Monopoly: European Edition

Monopoly: European Edition Rulebook

Table of Contents

Object of the Game

Be the last player still in the game, that is, the last player who has not gone bankrupt.

Preparation

Take the Bank tray and place the Houses, Hotels, Title Deeds and banknotes in their compartments, sorted by value.
The first time you play, detach the rubber feet and fit them under the corners of the "sabots" (card holders). Place the card holders on their marked spaces on the board.
Detach the Chance and Community Chest cards, shuffle each deck, and place them face down in the matching card holders.
Each player chooses a token and places it on the "Départ" (GO) space.
The Banker and the Bank. Choose one player to be the Banker. If there are more than 5 players, one of the players may decide to act only as Banker.

The Banker gives each player 150,000 Francs, made up as follows:
- 2 notes of 50,000 Frs
- 2 notes of 1,000 Frs
- 4 notes of 10,000 Frs
- 1 note of 500 Frs
- 1 note of 5,000 Frs
- 5 notes of 100 Frs
- 1 note of 2,000 Frs
The Bank keeps all the remaining money, as well as the Title Deeds, Houses and Hotels, until they are bought by players. The Bank also pays salaries and bonuses, lends money against mortgages, and collects money from taxes, fines, penalties, interest paid to lift mortgages, and the sale of properties. When auctions take place, the Banker acts as auctioneer.

The Bank can never "go bankrupt." If the Bank runs out of money, it may issue "IOUs" to players it cannot pay: the Banker writes the amount owed on a sheet of paper.
Each player then rolls both dice. The player who obtains the highest total starts the game, and the player to the starter's left plays next.

Playing the Game

On your turn, roll both dice and move your token forward around the board by the number of spaces shown by the total of the dice, in the direction of the arrow. The space where you stop tells you what you must or may do. Two or more tokens may occupy the same space at the same time. Depending on the type of space you land on, you may perform one of the following actions:

buy a property or other site,
pay rent (if the property belongs to another player),
pay taxes,
draw a Chance or Community Chest card,
go to Jail,
enjoy Free Parking,
collect a salary of 20,000 Francs.

When your turn is over, the player to your left takes the dice and plays.

Doubles

If you roll doubles, move your token normally. Carry out the action for the space where you land, then roll the dice again and move once more. You then perform the action for the new space. However, if you roll doubles three times in a row, you must go to Jail immediately. Your turn is then over.

The "GO" Space

Each time you pass or land on the "Départ" (GO) space, the Bank pays you a salary of 20,000 Francs. You may receive this 20,000 Franc salary twice in the same circuit of the board, for example if you land on a Chance or Community Chest space just after GO and draw a card telling you to go to GO.

Landing on an Unowned Property

If you land on a property that nobody owns (that is, a property for which no player holds the Title Deed), you may decide to buy it. In that case, pay the Bank the price shown on the board. The Bank then gives you the corresponding Title Deed in exchange: place this card face up in front of you. If you decide not to buy the property, the Bank must immediately put it up for auction and sell it to the highest bidder. The opening bid is the first offer made. All players may take part in the auction, including the player who declined to buy the property.

Owning Property

Owning a property gives you the right to collect rent from the players who land on it. It is an advantage to own the Title Deeds to all the properties of the same colour (in other words, to own a monopoly (because you may then build on the properties of that group). [Transcriber's note: the French source leaves this parenthesis unclosed; it is closed here.]

Landing on a Property Owned by Another Player

When you land on a property that has been bought by another player, you may have to pay rent to the owner, if the owner claims that rent before the player to your left has rolled the dice. The amount of rent is printed on the Title Deed and varies according to the number of Houses built on the property. If one player owns all the properties of one colour, the rent for those properties is doubled. However, if one of the properties in the group is mortgaged, the rent is normal for the unmortgaged properties and nil for the mortgaged one. When a player has built Houses or Hotels on a property, the rent increases as shown on the Title Deed.

Landing on a "DISTRIBUTION COMPANY" Space

When you land on one of these spaces, you may buy it if that Distribution Company belongs to nobody. As with properties, pay the Bank the price shown on the board. If the Distribution Company already belongs to a player, the owner may claim rent from you, based on the points shown on the dice you have just rolled:

If the owner possesses one Distribution Company, the rent is four times the value shown on your dice.
If the owner possesses both Distribution Companies, the rent is ten times the value shown on your dice.

If you land on one of these spaces after following the instructions of a Chance or Community Chest card, you must then roll the dice to determine the amount of rent to pay.

Landing on a RAILROAD

If you are the first player to land on a Railroad space, you may decide to buy it. Otherwise, the Bank puts this Railroad up for auction, and even if you declined to buy it, you may take part in the auction. If the Railroad has already been bought, you must pay the owner the amount shown on the Title Deed. The rent varies according to the total number of Railroads owned by that player.

Landing on a "CHANCE" or "COMMUNITY CHEST" Space

When you land on one of these spaces, you must draw the top card of the indicated pile. These cards may ask you to:

move your token,
make a payment (for example, for taxes),
receive money,
go to Jail,
get out of Jail.

You must follow the card's instructions exactly, then return it face down to the bottom of its pile. If you draw a "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" card, you may keep it until you need it, or sell it at a price agreed with the buyer.

Note: if a card asks you to move your token, you may have to pass the "Départ" (GO) space. In that case, collect 20,000 Francs. You do not pass GO when you are sent to Jail.

Landing on "INCOME TAX" and "LUXURY TAX" Spaces

Pay the Bank the amount shown on these spaces.

Landing on FREE PARKING

When you land on this space, you collect all the money placed in the centre of the board. You will leave this space on your next turn.

Jail

You are sent to Jail:

if you land on the "GO TO JAIL" space,
if you draw a Chance or Community Chest card that tells you "GO TO JAIL,"
if you roll doubles three times in a row.

Arriving in Jail ends your turn. You do not pass the "Départ" (GO) space, and you do not receive the 20,000 Franc salary.

You may leave Jail:

if you pay a fine of 5,000 Francs, which you place in the centre of the board before rolling the dice, and then continue your turn; or
if you roll doubles during one of the three turns following your arrival in Jail; move forward the number of spaces shown by the dice, play, then roll the dice again like any player who has rolled doubles, and play again; or
if you buy a "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" card from another player at a price agreed between you; or
if you already hold a "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" card.

You may not stay in Jail for more than three turns. Immediately after rolling the dice during the third turn, if you have not rolled doubles, you must pay a fine of 5,000 Francs, which you place in the centre of the board. Then move forward the number of spaces shown by the dice and play.

While you are in Jail, you may collect rent, provided the corresponding properties are not mortgaged. If you are not "sent" to Jail but land there in the normal course of the game, your stay is considered a "simple visit." You incur no penalty, and you may move normally on your next turn.

Houses

Once you own all the properties of one colour group, you may buy Houses to place on those properties, which increases the rent you can charge the other players. The price of a House is shown on the corresponding Title Deed. At any time during your turn, you may buy and build as many Houses as your fortune allows. However, you must build evenly: you may not build more than one House on any property until you have built one House on every property of that group. You may then begin building a second row of Houses, and so on. In the same way, if you wish to sell Houses, you must reduce the number on all the properties of the group evenly.

If you own all the properties of a colour group, and have built Houses on only one or two of them, you continue to collect double rent on the unimproved properties of that group when a player lands on them. You may not build a House on a property if any property in the same group is mortgaged.

Hotels

To buy a Hotel, you must own 4 Houses on each property of the same colour group. If you wish to build a Hotel, ask the Bank to exchange the 4 Houses on the property of your choice for a Hotel, pay the price shown for a Hotel on the Title Deed, and then place your Hotel on that property. You may build only one Hotel per property.

Building Shortage

If the Bank has no more Houses to sell, players who wish to build must wait until a player returns or sells Houses. In the same way, when you sell Hotels, you may not replace them with Houses if none are available.

Selling Property

You may exchange or sell unimproved properties, Railroads or Distribution Companies with another player, at a price agreed between you. However, you may not sell a property to another player if you have a building (Houses or Hotel) on a property of the same colour. To do so, you must first sell all the buildings in that group back to the Bank. A property, whether mortgaged or not, may be sold only to another player, never to the Bank. You may sell your Houses and Hotels only to the Bank. You may sell them at any time during the game, for half their purchase price. For a Hotel, the Bank pays half the purchase price of that Hotel plus half the purchase price of the 4 Houses that were exchanged to build it (that is, ultimately, half the purchase price of 5 Houses on that property).

Mortgages

If you need money, you may mortgage a property and receive from the Bank the sum shown on the back of its Title Deed.

Houses and Hotels cannot be mortgaged. Before mortgaging a property, you must therefore sell all the buildings on the properties of the same group (the Bank buys them back at half their purchase price). Then turn the Title Deed of the mortgaged property face down. You may no longer collect rent on this property, and you may not build Houses or Hotels on it. You may lift the mortgage by paying the Bank the sum it lent you, plus 10% interest.

When you mortgage a property, you remain its owner. Another player cannot acquire it by lifting the mortgage from the Bank.

On the other hand, you may sell a mortgaged property to other players, at a price you have agreed between you. The new owner then has the right to lift the mortgage by paying the stated amount plus the 10% interest. If the new owner decides not to lift the mortgage, they must nevertheless pay the interest. If they decide to lift the mortgage later, they must pay the 10% interest again.

Bankruptcy

If you owe the Bank or another player more money than you possess, you go bankrupt and must withdraw from the game.

If your creditor is the Bank, you must hand over all your money and your Title Deeds to it. The Banker then puts these properties up for auction, and they are sold to the highest bidder.

You must also return your "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" cards to the appropriate pile.

If your creditor is another player, your Houses and Hotels are sold to the Bank at half their purchase price, and your creditor receives all the money, all the Title Deeds, and all the "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" cards that you own.

If you own mortgaged properties, you must also hand them over to your creditor. The creditor must immediately pay the 10% interest and then choose whether or not to lift the mortgage.

Final Points

If you owe more money than you have "in cash," you may pay your creditor partly in cash and partly in properties. In that case, your creditor may accept certain properties (even mortgaged ones) for an amount greater than the one shown on the Title Deed, in order to complete a full group or to prevent an opponent from obtaining that property.

If you are an owner, do not forget to claim payment of your rent.

Only the Bank may lend money, and only against a mortgage.

A player may neither borrow money from nor lend money to another player.

The Winner

The last player remaining in the game is the winner.

Rules for a Short Game

There are three differences in the rules for a short game:

During the Preparation of the game, the Banker shuffles the pile of Title Deeds. The player to the left of the Banker then cuts this pile, and the Banker deals two Title Deeds to each player, including the Banker if he or she is both a player and the Banker. Each player immediately pays the Bank the price of the two properties received. The game then proceeds as usual.
In a short game, you must build only three Houses (not four) on each property of a colour group before you may buy a Hotel. The rent collected for a Hotel is the same as in the standard rules. When a player sells one of their Hotels, the value of that Hotel is half its purchase price, that is the same value as in the standard rules minus the value of one House.
END OF THE GAME. The first player to go bankrupt withdraws from the game, and the game ends as soon as a second player goes bankrupt. This player hands all their possessions, including their Houses, Hotels and properties, over to their creditor (whether the Bank or another player).

Each player still in the game then values all their possessions by adding up:
1. the money they have in hand,
2. the properties, Railroads and Distribution Companies they own, at the price shown on the board,
3. their mortgaged properties, at half the price shown on the board,
4. their Houses, at their respective purchase prices,
5. their Hotels, at their respective purchase prices, including the value of the three Houses previously exchanged.

The richest player is the winner.

Timed Game

In this variant of a short game, before starting, the players decide the time at which the game must end. The richest player will be declared the winner. At the start of the game, the Banker shuffles all the Title Deeds and deals two to each player, face down. Each player immediately pays the Bank the price of the two properties received.

The game proceeds normally until the agreed time. Then all transactions stop (if a player has begun a turn, that player may finish their turn). Each player then values all their possessions. The richest player is the winner.