This just in...the Speed Die from Mega Monopoly is being included in new versions of the original game.

This just in...my sources inform me that nobody cares.

This just in...my sources inform me that I am not amusing anyone.

What is the 'Speed Die'.

You roll 3 instead of two dice. The third has Mr Monopoly on two faces, a 1, 2, and a 3, and a Bus.

If you get the Mr Monopoly face, then after you take your regular turn, you must do one of two things:

If there are still unowned properties on the board, you advance to the next one and buy it or put it up for auction as usual.

If there are not, you advance to the next property for which you owe a rent, and cough up.

The Bus side works with bus tickets in Mega Monopoly, so presumably the absence of bus tickets in the standard game would force some other interpretation.

If you roll the 1,2 or 3, you just move the total of the three dice. For the purposes of doubles (and another move), just look at the two base dice. If you should roll "triples", you can move to any space on the board you wish. More compelling earlier than later.

Obviously, this acts as an accelerant, making sure all the properties get scooped up sooner, and also forcing the endgame. Mega Monopoly is pretty high on my play list currently (no, really), but I haven't played it and so I don't know if it really works or not, or if the randomness of the die just makes things feel more chaotic and less rewarding. But clearly you need something like it on Mega Monopoly's larger board.

The bus in this version allows you to move either the combined amount from both the dice rolled or the amount of either one for the dice. For example if you roll a 3, a 6, and a bus you can then move either 9, 3, or 6 spaces.

I came up with a variation on Monopoly that also modifies the dice. But in my version, I have sought to make the endgame more interesting and last *longer*, because my feeling is that players get bankrupted before anyone has a real chance at making the big bucks! So in my rules I have introduced some power that can be influenced on the dice by introducing into the game what I call "die change tokens." At the start of the game, each player is awarded two special tokens. (Perhaps it is best to use pennies or dimes or other small change since a traditional Monopoly set does not include special tokens for my purposes!) Each player can use one of their special tokens after rolling the dice to change one of the die up or down one number (unless the die in question is a SIX or a ONE in which case you can only go down one or up one respectively--no changing the die to a SEVEN or a ZERO!)

I haven't tested this out enough to have come up with a balanced form of acquisition of these special tokens during the game. I was thinking you could have the option of receiving a "change die token" each time you pass go in lieu of collecting your $200 but I think this makes acquiring tokens too easy, although it makes the penalty of going to jail even more severe. Another option would be to put one "change die token" on Free Parking, although this results in the acquisition of "change die tokens" coming down too much to luck. But for people who like Free Parking and don't mind the added element of luck that playing with Free Parking adds to the game, then they could consider replacing $500 or tax monies going into the middle of the board with a "die change token."

What's fun about having "die change tokens"?

1. In the beginning of the game, acquisition of choice properties becomes easier. Like the Speed Die game, it would speed up the beginning of the game, preventing the situation of that lone property that never seems to get landed on!

2. It adds additional strategy for avoiding high rents during the endgame and preventing opponents from getting monopolies by luck in the beginning of the game.

3. It *adds* an element of strategy by choosing when to use your "die change tokens." You can abstain from using them in the beginning of the game, at the risk of your opponent getting early monopolies, but at the windfall of you being able to avoid their high rents during the endgame by employing the use of your "change die tokens" whenever you land on Ventnor Ave with 3 houses or St. James Place with a hotel. Of course, it would not protect you from being advanced to Boardwalk (unless you doggedly avoided the chance cards!) But it's unlikely you'd have enough "change die tokens" to afford this luxury of avoiding Chance every time you landed on it.

Interesting repercussions of this gameplay element:
If in a game where many monopolies are improved with houses, the monopoly with the highest rent would be avoided the most! This could create very interesting house building strategies where people would avoid having their rents be too high and scare off prospective visitors, while having to keep their rents high enough so as to make a living! This could make the Light Blues and Light Purples a more palatable monopoly.

What do you think? I think I will playtest it again today. I have only tested it once, but it was fun! Monopolies such as the light purples, the Reds and Boardwalk and Park Place become more valuable due to the Chance cards sending people there.

The rules should be readable from this photo.