Okay, so, “Monopoly Mogul of the Opera” – sounds fancy, right? I had no clue what to expect, but the name itself was intriguing. I’m a sucker for anything that combines board games and, well, anything remotely cultural. So, I decided to give it a whirl.
Getting Started
First thing I did was, obviously, find the game. That took a little digging, it’s not exactly the most popular title. Once I finally found it, I needed to get some friends over to join me in on the fun.
Figuring Out the Rules
Next up, the rulebook. Oh boy. It was a bit of a beast. I mean, it wasn’t terrible, but it definitely wasn’t as straightforward as classic Monopoly. We spent a good 20 minutes just reading and re-reading the instructions, trying to wrap our heads around the whole “opera house management” aspect.
- There’s this whole thing about hiring singers, which I thought was pretty cool.
- You have to put on performances, and the success of the performance depends on the singers you’ve hired and the, uh, “prestige” of your opera house? It was a little fuzzy.
- And, of course, you’re still buying properties and trying to bankrupt everyone else, Monopoly-style.
The Actual Gameplay
Once we (sort of) understood the rules, we dove in. Honestly, the first hour was a mess. We kept messing up, forgetting rules, and generally just fumbling our way through. I accidentally hired a soprano when I meant to hire a tenor, which, apparently, is a big no-no if you’re trying to put on a specific opera. Who knew?
But, after a while, we started to get the hang of it. I began to feel a little rush when my opera house started raking in the cash. I even managed to stage a pretty successful production of… well, I can’t remember the name, but it was Italian and involved a lot of dramatic singing.
There were moments of intense negotiation (aka, begging my friends not to land on my super-expensive opera house). And there was the classic Monopoly-style betrayal when my “best friend” slapped me with a massive rent bill, forcing me to mortgage my prized collection of… miniature opera glasses? (Yeah, the game has some quirky components.)
The End Result (or Lack Thereof)
We played for a good three hours, and you know what? We didn’t even finish. We were all exhausted, slightly confused, but surprisingly entertained. I wouldn’t say I’m a “Monopoly Mogul of the Opera” master yet, but I definitely didn’t hate the experience. I would like to give it another attempt to see if I can be better and possibly win next time!
It is a game that kind of throws everything at the wall and sees what sticks. But hey, at least it’s not boring.
