How to Host a Monopoly Game Night
Parker Brothers' Monopoly remains the most enduring tabletop board game in the world. Since its first publication in 1935, it has sold hundreds of millions of copies, and variants of every conceivable type can be found all over the world. As such, it makes a great theme for game night, and with a little planning, you can host a Monopoly-themed party that your friends will remember for some time to come. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Copy of Monopoly
- Photocopier
- Tape
- Favors, streamers and party throwaways
- Novelty top hat
- CD burner or MP3 player
- Blank CDs
Instructions
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Determine which version of Monopoly to use when you host game night. The classic "Atlantic City" version features the top-hatted millionaire Uncle Pennybags (later renamed Mr. Monopoly), as well as ubiquitous playing pieces and plastic houses and hotels. Other versions make use of Mr. Monopoly, but transfer the street names to different cities, while "theme" versions appear based on pop culture icons like Star Wars and Mickey Mouse.
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Photocopy the money from your set and increase the size to fit on a standard piece of paper. Cut out your money and hang it on the walls with tape.
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Purchase favors, streamers and other party paraphernalia based on the version of Monopoly you intend to play. For instance, if you have a "college" version of the game, buy streamers featuring the colors of the school in question. A Disney version warrants pictures of Mickey and Donald, while a James Bond version might do well with images of Sean Connery in his tuxedo. You can obtain party favors corresponding with the original version at online stores like Etailgifts.com (see Resources below).
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Buy a novelty top hat from a party store.
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Purchase little prizes to give out as host for anyone who buys a particular property. For example, when someone buys New York Ave., give him a tiny plastic Empire State Building or a postcard of New York City.
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Purchase a large, more expensive prize for the game's final winner.
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Hang your favors and streamers up around the area where you intend to play.
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Place your large prize in the top hat and put the hat on a flat surface near the playing table.
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Burn a CD mix of song based around money or financial themes. Examples include Pink Floyd's "Money," Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing," and Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher." For theme-based Monopoly sets, use music appropriate to the particular theme (the Lord of the Rings version can use the soundtrack from the movies, for instance).
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Start the CD when people arrive for game night. Keep the volume low but audible, so that people can hear it but don't need to raise their voices in order to speak.
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Announce that the winner will receive Uncle Pennybags' top hat, which contains the grand prize.
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Give the little prizes out whenever someone purchases a property. If he or she has to turn the property over to the banker of another player, the prize goes with it.
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Tell the winner to wear the top hat in order to claim the prize.
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Tips & Warnings
Chocolate coins make a great final prize for a Monopoly game night. They're inexpensive and fit the theme extremely well. Fill the top hat with coins and let the players compete for the chance to win it.
