Objective of the Game
The Landlord’s Game, originally designed by Elizabeth Magie Phillips in 1904, was intended to demonstrate the economic principles and issues of land ownership. The primary goal of the game is to accumulate the largest personal wealth by purchasing properties, collecting rents, and speculating on the real estate market. A secondary, underlying objective can be to collectively learn about the inefficiencies and injustices of unregulated capitalism.
Game Components and Setup
- A game board with various properties, railways, and other spaces.
- Tokens: each player chooses a token.
- Play money in various denominations.
- Property cards for each property, given to the player when purchased.
- Dice to determine the movement of the player's token.
Each player starts with an equal amount of play money. Property cards are sorted according to the spaces on the board and set aside.
Gameplay
1. Beginning of the Turn: Players take turns rolling the dice and move their tokens clockwise according to the number rolled.
2. Landing on Spaces: - Properties: Possible actions include purchasing the property (if not already owned), paying rent (if owned by another), or engaging in an auction if the active player decides not to purchase the space. - Railways and utilities: These can also be purchased or rented with specific rules for rent payments when owning multiple railways. - Tax spaces require payment of money to the banker. - Event spaces can trigger random beneficial or adverse events, depending on game version and house rules.
3. Ownership and Building: - Building: Players can build "houses" to increase rent once they own all properties of a color. - Mortgages: Players can mortgage properties to generate cash.
4. Bankruptcy: If a player goes bankrupt due to rental payments or other obligations, they lose the game, and all their properties are auctioned off.
End of the Game
The game ends when all but one player are bankrupt, or after a pre-determined time has elapsed. The winner is the one with the highest wealth.
Strategic Considerations
Investments: Invest in valuable properties early to ensure high long-term returns.
Monopolies: Owning full color groups to maximize rent with houses or hotels is crucial.
Cash Management: Good money management, knowing when to take loans or sell assets, can dictate success or failure.
Negotiation: Use trades with other players wisely to enhance your property value.
