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Free game guide · TABLE Method™

Monopoly

Fairness, luck, and house rules · Stage 2 to 4 (BGT suggestion)

Buy the guide, $7 See the TABLE plan

Monopoly TABLE Method™ Game Guide cover

What the game is

Players move around the board buying property, charging rent, and building houses and hotels. The aim is to be the last player who has not gone bankrupt.

Why it works at a table

Monopoly is the game most people already know, which removes teaching anxiety. It is also a natural doorway to talking about luck, fairness, and unequal outcomes, because the gap between players grows visibly. Many families already play with house rules, which makes it a good place to practice agreeing on rules together before play.

Try one variation

Write the house rules first (pregame protocol) (BGT house rule, not an official rule). A facilitation process, not a change to the game's mechanics. Before play, the group agrees on every house rule it will use, voting on each, and writes the list where all can see.

  • Targets: Cooperation and decision-making
  • Suits: Every game of Monopoly
  • Watch for: One person's home rules winning by default. Vote on each.
  • Debrief prompt: “How did we decide which rules to use?”

The TABLE Method™, applied

A short excerpt from the full guide's TABLE plan. Anyone can pass, pause, or stop at any time.

  1. Target

    Notice how the group agrees on rules, negotiates trades, and responds as the gap between players grows.

  2. Assess

    Check the player count, the time, and whether the game serves today's goal.

    • Is there time? Monopoly runs long; plan a time limit.

  3. Build

    • Session agreement (required): agree on any house rules out loud before starting, vote on each one rather than defaulting to one person's home rules, and write the list where all can see.
    • Set a visible end time. The 60-minute play period does not promise that a game of Monopoly finishes; use the Time limit variation.

  4. Lead

    • Act as Banker or rotate it, and keep the bank calm and accurate.
    • Name luck as luck (“that was a rough roll”).

  5. Extract and Extend

    Debrief in order: Board, Self, Us, Life or Work, Extension. Ask what participants make of the game. Do not tell them.

Game not included; play by the rulebook in your box. In the BGT book: Chapter 3 (The Magic Circle), named in passing as an example of game consequences that do not carry into real life. Independent companion. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Hasbro. Monopoly is a trademark of its owner and is named only to identify the game. Board Game Therapy is not inherently psychotherapy. Copyright 2026 Solid State Strategies, LLC.

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