Most of my friends as well as many Geocachers know my love of the game of Monopoly. I received my first board when I was six years old and I still have it today. In fact when we play as a family, that is still my version of choice. My love of the game is such that I once had a 29 cache series based on the game. Over the years I have collected several anniversary editions and the like. However I only buy ones that match the original version that I bought. You will not find any variations, like "Geocaching Monopoly" in my collection. I've had some of the modest changes, like the Canadian version, but when we moved I decided it was time to filter down to keep just the special ones.
As you might guess, I am a Monopoly rules lawyer. So much so that I abhor the "house rules" people invent. You know the ones... no buying on the first time around, money goes in Free Parking, you get double if you land on GO... all of these just drag the game out or add nothing. Nope, for me the game is played to the letter of the rules. Monopoly doesn't have 'guidelines' LOL.
Everyone knows that a single game of Monopoly can last all day, especially with stubborn people that are unwilling to make trades or take risks. Over the years we have learned that our games do just that. As such we only play on a weekend day, the game starts after lunch and no matter how it is going the game ends at exactly 10pm. My wife needs to be in bed by then and my son needs time to settle in before sleep. Me? I'm up till midnight but I respect that a 10 hour game, stopping only for dinner and "comfort breaks" is more than most people can tolerate. Usually by 8pm one of the players finally caves and starts making some risky proposals. After a game, everyone is pretty drained and as a result we only play every month or two. People don't believe me when I say that we play that long so this time I took pictures of our game so people would believe me. Below are two moments in the game, which will be discussed after along with some important points about the playing styles of each of us.
A few hours in and very little progress
Study this image to find the North Coordinates
Several hours later and this is the turning point
Study this image to find the West Coordinates
Seated on the left side of the screen and enjoying pistachios is yours truly. Seated at the front of the image with the messy pile of bills is teacup. And on the right being the teenager eating junk food is Sniper Team Tango.
When I play I buy everything that I land on. I will mortgage one property just to buy another. I will mortgage to buy houses too. Buying houses is always done based on the board position of other players. I definitely consider probability with the roll of the dice when making decisions.
Teacup on the other hand focuses heavily on getting the railroads. She will not mortgage unless forced to. The light purple and orange properties are her next favourites to capture rent from those leaving jail. Trading is fully dependent on getting her favourite properties. She hoards money.
Sniper loves to make deals especially when trying to get the Park Place and Boardwalk set. He will make the riskiest of deals and these either win him the game or knock him out early. Since we prefer a decent game, most trades are rejected.
Evince tolerance = 20 feet.
The last two digits of North are exactly equal to double the last two digits of West.
Guest Reviewer: Cotton Malone - To be honest, I have not had much if any interaction with this CM but they seem perfect for handling a cache based on Monopoly since that game is based on Atlantic City in New Jersey. I scanned through many listings and their name came up again and again, cue the pun, like they have a monopoly on the state.
The Cacheport Series: This is cache #187 - Please make sure that you perform your cancellation with your Cacheport book, if you are participating in this optional activity.