Monopoly without dice just wouldn’t be Monopoly. How would you ever pass Go or land on Free Parking without a dice?
So, of course, you need dice to play Monopoly. But, do you know how many dice you use in Monopoly? Is it always the same or do some games use special dice? Read on to find out all you ever need to know about the dice in Monopoly.
How many dice in Monopoly? A quick guide:
- Standard Monopoly games usually use two dice
- Some smaller game versions use one die, or have a die with special rules
- Speed dice Monopoly rules were added to standard games in 2007 – letting you use a third die with certain rules
Is Monopoly Played With 1 Or 2 Dice?
Monopoly is played with two dice when you’re following the classic rules. More recent editions of the game have included an optional Speed Die which can be used to make the game quicker. Monopoly Junior uses one die so that children can play without needing to add two numbers.
Different Monopoly Editions Use Different Dice
Over the years there have been a huge number of different Monopoly editions and some of these have included special dice. Let’s take a look at all the different Monopoly dice and how they affect the game.
Speed Die
The Speed Die was first introduced in 2006 with the release of Monopoly: The Mega Edition. It has been included in the standard edition since 2007 and also features in many licensed versions of the game.
The idea of the Speed Die is to get the game to move along more quickly and it is rolled together with the two normal dice.
If you roll one, two or three on the Speed Die – you simply add this number to your total from the normal dice.
If you roll a bus – you get to use your normal dice more flexibly. You can move the spaces shown on one of the die, the other die, or the combination of both dice (as you normally would). This means that there is more chance of you landing on a property that is available to buy so that the game moves more swiftly.
The other outcome of the Speed Die is a picture of Mr Monopoly. If you get this you move the spaces as shown on the white dice and play your turn as normal, but you then also move to the next space that is available to buy. If there are none, you must move to the next space owned by an opponent.
Monopoly Junior
Monopoly Junior is designed to introduce younger players to the joys of Monopoly and is simplified in many ways. One of these is the use of just a single die. It makes sense to only use one die since there are fewer spaces on the junior board, it also means that young players don’t need to be able to add up to play the game.
Monopoly Empire
Monopoly Empire is a fast-moving version of the game that only takes around half an hour for a two-player game. Whilst the concept is generally similar to classic Monopoly, the aim is to buy billboards to fill your tower.
One of the unique features of this game is the Sneaky Swapper die which is used alongside the two standard dice. This special six-sided die is numbered from two to five with a handshake symbol on the other face.
The handshake symbol is known as the sneaky swapper. If you roll the handshake symbol you can swap the top billboards on any two towers, but you don’t have to.
Monopoly Rivals
Monopoly Rivals is a two-player version of Monopoly. It has a much smaller board, with just six spaces along each side rather than the eleven spaces on a classic Monopoly board. Because of this, the game uses just one die instead of two.
Monopoly Here & Now
Monopoly Here and Now edition features famous landmarks from across the USA. It also has the Sneaky Swapper die with the handshake on one side only this time it means that you can trade tokens with another player.
Monopoly Jackpot
Monopoly Jackpot is played using two dice. One is a standard six-sided die, the other is the Chance die. This special six-sided die replaces the number one with a question mark symbol, the other sides show numbers two to six as normal.
You throw them both together and can still roll doubles and get an extra throw as normal (do this three times and you go to jail though!).
If you roll a ‘?’ on the Chance die you have two options. You can pick up a Chance card or you can move the number of spaces shown on the normal die. You have to choose between these options, you can’t do both.
Monopoly Lord of the Rings
Monopoly Lord of the Rings Trilogy Edition includes a special die that has the Eye of Sauron in place of the number one. If you’re playing the optional special rule you would move the One Ring forward one territory when the Eye of Sauron is rolled.
The presence of the One Ring affects the game in a number of ways such as getting territories for free, paying double rent or ending the game completely!
Monopoly Star Wars Episode II
This Star Wars-themed version of Monopoly comes with a special ‘Force Die’ which is used to move two force tokens around the board. If a player is unlucky enough to land on one they lose 200 credits (Republic Credits are used as money in this version).
Suggested read: The 15 Best Star Wars Monopoly Games
Free Parking Toppling The Taxi Game
This mini-game can be played on its own or alongside a normal game of Monopoly. It comes with a special eight-sided die that has six different colored cars, a Chance question mark face, and a Go to Jail face.
The aim of the game is to balance 5 cars on the wobbly game board without any falling off. A Go to Jail face ends your turn.
FAQs About Monopoly Dice
To determine who rolls the dice first in Monopoly, all players should roll both dice and add up the total. The player that rolls the highest total goes first in the game. After their turn play proceeds in a clockwise direction. In some versions, such as Monopoly Junior, the youngest player goes first.
The dice that are supplied in a Monopoly set are not loaded. The number that you roll is completely random and each side of the die has an equal chance of landing face up. Of course, it doesn’t always feel like this and you might feel like the dice are against you!
Monopoly uses two standard six-sided dice (sometimes known as D6), they’re usually white with black pips. The dice are a cube shape and measure 16mm (5/8 inches) across. Some editions of Monopoly also include a speed die that is slightly larger.
You roll both dice for utilities in Monopoly to determine the amount that a player must pay the owner. This is because the amount owed is determined from the dice roll that landed the player on the utility and in Monopoly, you always roll both dice.
The Bottom Line
I hope that you have enjoyed reading all about dice in Monopoly. It started off simply in 1935 with just the two white dice but now you find different dice in different Monopoly editions.
But, for the most part, things haven’t changed too much with just the Speed Die becoming a standard part of the classic edition.
I think that this is an addition that most people enjoy using, but if you aren’t too keen on it you can just leave it in the box since it is an optional rule, and you can always play with just the classic two dice. That makes it easier to follow the rules for rolling doubles too.
