Dave's Transformers Game Rant

     Transformers Monopoly

     Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Artifacts/Monopoly

     Just about every property imaginable has gotten a Monopoly edition, now
it's Transformers' turn.  Despite being no doubt spurred by the movie, this
is purely G1.  Well, NeoG1...it looks like Hasbro sent over the entire
Dreamwave catalog for use in making this set.

     Update 6/25/07: Tokens all painted.
     http://www.dvandom.com/minis/monopoly1.JPG - Autobots
     http://www.dvandom.com/minis/monopoly2.JPG - Decepticons 

CAPSULE

     Transformers Monopoly: Some interesting variations, and some moderately
annoying ones.  If you just want to play Monopoly, it's not worth the extra
expense, but it's a decent piece of collectible-ness.  Mildly recommended.  I
got mine on sale at Amazon.com for $24.99, but list price may be higher in
stores. 


RANT

     The box cover is a mashup of several Dreamwave posters, or parts
thereof.  Some bits are mirror-swapped (i.e. Superion).  The classic Monopoly
logo is above the G1 Transformers logo.  The back cover shows the board, the
gimmicked replacements for Chance and Community Chest cards, and larger than
real life pictures of the six special pewter game pieces.
     Playing pieces are really small, so miniatures painters will find
themselves tested by the job of giving them color.  On the Autobot side are
Prime, Jazz and Bumblebee, each standing on an Autobot symbol.  Standing on
Decepticon symbols are Megatron, Soundwave and Starscream (or Thundercracker
or Skywarp if you like...even Sunstorm).  I may paint mine, although that
means no longer storing them in the box.  :)  They're a bit blocky,
especially Jazz.  The shortest is Bumblebee at 18.5mm including the base, the
tallest (at the head) is a tie between Megatron and Optimus Prime at 25mm
including the base.  Megatron has an arm raised, though, so looks bigger.
All have "USAOPOLY" stamped on the underside of the base.
     The main game-specific rules involve "Transforming" when rolling
doubles.  Instead of rolling again like in the regular game, you can choose
to use one of the special options based on which doubles you rolled.  Several
of them work differently for Autobots and Decepticons, although not MUCH
differently.  The first two pages of the rules (ignoring the cover) go over
the changes (mostly names) and the new Transforming rules.  The rest of the
rules are the classic ones, albeit with some grayscale TF art.
     Houses are cast in purple plastic and called Energon Cubes, but they
still look like houses.  Hotels are in red and called pieces of antimatter,
but they still look like Hotels.  The dice are clear, one red and one
purple. 
     Community Chest is replaced by Autobot cards, and Chance by Decepticon
cards.  These cards each show art of a G1 character, and use a clear red
plastic decoder (a la G1 techspecs) to read them.  This can be hard in lower
light.  While the color text is changed (i.e. Jazz wins at the Auto Show,
rather than a beauty contest), the effects are all standard Monopoly game
effects.  Unicron and Grimlock are the Get Out Of Jail Free cards.
     Money is unique to this set as well.  Bumblebee is on the $1, Soundwave
on the $5, Ultra Magnus on the $10, Starscream on the $20, Prowl on the $50,
Megatron on the $100 and Prime on the $500.  Property deeds do not have art
on them, but do replace "House" with "Energon Cube" and "Hotel" with "Piece
of Antimatter".
     The board has Prime and Megatron (Pat Lee art) in the middle, with crowd
scenes of Autobots and Decepticons behind them, spreading towards the Jail
(Autobot) and Go To Jail (Decepticon) corners.  Go, Jail, Free Parking and Go
To Jail use the standard Monopoly art.  In general, locations have art on the
spaces, although just faction symbols in the case of the Chance and Community
Chest spaces.  Railroads are replaced by various transport modes, and
utilities by computers.  [Later note: I am informed by people who know more
about such things that all Monopoly variants are legally required to use the
classic art for the corner spaces.  Part of the trademark preservation,
basically.] 
     Starting with GO and moving around clockwise, here's the mapping.  All
prices and rents and soforth remain the same as in the regular game.
     Mediterranean - Decagon
     Community Chest - Autobot
     Baltic - Autobase
     Income Tax - Cover Detected
     Reading Railroad - The Ark
     Oriental - Maccadams Old Oil House
     Chance - Decepticon
     Vermont - Moon Base
     Connecticut - Sonic Canyons
     Jail - unchanged
     St. Charles Place - Shockwave's Tower
     Electric Company - Teletran-1
     States Ave - Combat Arena
     Virginia Ave - Kaon
     Pennsylvania Railroad - Space Bridge
     St. James Place - Sherman Dam
     Community Chest - Autobot
     Tennessee Ave - Decepticon Command Bunker (IDW art, Siege Mode)
     New York Ave - Dinobot Island
     Free Parking - Unchanged
     Kentucky Ave - Smelting Pools
     Chance - Decepticon
     Indiana Ave - Well of All Sparks
     Illinois Ave - Chamber of Ancients
     B&O Railroad - The Nemesis
     Atlantic Ave - Junk (the planet)
     Ventnor Ave - Quintessa
     Water Works - Vector Sigma
     Marvin Gardens - Nebulon
     Go To Jail - unchanged
     Pacific Ave - Unicron (yes, you can own Unicron!  And build on him!)
     North Carolina Ave - Iacon
     Community Chest - Autobot
     Pennsylvania Ave - Autobot City
     Short Line - Transwarp Drive
     Chance - Decepticon
     Park Place - Earth
     Luxury Tax - Replentish Energon
     Boardwalk - Cybertron

     Overall, it's interesting, but I expect the Transformers Stratego might
be a more popular "pull out at BotCon" sort of game, due to faster play.

     Dave Van Domelen, needs to get some small rubber bands for the money and
cards now....