LOS ANGELES, Dec 3 — After more than 80 years on the block, Monopoly has become the world's top-selling board game, with sales topping 275 million. A billion people have apparently already tried their hand at the game, which continues to reinvent itself with all kinds of special editions. For holiday 2017, here are four special versions of the game for fans of hit TV shows.
Stranger Things
Hot on the heels of season two of the Netflix hit, released this fall, Hasbro has been quick to put out a Monopoly game themed on the show. In their quest to find Will, players have to pound the streets of Hawkins, buying, selling and trading various places and vehicles familiar to fans of the series.
In keeping with the show's 1980s vibe, the traditional Monopoly tokens have been replaced with retro objects of the period (TV set, bike, sneaker, camera). The Chance and Community Chest cards have also been switched for “Walkie-Talkie Messages” and “Blinking Lights.”
Game of Thrones
This edition lets fans of the hit HBO fantasy show rule over Westeros. Here, traditional tokens like the shoe, the hat and thimble are switched for a dire wolf, a three-eyed raven, a dragon's egg, a white walker, a crown and the legendary iron throne.
And there's no point looking for Boardwalk, as the priciest property on this board is King's Landing. Stations are replaced by Maisons Stark, Lannister, Baratheon and Targaryen.
The Walking Dead
Even in an apocalyptic world inhabited by zombies, players can still buy, sell and trade properties. However, in this version of the game, players have to buy up and take shelter in places to hide from the zombie hoards as they fight for survival (Prison Courtyard, Alexandria Safe Zone etc).
Plus, rather than money, properties are bought with resources such as food, fuel or weapons. The traditional tokens are replaced by Rick's hat, Michonne's katana, Negan's bat Lucille, an RV and a bucket of body parts.
The Big Bang Theory
On a more light-hearted note, this version keeps gameplay more traditional, taking players through the streets of Pasadena to all the iconic locations from the world's most-watched TV series.
Here, the most expensive streets are replaced by the apartments of Penny, Leonard and Sheldon, the train stations become modes of transport (toy train set, Soyuz rocket, Leonard's car and Howard's scooter) and the Chance and Community Chest cards become “Fortune Cookie” and “Roommate Agreement.”
The board has an almost comicbook-style design, and the tokens based on objects associated with the main characters, like Penny's wine glass, Leonard's glasses and Sheldon's couch. — AFP-Relaxnews
