I'd have to say that the most rousing and entertaining game of Monopoly I have EVER played is the one I played with my grandsons Chase (10), Weston (8), and our daughter Carlianne (29) recently!!! Allow me to tell ~ and show ~ you about it!!!
First a little background, and then photos...
Chase was the banker and, as such, in charge of the property cards. Any time someone bought a piece of property, Chase had to flip through the entire pile because they weren't in any kind of order. Carlianne ("Auntie Carr-Carr") offered to organize them for him, but Chase didn't want them to be organized. Not understanding, we asked him "Why not?!?" And, with a twinkly smile, he answered, "Cuz it'll be more of a challenge!!!" At one point, Weston just outright gave me $150 because, as he put it, "Gramma, you're INCREDIBLY poor!!!!!" (Which I actually was!) And then he added, "Also – I don't want you to DIE from the plots of the PLOTTER!!! And WE know who the PLOTTER is!!!!!!" The sinister "plotter" he was referring to was his older brother, Chase, who Weston was calling a "plotter" only because he was trying to figure out how to add houses and hotels to his (own) property ~ which Weston thought was a very mean trick! Another time, Chase was trying to buy a railroad from me so that he could have three, and thus procure $100 rent any time one of us landed on it. When Chase asked me if he could buy my railroad, Weston RAN around to where I was sitting at the table, and jumping up and down, emphatically and desperately yelled: "NOOOOOOO GRANDMA!!! DON'T DO IT!!!!! He's just trying to get more money when you land on your own railroad!!!! DON'T FALL FOR IT!!!!!!!" ☺️ And then another time – when I was still poor – Weston owed me $25 for rent, but he gave me a $50 bill and said "Keep the change!" ☺️ By this time, Chase was fed up with Weston being so generous to me and announced "That's enough!!! NO MORE giving money to Grandma – or ANYONE!!!! Besides! It's against the RULES!!!" (And Chase is a rule follower!) I asked Chase playfully, "Against what rules?!? Where does it actually say that, Chase?!?!" He said, "On page 30!!!!!" He smiled cutely, knowing full well there's no page 30 in the monopoly rules. But, understanding where he was coming from, I did admit ~ even in the midst of my extreme poverty ~ that it was time for Weston to stop helping me out. I have to say, though, that it was precious to see Weston's heart to help the downtrodden! ... (Hmmmm, I wonder where he gets that!?! From God, I know, but he certainly sees it lived out in his mom and dad's lives as well!!!! ~ who also get their hearts from God!)
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And let the photos begin!
All eyes are on Chase as he makes a move!
Chase teasingly flaunts his money in front of Grandma!!! ... And notice that Weston is covering his eyes with his money! ~ probably because he can't bear to see the financially downtrodden mocked! ☺️
I had to get at least one picture of me in here – since I'm the photographer! ☺️ ... And whilst I'm here, might I mention my ever-so-neat row of money?!?!?
These two!!! Cuddly – even in a game of Monopoly!!!
Weston was obviously getting the upper hand in something here!
At one point, Weston landed on Chase's Mediterranean Avenue, and Chase gleefully said, as if he was about to get rich: "That's MINE, Weston! Pay me... uuuh [looks at his property card to find out how much, and says sheepishly] two dollars!!! ☺️"
Prior to explaining this next one, I must first lay some groundwork... Some time ago, I gave our Scene-It game away. As the name implies, it has to do with movies. Specifically, FACTS about movies, which do not like to stick in my brain. So OUT with that game, to save my self esteem. Months after giving it away, I found this little movie camera game token from that game under a couch cushion. Not remembering who I had given the game to, I just added it to the Monopoly game box... Fast-forward to our Monopoly game today... Weston spotted this movie camera token in the Monopoly box and decided he wanted to follow Chase all around the game board with it, "filming" Chase's piece playing the game!
So every time Chase moved his piece (the canon), Weston followed it with the camera!!!! This actually drove Chase crazy and caused considerable turmoil between the two, but it was SO cute! We finally convinced Chase to just enjoy it! ☺️
(If YOU are the one I gave this
game to, let me know, and I will
gladly give this piece to you! ☺️)
Chase had rested his head on the table on his Mediterranean Avenue property while watching the others play, then when he lifted his head off the table, the card stuck to his chin!!! – which he got quite a kick out of!
At one point, we realized that Weston had quietly deposited some money into the bank. When we asked him why, he explained that he wanted to buy Virginia Avenue. Carr said, "But, Buddy! You didn't land on it!" Weston said "That's okay! I'm just saving it for when I DO land on it!"
We gave his money back and gently explained that he has to actually land on it first, and that this is actually for his own benefit in case someone else lands on it before he does. ... Future investor?
Chase ran back to the toy room and came back out with this Berenstain Bears car, put it on the board and teasingly said, "I'm bringing out my new game token!!!"
Annnnnd Videographer Weston once again re-positions his camera ~ this time focusing on Auntie Carr-Carr's game piece!
Chase's, Carlianne's, and my money rows are fairly neatly lined up along and tucked under one side of the board. Notice Weston's above? It's in a pile, which grew to be twice that size later in the game! I offered to straighten his money for him, to be neat like ours, to which he responded, "No, I have SO much money, I like it in a PILE!!!"
Carlianne's "you're-actually-serious?" reaction to my "I-thought-it-was-rather generous!" (but actually ridiculously cheap) offer for her Illinois Avenue property.
Weston holds Auntie Carr-Carr's chin so that he can point her face in the direction of Chase's hotels on Mediterranean Avenue and Baltic Avenue, yelling: "DANGER ZONE!!! DANGER ZONE!!!!!!"
We like to follow the rule (not sure if it's actually in the Monopoly game rules or we made it up; Chase says it's not in the real rules; Grampa Dave says it is), that when you land on "FREE PARKING," you get ALL the money that has been accruing there ~ the various taxes, fees, fines, and utility payments that the Chance and Community Chest cards generate.
Quite a sizable amount of cash had piled up, and Weston was 4 steps away from Free Parking, so as he gets ready to roll the dice, he excitedly yells: "I NEED A FOUR!!!! I NEED A FOUR!!!!" And then, getting it, he yells "KACHEEEENG!!!!!" (Sorry, no photo; the photographer was just enjoying it, so you'll just have to imagine it.)
We didn't have time to play all the way to the actual end of the game, so when we had run out of time, everyone added up their money and assets to see who had the greatest value in the Monopoly world.
Chase very carefully and methodically calculated his money and assets (yes, see his paper, complete with boxes, circles, and arrows, and using a calculator), and then realizes his stark reality, admits: "I definitely did not win." But he was a good sport about it. ☺️
As I said, this was such a rousing and entertaining game of monopoly! By far, My Most Rousing Game of Monopoly ~ EVER! I supposedly came in last, but that was only in money and assets. I'm confident that I came in first in "richest and sweetest memories"!!!!!! ☺️
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