Monopoly: Here and Now

Monopoly: Here and Now Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

Gameboard, 8 Tokens, 28 Title Deed Cards, 16 Chance Cards, 16 Community Chest Cards, 1 Pack of Play Money, 32 Houses, 12 Hotels, 2 Dice.

Changes from the Classic Rules

Please Note: The tokens are made of metal and may bend. If they do, carefully bend them back into shape.

What's the same?

The classic rules.

What's different?

The gameboard spaces and corresponding Title Deeds represent landmarks from 22 of the most vacationed in cities in the United States and the values have been increased to better reflect today's market.
The tokens have been redesigned to represent some of today's hottest icons, including a Motorola Mobile Phone, the Toyota Prius, a Starbucks Coffee cup, McDonald's French Fries, a New Balance running shoe, a Labradoodle, a jet airplane, and a laptop computer.
In place of the traditional railroads, MONOPOLY HERE & NOW Edition features four of the nation's most traveled U.S. airports.
The two utilities are now service providers, including an Internet Service Provider and a Cell Phone Service Provider.
Luxury Tax has been replaced with Interest Due on Credit Card Debt. (The rules text for this charge is not printed in this rulebook; no further rule is given here.)

Object

The object of the game is to become the wealthiest player by buying, renting, selling, and trading landmark properties throughout the United States.

Setup

Place the gameboard on a flat surface within reach of all players.
Place the Chance and Community Chest cards facedown on their corresponding spaces in the center of the gameboard.
Separate the money by denomination and lay each denomination on its side in a separate compartment of the Banker's Tray.
Each player is given $15,000,000 dollars divided as follows: two each of $5,000,000s, $1,000,000s and $500,000s; six $200,000s; five each of $100,000s, $50,000s and $10,000s.
Choose a token and place it on "GO." This will represent you as you move around the board. Each player does the same.

Banker/Bank

One player needs to be in charge of the Bank. This player should also be a good auctioneer. The Banker may choose to act only as Banker and Auctioneer and not as a player; but if the Banker is playing in the game, he/she must keep his/her personal money separate from the Bank's.

The Bank:

Controls the money, as well as Title Deed cards and buildings prior to use by the players.
Pays salaries and bonuses as well as collects all penalties, loans and interest.
Sells and auctions properties, collects the value of all properties that it sells and auctions and hands out the corresponding Title Deed cards.
Sells buildings to the players and loans money when required on mortgages.
Never "goes broke." If the Bank runs out of money, the Banker may issue more by merely writing on a piece of paper.

Play

Each player rolls the dice. The player with the highest roll starts. Play then passes to the left.

On Your Turn...

Roll the two dice, move your token clockwise the number of spaces indicated by your roll, and resolve the space on which you landed. Two or more tokens may share the same space at the same time.

DOUBLES: If you roll doubles, move your token to the space as indicated, follow the instructions for that space, then take another turn. If, on your turn, you roll doubles three times in a row, move your token immediately to the "In Jail" part of the "IN JAIL - JUST VISITING" corner space (SEE JAIL).

Depending on the space you landed on, you may be able to do one of the following:

Buy Property

If you land on an unowned property, you may buy it for the amount printed on the gameboard. Pay the Banker this amount. The Banker will then give you the Title Deed card for the property. Place the Title Deed faceup in front of you.

If you don't want to buy the property, the Banker MUST auction it. Bidding may begin at any value and the highest bidder wins. Pay the bid amount to the Banker. The Banker will then give you the Title Deed card for the property. Place the Title Deed faceup in front of you. IMPORTANT: Any player, including the player who originally declined buying the property, may bid in the auction.

Pay Rent

If you land on a property owned by another player, that player collects rent from you according to the rates listed on the Title Deed card. EXCEPTION: No rent is collected if a property is mortgaged (SEE MORTGAGES).

TIP: It is to your advantage to own all of the properties in a color group (i.e., all of the red properties) because then you may charge double rent for unimproved properties (ones without buildings; SEE IMPROVING PROPERTIES) in that color group. This applies to un-mortgaged properties even if other properties in that color group are mortgaged.

The owner may not collect rent if he/she fails to ask for it before the second player following rolls the dice.

"Chance" and "Community Chest" Cards

If you land on either a Chance or Community Chest space, draw the top card from the corresponding deck and follow its instructions. Then, return the card facedown to the bottom of the deck. Do not reshuffle the decks.

A "Get Out of Jail Free" card may be held and used at a later time. After you use it, return it to the bottom of the deck. If you draw a "Get Out of Jail Free" card and don't want to use it, you may sell or trade it, at any time, to another player for any amount agreeable to both of you.

"Income Tax"

If you land on Income Tax you have two options: You may estimate your penalty at $2,000,000 and pay the Bank, or you may pay 10% of your total worth to the Bank. Your total worth is all your money on hand, the printed values of mortgaged and un-mortgaged properties and the cost of all the buildings you own.

"Jail"

You go to Jail when ... (1) your token lands on the space marked "Go to Jail"; (2) you draw a card marked "Go to Jail"; or (3) you roll doubles three times in a row (on one turn).

When you are sent to Jail you do not collect your salary of $2,000,000. Your turn ends when you are sent to Jail.

If you are not "sent" to Jail but in the ordinary course of play land on that space, you are "Just Visiting." You pay no penalty, and move ahead in the usual manner on your next turn.

You get out of Jail by ... (1) rolling doubles on any of your next three turns. If you succeed in doing this, you immediately move forward the number of spaces shown by your doubles roll. Even though you rolled doubles, you do not take another turn. (2) Using a "Get Out of Jail Free" card if you have one; (3) purchasing or trading for a "Get Out of Jail Free" card from another player and playing it; or (4) paying a fine of $500,000 before you roll the dice on either of your next two turns.

If you don't roll doubles by your third turn, you must pay the fine of $500,000. You then get out of Jail and immediately move forward the number of spaces shown by your roll.

Even though you are in Jail, you may buy or sell properties, trade with other players, buy or sell buildings and collect rents.

"Free Parking"

This is just a free resting place. You receive no money, property or reward of any kind for landing on this space.

"GO"

Each time you land on or pass over "GO," either by rolling the dice or by drawing a card, the Banker pays you a $2,000,000 salary. It is possible for you to collect your salary twice in one turn if you pass over "GO" and land on the Chance or Community Chest space immediately after and draw the "Advance to GO" card.

Trading

At any time, players may negotiate a trade with each other. Trades may include properties (mortgaged and unmortgaged) as well as cash and "Get Out of Jail Free" cards. Intangibles cannot be traded; for example, you cannot trade for a rent exemption.

Improving Properties

It is to your advantage to have buildings on your properties, because rents are much higher than for unimproved properties.

Houses

When you buy all of the properties in a color group (for example, all of the blue properties), you have a Monopoly. Now you can begin improving your properties by building houses. The price for each house is shown on the Title Deed card for the property on which you build the house.

The property owner still collects double rent from an opponent who lands on the unimproved properties of his/her complete color group.

Even Build/Break Down Rule: You MUST build houses evenly across your properties. If you buy just one house, you may place it on any one of the properties in your complete color group. The next house, however, must be placed on one of the remaining unimproved properties of this or any other complete color group you own. You can never build more than one house on any one property of any color group until you have built one house on every property of that group. After you have built one house on each of the properties in your color group, you can begin building a second row of houses.

Selling Back Houses: Houses may be sold back to the Bank at any time for one-half the amount paid for them. All houses on one color group must be sold one by one, evenly, in reverse of the manner in which they were built.

Hotels

When you have built four houses on each property of a complete color group, you may buy a Hotel from the Bank and place it on any property of the color group. Return the four houses from that property to the Bank and pay the value of the hotel as shown on the Title Deed card. You may build only one hotel on any one property.

Selling Back Hotels: All hotels on one color group may be sold back to the Bank at once, or they may be sold back one house at a time (one hotel equals five houses), evenly, in reverse of the manner in which they were built.

Building Shortages

When the Bank has no more buildings (houses/hotels) to sell, players wishing to buy them must wait until another player returns his/her buildings to the Bank before buying. If there is a limited number of buildings available and two or more players wish to buy more than the Bank has, the buildings must be auctioned to the highest bidder.

Selling Properties

Unimproved properties (without buildings), airports and Service Providers may be sold to any player as a private transaction for any amount the owner can get; however, no property can be sold to another player if buildings are placed on any property of that color group. Any buildings so located must be sold back to the Bank before the owner can sell any property of that color group.

Mortgages

Unimproved properties can be mortgaged through the Bank at any time. Before an improved property can be mortgaged, all of the buildings on all the properties of its color group must be sold back to the Bank at half price. The mortgage value is printed on each Title Deed card.

No rent can be collected on mortgaged properties, Service Providers or airports. However, rent can be collected on un-mortgaged properties in the same group.

In order to lift the mortgage, the owner must pay the Bank the amount of the mortgage plus 10% interest. When all of the properties of a color group are no longer mortgaged, the owner may begin to buy back buildings at full price.

The player who mortgages a property retains possession of it, and no other player may secure it by lifting the mortgage from the Bank. However, the owner may sell this mortgaged property to another player at any agreed-upon price. If you are the new owner, you may lift the mortgage at once if you wish, by paying off the mortgage plus 10% interest to the Bank. If the mortgage is not lifted at once, you must pay the Bank 10% interest when you buy the property; and if you lift the mortgage later, you must pay the Bank an additional 10% interest as well as the amount of the mortgage.

Bankruptcy

You are bankrupt if you owe more than you can pay either to another player or to the Bank.

If your debt is to another player, you must turn over to that player all that you have of value and retire from the game. In making this arrangement, if you own buildings, you must return these to the Bank in exchange for money to the extent of one-half the amount paid for them. This money is given to the creditor. If you have mortgaged properties, you also turn these properties over to your creditor; but the new owner must at once pay the Bank the amount of interest on the loan, which is 10% of the value of the property. The new owner who does this may then, at his/her option, pay the principal or hold the property until some later turn, then lift the mortgage. If he/she holds property in this way until a later turn, he/she must pay the interest again upon lifting the mortgage.
If you owe the bank more than you can pay (because of penalties) even by selling off buildings and mortgaging properties, you must turn over all assets to the Bank. The Bank immediately sells by auction all properties so taken, except buildings. A bankrupt player must immediately retire from the game.

Running Out of Money

If you are low on cash, you can raise more money by:

Selling buildings
Mortgaging property
Selling/trading property, Service Providers, or airports (even mortgaged ones) to another player for any agreed upon amount.
No player may borrow from or lend money to another player.

Winning

The last player left in the game wins.

Rules for a Short Game (60 to 90 minutes)

There are four changed rules for this first Short Game.

During SETUP, the Banker shuffles then deals three Title Deed cards to each player. These are Free. No payment to the Bank is required.
You need only three houses (instead of four) on each property of a complete color-group before you may buy a hotel. Hotel rent remains the same. The turn-in value is still one-half of the purchase value, which in this game is one house less than in the regular game.
If you land in Jail you must exit on your next turn by (1) using a "Get Out of Jail Free" card if you have (or can buy or trade for) one; (2) rolling doubles; or (3) paying $500,000. Unlike the standard rules, you may try to roll doubles and, failing to do so, pay the $500,000 on the same turn.
END OF GAME: The game ends when one player goes bankrupt. The remaining players add up their: (1) cash on hand; (2) properties owned, at the value printed on the board; (3) mortgaged properties owned, at one-half the value printed on the board; (4) houses, counted at the purchase value; (5) hotels, counted at their purchase value including the amount for the three houses turned in.

The wealthiest player wins!

Another Good Short Game

TIME LIMIT GAME ... Before starting, decide how long the game will last at which point the wealthiest player will be declared the winner. Before starting, the Banker shuffles and cuts the Title Deed cards and deals two to each player. Players immediately pay the Bank the value of the properties dealt to them.

Service Provider Rent (Card Note)

The Internet Service Provider card on the back-cover fold shows the rent for the Service Providers as "If one 'Service Provider' is owned, rent is 40,000 times amount shown on dice." The rest of the card text is cropped out of the scan and is not legible, so it is not transcribed here; see the printed card for the full rent rule.