Contrary to popular belief, Monopoly was not born as a celebration of capitalism. In 1903, Lizzie Magie launched The Landlord's Game to educate and expose the dangers of income inequality and unchecked monopolies. In 1935, Charles Darrow sold a slightly modified version to Parker Brothers, which eventually evolved into the Monopoly we know today, published globally by Hasbro; who have been printing money ever since.
With over 275 million copies sold across more than 100 countries, translated into over 45 languages with over 200 licensed and localised editions, Monopoly is not only the most popular board game released in the last 100 years, but is also one of the most frequently modified and has more variations than Barbie has outfits.
Who changed what?
So what exactly is the difference between mods, variants, and house rules in tabletop games? Modifications are made by the community, whereas variants are made by the designers or licensees of the original game. You could consider the longest game ever released in 2019 as a variant of the ultimate monopoly modification that was released in 2014. Then there are house rules, which sit somewhere between: informal patches that propagate through word of mouth.
Monopoly mods unlock a world of possibilities, from subtle adjustments to complete transformations. We believe Monopoly is the ultimate canvas for experimentation. Its mass production and components make it ideal for modding at home, in schools, social clubs, or even corporate gatherings:
- Custom cards — add new events to existing decks or replace the decks entirely
- Alternative boards — create new and intricate boards with alternative layouts
- Modular boards — create boards that can be interconnected to other boards
- New structures — introduce new types of buildings with new consequences
- Variant rules — subtle tweaks and event-driven twists can bring new life
The official editions
From Arsenal Football Club and bass fishing to cereals and David Bowie. Electronic banking and Five Nights at Freddy's to Game of Thrones and Home Improvements. Even ice cream, Juicy Couture, Kingdom Hearts and the Little Pet Shop get their own official editions. Metallica, the Nightmare Before Christmas, One Piece and Peanuts get one too. With Roblox, socialism, Top Gun, US stamps, vintage books and Warhammer 40,000 rounding out examples from the alphabet. Hasbro has released a lot of variations over the years, but the majority of those changes have been little more than cosmetic tweaks and new names only.
The 75th edition brought with it a circular board, but beyond that the boards have remained the same. Monopoly City made the most fundamental alterations, introducing industrial buildings, skyscrapers and other utilities from schools and stadiums to wind farms, parks and prisons. There is even Monopoly Go!, a deck-building variant available in both physical and digital versions.
The Stock Markets expansion
Of all the official variants that exist, the Stock Markets expansion stands alone. Released in 1939, it may well be the first boardgame expansion ever published. More importantly, it actually changed how the game played: volatile share prices, speculative trading, and genuine economic risk replaced the predictable rent-collection loop. It made Monopoly feel like a different game entirely. Most expansions released since have not come close.
Enter Econopoly
When we took on the challenge of modifying Monopoly, our main objective was to transform the game into a Euro-style experience with victory points and objectives that change each game. We did this by turning Chance cards into events and Community Chest cards into resources:
- Chance cards become event cards with strategic choices
- Community Chest becomes a resource deck
- Victory points replace bankruptcy as the win condition
- Variable objectives ensure no two games end the same way
Econopoly is available in the mods library. Print the card decks, add the objective tokens, and discover Monopoly without the savageness of bankruptcy. Built with the same open-source philosophy as everything else we ship.
