplay

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Basic gameplay is the same as standard Monopoly - the players take turns rolling the dice, moving around the board according to the rolls. Rolling a double allows a player to roll again, and rolling a double three consecutive times will send a player to Jail.

Landing on Spaces

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Landing on spaces has the same effects as in standard Monopoly, with the following changes:

  • If a player lands on a Chance or Community Chest space, they draw the top card. If the card says to perform its action immediately, the player must read the card aloud and follow its instructions, after which they return the card to the bottom of its deck. Otherwise, they may keep the card face down in front of them until they are ready to use it. A player may hold on to a maximum of one card of each type. If a player draws a card whilst already in possession of a card of the same kind, the player must either use or discard one of those cards.
    • Chance and Community Chest cards may not be played in Jail (except Get Out of Jail Free cards).
    • If a player goes bankrupt, they must turn over Chance and Community Chest cards alongside their other assets.
  • Stations are not for sale. If a player lands on a station, they immediately move ahead to the next station and end their turn. If you pass GO while doing so, collect 200 as with a normal pass.
  • If a player lands on Free Parking, they must draw either a Chance or Community Chest card.
  • It is possible for an unowned property to have a Hotel on it (for example, Connecticut Avenue/Pentonville Road at the start of the game). If a player wants to buy such an unowned property, they pay the price listed on the space and receive the hotel for free.
  • If a player is in Jail, they must wear the handcuffs, with the base inserted beneath the board near them. If a player is sent to Jail whilst someone else is already there, the other player is automatically released for free and moves to the Just Visiting space. They give the handcuffs to the player taking their place.
  • Some of the cards refer to a property's "face value". This is defined as the purchase price of the property, or rent for a property with a hotel if one is present.

Cheating

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The central aspect of Monopoly: Cheater's Edition is the cheating mechanic, which allows a player to break the rules in specific ways to gain an advantage over their opponents.

Included in the game are fifteen Cheat cards, which each have two sides. On the front side, the name of the cheat is listed, along with instructions on how the cheat works (e.g. avoid paying rent). The back side states the reward for success and the penalty for getting caught. The fifteen Cheat cards are as follows:

The Cheat cards
Name of cheat What a player must do to perform this cheat Reward for success Penalty for getting caught
Extra Allowance When the player collects 200 for passing GO, they take an additional 100, for 300 total. The cheater is allowed to keep the extra 100. The cheater must return all the money they collected to the Bank and pay every other player 50 each.
Escape Artist If the player is in Jail, they take off the handcuffs. The cheater is released from Jail. If there are unowned properties left, they advance to the next one from their position and get the title deed for free. The cheater puts the handcuffs back on and remains in Jail. They must pay the player who caught them 100.
Slippery Deed The player steals a title deed, either from the Bank or from another player. The cheater is allowed to keep the property they stole and may place a hotel on it for free, provided there isn't one already. The cheater must return the title deed, pay the player who caught them 100, then go to Jail.
Shortchanged If a player owes another player, the debtor pays the creditor less money than what they actually owe. The debtor collects 100 from the Bank. The debtor must pay the remaining amount, then go to Jail.
Price Gouging If a player owes another player rent, the creditor charges the debtor more rent than they actually owe. The creditor may place a hotel on the property for free, provided there isn't one already. The creditor must return the rent, then go to Jail. If a player is sent to Jail for getting caught using this cheat, they may not collect rent for the duration of their stay.
Property Swap The player swaps one of their title deed cards for another one, owned by either another player or the Bank. The cheater keeps their new title deed and may place a hotel on the property for free, provided there isn't one already. The cheater must turn over both title deeds to the player who caught them, or to the Bank if they attempted to swap from the Bank.
Identity Theft On their turn the player moves another player's token instead of their own. The tokens stay where they are. The player whose token was moved must pay the cheater 100. The player whose token was moved puts it back, and may then place the cheater's token on any space on the board. The cheater must follow the rules of the space they were moved to.
Unlicensed Contactor The player places a hotel - either from the bank or another player's property - onto any one of their own properties. The cheater is allowed to keep the hotel on their property. The cheater must pay the Bank 100, then put the hotel back where it was.
Counterfeit Chance When the player plays a Chance card, they do whatever they want instead of what is written on the card. The action is left as is. The cheater must pay 200 to the player who caught them.
Bank Heist The player steals any amount of money from the Bank. Every other player pays the cheater 100. The cheater must pay every other player 100, then go to Jail.
Free Stay The player neglects to pay rent for an opponent's property they land on. The cheater receives the title deed for that property. The cheater must pay double the rent value to the property's owner, then go to Jail.
Squatter's Rule The player collects rent for another player's property. The cheater receives the title deed for that property. The cheater must pay the property's owner the face value of the property, then go to Jail.
Trick Dice The player moves any number of spaces they want. The cheater stays where they are and receives 200 from the Bank. The cheater moves according to their actual roll and completes the action for that space. On their next turn they must pay the player who caught them 200 and allow that player to roll for them, before taking their turn as normal.
Pickpocket The player steals any amount of money from another player. On their next turn the cheater may buy the least expensive unowned property. The cheater must turn over their least expensive property to the player they tried to steal from.
Surprise Demolition The player removes a hotel from another player's property. The cheater places the hotel on one of their own properties that does not already have a hotel. The cheater must return the hotel, pay the player who caught them 100, then go to Jail.

In the centre of the board, five Cheat cards are laid front side up. These cards specify what cheats a player may try to use. Cheats may be performed at any time.

If a player is ready to cheat, then on their turn they must secretly attempt to perform the action specified on one of the Cheat cards without anyone else noticing. They are allowed to use distractions and bluffing to help them do this.

If by the time the next player rolls the dice, no one else notices what has been done, the player got away with the cheat. They must announce this, then flip over that cheat's card and collect the reward listed. The card is then returned to the bottom of the Cheat deck and a new card is drawn.

Catching Cheaters

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If a player thinks another player cheated, the accuser must call out "CHEATER!", and explain how the player they are accusing cheated.

If the accused player is guilty, they must turn over the Cheat card and take the penalty listed on the back, before replacing the card.

If the accused player successfully proves their innocence, the accuser must pay them 100.

If the accused player is unable to prove their innocence, the other players discuss the situation and decide if they cheated or not, and who deserves the penalty.

Hotels

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Unlike standard Monopoly, in Cheater's Edition, there are no houses - properties that are part of complete colour sets are upgraded directly to hotels.

If a player wants to build a hotel on a property, they pay the price listed on the title deed and place a hotel on the property's colour strip. Hotels can also be acquired via cheating.

Unlike standard Monopoly hotels are permanent and may not be sold.

If a property with a hotel is returned to the Bank, the hotel remains on the property.

Selling Properties

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Unlike standard Monopoly, properties may not be mortgaged.

If a player does not have enough money to pay a debt they may sell properties to the Bank for the property's face value or to another player for an agreed-upon price.

End of the Game

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There are two ways a game of Cheater's Edition may end.

The first way to end the game is if all but one player goes bankrupt, as in standard Monopoly. The last player standing is the winner.

The second way to end the game begins once all of the properties have been purchased. Once this occurs, the final phase of the game begins. During this final phase, the players will move around the board one last time, making their way towards GO. Once they reach the GO space they stop, even if they have moves remaining, and collect 200 as with a normal pass. Once a player has reached GO for the final time, they stop taking turns and wait for the other players to catch up, although they can still collect and pay rent, and go bankrupt.

Once all of the players have reached GO, the players all collect rent from the Bank for each property they own, receiving each property's current rent value. Then the players count up their money, and the player with the most capital wins.

Ultimate Cheater's Mode

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Ultimate Cheater's Mode is a special rule variant that may be agreed upon before play begins. If this mode is active, then the normal "controlled cheating" rules are stripped away and the players may cheat all they like. The Chance, Community Chest and Cheat cards still give out their usual rewards, but any cheat is allowed - even outside the normal rules.