The Grouch
United States
Tucson
Arizona
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If you played Monopoly with any frequency as a child, you werer invariably exposed to the popular house rule of the "kitty" on Free Parking. Any fees paid to the bank went to the middle of the board instead and the first lucky player to land on Free Parking and got the whole works. If it was a big enough pile, that player became the runaway leader in short order, unbalancing a game that is already short of it to begin with.
The Stock Exchange Add-On provides a better alternative to the mundane Free Parking space or the game-breaking "kitty" house rule. It provides a fold-up card stock "Stock Exchange" space which slips over and replaces the Free Parking corner of the board. The other components included are:
- five shares each of six different stocks
- 11 new Community Chest cards
- 10 new Chance cards
- a rules sheet
When a player lands on the Stock Exchange space, two things happen: first, all players owning stock certificates immediately receive dividends which are geometrically proportional to the number of shares owned. For example, if you own stock in "Motion Pictures", you get a $10 dividend for one share, $40 for two shares, and so on up to $250 for all five! Secondly, the player landing on Stock Exchange has the option of purchasing one share of stock.
The stock certificates in the game represent six ficticious companies - Motion Pictures, Allied Steamships, National Utilities, General Radio, United Railways and Acme Motors, priced at $100, $110, $120, $130, $140 and $150 per share, respectively. The dividends start at 10% of the price of a share and rise geometrically. Like title deeds, the stock certificates can be used to provide collateral for a loan equal to half the share price, with interest handled just like a mortagaged title deed. And, just as a player collects no rent on a mortgaged property, he can collect no dividend for a share used as collateral.
The new Stock Exchange space is in between the orange and red groups of properties which tend to get landed on more often than any other groups in the game (because of players getting out of Jail). Thus, the odds of landing on the Stock Exchange space is better than average to begin with. But if that isn't enough, half (five each) of the additional Chance and Community Chest cards included with the add-on say "Advance Token To Stock Exchange". The number of these actually added to the deck are inversely proportional to the number playing, however (all 5 of each for 2-3 players, 4 of each for 4 players and 3 of each for more than 4) to ensure that Stock Exchange is not landed on disproportionately in games with larger numbers of players.
The additional Community Chest and Chance cards provide penalties or benefits to holders of all or particular stocks. There is also the Stock Exchange equivalent of "Go To Jail" - "Caught At Insider Trading" and the equivalent of a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card - "Lawyer On Retainer". The reason, incidentally, for one more Community Chest than Chance cards is because the rules state that the "Receive $45 for sale of stock" card be removed from the Community Chest deck.
Having played Stock Exchange with many a Monopoly game, I can state that it is an excellent supplement to have in a game with more players or if playing a "short game" in which initial property purchase are accomplished by dealing out random title deeds and paying for them. In both these situations, Monopoly can stagnate as it becomes difficult for players to acquire an entire color group to improve. Stock dividends can introduce more cash into the game for some players, providing them enough funds to make offers "you can't refuse" to opponents to break the "no complete color group" log jam.
One final note: the rules offer an optional rule that players landing on Stock Exchange can purchase up to two shares instead of just one. In my experience, that can unbalance the game - not nearly so quickly or drastically as a "kitty", but significantly, nonetheless.
Overall I give the Monopoly Stock Exchange Add-On:
   (6.5/10)
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Andrew Rae
United States
Midland
Michigan
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Here's a thought: What if you were to use this in conjunction with Monopoly Mega Edition? How would that affect things?
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