Have you ever wondered whether you can team up in Monopoly? Is it even allowed?
In this post, I’ll look at all the different ways that you can team up and I’ll cover the things that you can do and the things that you can’t do (unless you want to bend the rules).
Monopoly team up rules – a quick guide:
- There is nothing in the official rules to stop Monopoly teams during a game
- You can’t refuse to charge rent to someone if part of a team
- Monopoly collaboration is usually viewed as cheating even if the rules don’t outlaw it
- It can spoil the game!
Can You Collaborate In Monopoly?
It’s possible to collaborate in Monopoly. The aim of the game is to be the last one left with some money but that doesn’t mean that you can’t work with other players and gang up against stronger or weaker opponents.
There are several ways that you might want to collaborate with other players during a game of Monopoly…
Ganging up against a strong player is okay
You might be playing a game where someone has got off to a flying start and the other two players decide to work together against them.
By doing this, the players in weaker positions can better compete against the early leader. Both will have a better chance of being the eventual winner than if they worked alone. This could be done by a formal alliance or just working out some favorable deals between one another when it comes to trading properties.
Property trading is one of the best ways to collaborate. Having a full set of properties in any color is much more valuable than having a few strewn all around the board. Players might collaborate by deciding to help each other to get a complete set of properties by trading with one another at low prices. This is an acceptable way to join forces in the game.
Were you playing non-collaboratively, you would probably never agree to trade a property that would let them complete a set, or if you did you would charge them an exorbitant fee.
Rent immunities are not okay
In Monopoly, you’re not allowed to simply waive the rent obligations of your partner, or offer each other immunities.
That said, it’s the responsibility of each player to ask for rent when someone lands on their property. So if you don’t notice that they landed on you, then you don’t have to claim payment for rent.
You probably won’t get away with not calling rent for long though, as it’s likely that other players will notice, and start to bring it to your attention if they suspect that you’re teaming up to waive rent.
Is Teaming Up In Monopoly Cheating?
Teaming up in Monopoly can be done within the rules and should therefore not be considered cheating. You could argue that if you push collaboration to the limits then it’s not in the spirit of the game, but it’s still not really cheating.
Let’s not forget what game we are talking about here. This is Monopoly – it’s a dog-eat-dog world where you’re trying to maximize your own wealth at the expense of your opponents.
In real life, companies work together when it’s in their mutual best interests, so why not in Monopoly?
Suggested read: How to Cheat at Monopoly And Not Get Caught
Can You Co-Own Property in Monopoly?
You’re not allowed to co-own property in Monopoly. Each property can only be owned by one player at a time (although they can be traded), and you cannot share ownership of a property with one of the other players.
That’s the official rule, anyway. But, if you really want to get into a co-ownership situation there is a way that you can achieve it while staying within the rules…
If you wanted to jointly own a color set of three properties, you would need to trade between partners so that one player owned all three.
That player could then set aside half of the income earned from those properties and give it to their partner through another trade (you can’t just give them money).
It’s a bit complicated, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it, but it’s one way that you could collude with another player for mutual gain while technically staying within the rules.
Can You Merge Players In Monopoly?
You cannot merge players in Monopoly. Each player should carry on until they are bankrupt or have won the game. You can join forces in other ways and work together against a mutual enemy, but a complete merger is not allowed.
If you were to fully merge you would effectively just become one player so it can only be done if one of you agrees to leave the game. But the leaving player can’t then claim to be the joint winner if their erstwhile partner eventually wins.
Some people don’t like that you can’t have a full merger. After all, mergers and acquisitions are one of the main ways that companies in real life are able to grow and create monopolies.
In this case, you can always adopt a Monopoly house rule that allows the merger to take place (this should be agreed upon before the game starts), in which case you would work as a team post-merger and should probably only use one playing token.
What Happens If A Player Wants To Quit?
One of the most common outcomes in a game of Monopoly is that someone has had enough and wants to stop playing before the end of the game. Maybe they’re tired and want an early night, maybe they got too drunk from playing a drinking game version of Monopoly, or maybe they just hate the game and have no patience.
In this situation, you might think that the player who’s quitting can just donate their assets to one of the other players.
Strictly speaking, when following the rules, a player can trade their assets away but can’t just give them away.
But, you could trade all of your assets for one dollar and then leave the game. Improved properties can’t be traded so technically the leaving player must sell houses and hotels back to the bank first and then trade the property.
In reality, when someone wants to leave the game they probably just want to get on with leaving the game and will just hand everything over. This happens all the time, but instead of trying to split assets up equally between the other players, or giving it all to the person they like the best, the correct thing to do would be to put everything back in the bank.
This can actually spice up the game for the remaining players, as new and valuable properties suddenly become available to land on and buy.
Can You Play Monopoly With Teams?
It’s perfectly possible to play Monopoly in teams and this is a good way to play if you’ve got more people than allowed by your version of Monopoly. It’s also an ideal way to play with children who might need help with certain aspects of the game.
How many people can play Monopoly will vary depending on the version of the game that you’ve got since not all versions of Monopoly allow the same number of players.
Some games allow only four players whilst others are for up to eight players. If there are ten of you wanting to play, there is no reason why you can’t play as five teams of two or even mix it up with some teams and some solo players. As long as you all agree before you start there should be no problem.
Playing as a team doesn’t really offer any particular advantage but it can be fun to work with someone else to discuss tactics and plot your way to a monopoly. Of course, it could also lead to more arguments!
When playing Monopoly with young children it’s a great idea to play in teams for their first few games. This gives them a chance to learn the rules and tactics from their partner before taking on the role of an individual property magnate when they have got the hang of the game.
Suggested read: What Age Group is Monopoly For?
The Bottom Line
I hope that you have enjoyed reading about teaming up in Monopoly. There are various ways that it can be done. Some are simple, some are complicated. Some are within the rules and some require you to bend the rules quite a bit.
I think that an informal alliance whereby players trade with each other in a mutually beneficial way is the best way to team up in Monopoly. It happens all the time and is totally in the spirit of the game.
Of course, when colluding players gang up on individuals then the chance of the game ending in tears goes up a notch so think carefully before embarking on a partnership. And remember – it’s only a game!
If you want to win, instead of teaming up just make sure you’re using the best Monopoly strategies instead.