Hasbro has produced different versions of Monopoly to satisfy every niche imaginable, but its latest edition might just be the one for everyone – because who hasn’t pocketed a few bucks from the bank when no one’s looking?
After 80 years, the game-makers at Hasbro are releasing the first Monopoly Cheaters Edition, with special cards and game mechanics designed to tease out the dirty, rotten sneak in all of us.
Hasbro Canada says the game will hit the shelves on Aug. 1, at a suggested retail price of $29.99.
“Lean into those iconic (yet unspoken) Monopoly moments in which rules are bent, money is borrowed and funny business is welcome,” Hasbro said in a news release.
The game challenges players to pull off a variety of duplicitous moves, such as short-changing an opponent on the rent, sneaking a hotel onto one of your properties, faking a die roll or pocketing an extra $100 when passing Go. Successful cheaters are rewarded, while failed felonies are punished with heavy-handed justice.
The cheater’s challenges are governed by a deck of 15 cheat cards. Five of these cards are laid out on the board during play, with the results for a success or failure written on the back. Moving an opponent’s token instead of your own, for instance, will net you $100 from that player if you succeed. However, if that person catches you they’ll keep their money and get the opportunity to place your token anywhere on the board – even if it means on a fully-developed Boardwalk space.
The game ditches houses entirely (because why settle for less than a hotel?), and adds a handcuff for chaining red-handed cheaters to the Jail space.
Hasbro says approximately 50 per cent of Monopoly players have cheated at the game, according to a study cited in their press release.
Hasbro has also launched a social media campaign for Monopoly fans who still respect law and order, with a new Facebook-linked app that encourages players to report their cheating opponents. The Monopoly Cheat Bot app is designed to settle game disputes, with additional punishment meted out to players who come down on the wrong side of a rule challenge.
The game is well-known for temporarily shattering families and friendships, so much so that Hasbro once launched a hotline in the U.K. to resolve disputes around the holidays. Hasbro said at the time that approximately 51 per cent of Monopoly games end in a verbal or physical dispute.
