Game Like a Mother

Quick Take: I love this game. It's all the fun of Monopoly without the time commitment. It also has a nice balance of luck and strategy which means there are more twists and fluctuations for who can be in the lead than in traditional Monopoly. This game is not for everyone though. People who are risk averse or take a while to decide which card to play may struggle with the strategy. But for lovers of original Monopoly who love fast back and forth play and want to play multiple games in one evening, this is your home run pick. 

​

How to Play: The goal of the game is to end up with three monopolies. Everyone starts with five cards in their hand but the great trick is no card counts until it is played on the table, where it is vulnerable to being stolen or taken as rent from other players. There are property cards, money cards, and action cards. The action cards say on them what they are and what they do. Each turn you draw two cards and play up to three on the table or in the discard pile. There are standard Monopoly moves like collecting rent but it operates on a different and more interesting level in this game. You only need one property to collect rent and when you play a rent card it applies to all the players in the game - they all owe you money. Everything has a monetary, even action cards. Property cards are also assigned a monetary value and if you run out of funds but owe a fellow player money you will use your property to pay them. Only what is out on the table though, any cards in your hand are "safe" and untouchable. Really, if you're familiar with Monopoly it all feels reasonably familiar with just a few twists.  

​

Variations: We've never bothered with variations, if you play with someone who isn't doing as well you can gang up on other players and give the player who isn't doing as well a bit of a break and a chance to come back. 

​

Similar Games To Check Out: Sorry! Revenge, Yahtzee Hands Down, Roll for it!, Sleeping Queens, Exploding Kittens, 5 Minute Dungeon