Review – Star Trek Monopoly Continuum Edition

For the first time ever, Monopoly is being customized to cover the entire Star Trek franchise. This month USAopoly releases The Star Trek Monopoly Continuum Edition, and TrekMovie got an early version. See below for our early review of the latest Star Trek board game.

 

USAopoly meets USS Enterprise
Guess what I am describing?

  • It is decades old.
  • It is a venerable popular culture icon.
  • It keeps reinventing itself for new generations.
  • It is considered one of the most successful examples in its genre.
  • It is something that has fans and conventions in many nations.
  • It is something enjoyed by millions of people and is a family hobby of great fame.

Of course, I am talking about Star Trek, but that also describes the venerable board game Monopoly. Now, the two are reunited with USAopoly’s Monopoly: Star Trek Continuum Edition, which will be available this April from most major retail and gaming stores (and online at Entertainment Earth for $33.99). In 1998, Star Trek: The Next Generation and in 2000 the original Star Trek were given the Monopoly treatment, but this is the first time for a Monopoly game covering the whole franchise. Joining the new Star Trek 20Q and Star Trek SceneIt? trivia games , this is a good year for "Franchise Fans" who enjoy all the versions of Star Trek.


Monopoly Star Trek Continuum Edition
[Pre-Order from Entertainment Earth – $37.99]

While Monopoly first appeared in 1935, USAopoly is a newer company which has a license from Hasbro (Parker Brothers) to produce themed versions of the game. Other franchises such as Disney, Star Wars, James Bond, and The Simpsons are also branded Monopoly games, so Trek is in good company.

Game Design:
USAopoly have Trek-ified every aspect of the game, the following breaks down each part. (given a ranking of 1 to 5 to each, with 5 being the best).

The Box: 4 out of 5
The box has a nice blend of recognizable Monopoly and Star Trek iconography. The only improvement might have been the inclusion of elements from other versions of Star Trek as only the original 1960s Enterprise is featured, and the game is about the entire Trek continuum. That being said, if any single image represents all of Star Trek it is the original Enterprise, so this isn’t an egregious consideration. In fact, the box is very likely to make people stop in stores because of the boldness of both the Monopoly and Star Trek logos.


Star Trek Continuum Edition box back

The Game Board: 5 out of 5
While definitely a Monopoly board with "Free Parking" and all the usual design elements, USAopoly has done an incredible design which brings together the entire Star Trek universe. The arrangement of the Captains in proper historical order is a nice example of the care that went into the game. Instead of the traditional names for properties and utilities, the game has been Trek-ified with the names of Star Trek planets and starships. The images selected to represent the worlds are representative of this careful design. For example, almost every planet space has a picture of the world and a character that represents it. For Qo’Nos it is Kahless (from TNG), for Bajor it is Kira, for Starfleet Command, San Francisco it is Admiral Cartwright, and for Vulcan it is Sarek. The utilities are the Argus Array and the Delta Vega Lithium Cracking Station (the planet is featured in the new movie, although the image is from TOS). The traditional railroad spaces are iconic starships, and in a very
fun detail, the taxing spaces include the Ferengi Commerce Authority.


Star Trek Continuum Edition box back

The Game Pieces: 4.75 out of 5
It is here that the game designers obvious love of Trek especially is evident. The many game pieces and accessories of Monopoly have all been Trekified in some really fun ways. Gold-pressed latinum is the denomination of all money and the pewter game tokens are nicely detailed (the Kirk’s Captain Chair is the best).

   

Star Trek Continuum Edition game components

The Subspace Transmission and Sensor Reading Cards (substituting for the traditional Community Chest type cards) feature Uhura and Spock, and on the other side are images of characters and scenes from various episodes, for example you get 50 latinum for confusing V’Ger. The text on these cars are amusing and a few are hilarious, one unusual example features B’Ellana Torres (is the implication here you are getting paid to engage in Pon Farr? And only 10 latinum bars?). The back of the planet cards have some beautiful and unusual images from Remastered Star Trek. The only disappointment is that the houses and hotels are not Trek-ified. They are called "starships" and "fleets" but are the usually Monopoly design.



A couple of ‘Subspace Transmission’ cards

Game Play: 5 out of 5
There are some really fun optional game rules that help make this version of Monopoly really Trek-ified. For example, if a player rolls double 1s, you get to "create a temporal rift to move your token to any location in the Continuum" or double 2’s means you get to apply the Ferengi Rule of Acquisition "Opportunity plus instinct equals profit. Collect 200 from the bank."

Game Over – In summary
The Monopoly Star Trek Continuum Edition takes the best of Monopoly and the best of Star Trek and like a peanut-butter cup, mixes them together to create something great. This is a fun game, and Star Trek needs more items that can be enjoyed by the entire family. What is nice is that even if a fellow player isn’t a fan or likes only one version of Star Trek, they could play the game and the Trekified details are equal among the five shows (with a tad bias to the 1960s Star Trek in some design elements), so all varieties of Trek are represented. There is no trivia or Star Trek knowledge required, so it really is a game for everyone. However, Trekkies get the added bonus of appreciating all the fun Trek references which bring a smile to the faces of fans. The Monopoly Star Trek Continuum Edition is very recommended.


Monopoly Star Trek Continuum Edition
[Pre-Order from Entertainment Earth – $37.99]

41 Comments
oldest
newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Go directly to the brig…..do not pass go……do not collect 200 credits…….

wish they would have completed last set of monopoly so all 4 boards would connect

Looks interesting, but I doubt I’ll get it.

Sweet!

If I played board games I would definitely pick this up, but alas it’s just not my thing. Good to know they’re doing a good job with SOME sort of Trek game.

Wait, so I wasn’t supposed to have been able to get this a month ago? Damn my girlfriend rocks!

This is cool. Rico over at Treks in Sci fi.com reviewed this too. I want one!

#6, I have seen it in stores, I know the Detroit Science Center (location of Star Trek: The Exhibition) has several in their giftshop.

Something that does look nice about the look of the game, Picard’s the center captain. Its almost always Kirk, good to see good ol’ Jean-Luc pictured center for once. Kinda lame how it looks like all the player pieces are TOS, though, woulda been nice to have mixed it up a bit there.

Second on that sentiment #2. I was really looking forward to a weekend long game with four boards put together.

I love it

your review is fine and all, but the real question is :

How do the pieces and money look when someone intentionally flipped over the board in disgust when he landed on that damned hotel AGAIN!?!

Even though there is an absents of Klingon Warriors, I will need to pick this one up.

Nice to see PICARD front and centre!

It sounds like so much fun…this year is truly a great year to be a Trekkie!

Products that mix the other shows together with the real thing are of no interest to me. I can’t believe there are enough people who are fans of ALL those shows to make this game very successful.

I won’t buy it!
It has Picard instead of Kirk in front!

This is great. I usually get bored playing original monoply. But I think this will hold my interest enough to try to win the game. Good job!
The only reason Picard is front center is the layout is in the order of the captains commanding the starships.

Looks nice! Unfortunately, I don’t like playing Monopoly.

The captains are in chronological order which happens to put Picard in the middle, but I think everyone concedes TNG had the most successful run. Kirk’s Enterprise was boarded and dismantled by aliens flying a 1968 Chrysler Imperial and Archer’s was overrun by pro wrestlers or urban sitcom actors or something.

But what about the Game of Fisbin. They need to get that game out as well. Ok Trek Monopoly looks great. I think it would be a very fun game to play. But how about the alternate version. The Terran Empire Monolopy. instead of going to the brig you go to the Agoniser Booth.

Anthony. Go to the Brig! Go Directly to the Brig and do not pass go and do not collect 200 pieces of Gold Pressed latnium.

If I didn’t have to stare at Picard’s tea sipping mug plastered all over the board I might buy it. Nah…monopoly is a boring game no matter how you slice it. I won’t be getting it.

..would love to get my hands on the game pieces though.

I definately would like to have this! Only trouble would be my wife or my fellow Trek homeboys finding the time to play it with me.

MAY EVERYONE BOLDY GO BUY MONOPOLY AFTER WATCHING THE NEW STAR TREK MOVIE.

17. Rick – April 5, 2009
I won’t buy it!
“It has Picard instead of Kirk in front!”

Yeah, it’s a massive conspiracy.

Monopoly is ant-Trek. Mankind is supposed to evolve to a place beyond greed. Complete BS, I know, but it’s nice to think about.

Oh, happy first contact day everyone, since its april 5th and all.

I hope those well-known entrepeneurs Harry Mudd and Cyrano Jones get to make an appearance!

Those who apply the retroactive TNG socialism to Trek need to remember that capitalism was alive and well in the TOS era! It’s not all about the Ferengi.

And Quatloos! What about the Quatloos?? What is the exchange rate to Latinum?

Who knew it was so inexpensive to get your Pon Farr satiated? 10 latinum? Woo hoo! I’ll take two!

Mr. Moneybags not giving the Vulcan Salute? Do not pass go, do not collect $200 bars of gold pressed latinum!

26. Xai – April 5, 2009
“Yeah, it’s a massive conspiracy”.

exactly, I want to believe

That pon farr text is absolutely hilarious! They did a good job getting detailed references like that.

Ironic that Monopoly, a game of greed and hording, uses Star Trek as a theme.

Monopoly isn’t really a game of greed and hoarding. It’s a game of wise choices and investment, and luck. Lots of luck.

Ahh, a long time ago I made my own Trek Monopoly game by converting a standard Monopoly game I had. There’s another million dollar idea – poof – gone! Anyway – it’s a great item and fun to play!

I wouldn’t buy this unless it was 100% TOS – and I SURE as hell wouldn’t buy it if it’s got anything “Enterprise” related on it.

Perhaps it will be retro-cool to play an actual board game again. Instead of Xbox, PC, Game boy or whatever. We can do things the old fashioned way. I would buy it and add it to my collection along with the Ultimate James Bond Monopoly I got for Christmas.

Just got it for Christmas and played it. The special Star Trek rules make it even more fun. Worth everry penny!!!!

Get the bald guy out of the front and put Kirk in his rightful place and I’ll think about buying it.

Mine did not come with rules or speed play. Does anyone have them?