Strip Monopoly

Lee, you want to play WHAT...?"

I returned to the group sitting in a circle on the carpeted floor. They were six men and women, ranging in age from 18 to 32. Most of us were familiar with one another, though some had only just met tonight; and some of us were even related, either by blood, marriage, or life long familiarities that only SEEMED like family bonds.

I sat the game box amongst them. "You heard me. Strip Monopoly."

There were laughs, giggles, moans, and rolled eyes, as well as quick, conspicuous ogles.

"It's regular Monopoly, except that -- after the inital $1,500 -- the only way to earn money is by collecting rent."

"No Go or money from Community Chest or Chance cards?"

I shook my head.

"Where's the stripping part come in?"

"With no Go or card bonuses, most of us will begin to run out of money quickly. You can trade an article of clothing to any other player just like it was cash or property. Or, if you can't get the price you want, you can trade that article to the bank."

"How much can I get from another player?"

I answered with a smirk, "Whatever they want to give."

"I don't know about this," one of the women said, standing to leave. She was quickly followed by the guy with whom she'd arrived. We were now down to four plus me.

"Can I win clothes back?"

"Yes."

"Can I put them back on?"

"Yes, but ONLY if they are your OWN clothes."

I handed out the stacks of money and went on. "You can trade money or ANOTHER person's clothes to get your own clothes back ... BUT ... if you trade an article to the bank, THAT article is lost for the duration of the game."

"How much will the bank pay for clothes?"

"Bras, panties, underwear ... $700 each. Everything else, $400."

I looked to the four players who were left. There were two males, Allen and Brian; and two females, Alice and Betty. Because of both the old friendships, recent introductions, and familial bonds, it was going to be interesting watching these people react with one another once the clothes began to be shed.

I looked about, tossed the dice to see if I would be first and -- luckily -- rolled 12, then said, "Okay, shall we start?"