Developping A New Game For The Thai Market. Help Needed.

[coalminer]

Hi,

I'm designing a total new version of the old Monopoly.

A version special designed for Thailand, more specific for Isan.

The board will be almost the same as the regular Monopoly board, except that the names on the board will be more specific to that Thai Country.

Names will be replaced with Chaiyaphum Road, Nakhorn Ratchasima Road, etc...

There will be also a few Bouddhist Temples on the board at strategical places.

The 2 plies of cards will be replaced with an Isaan pile of cards and a fahrang pile of cards.

Although desired to be played with at least 1 fahrang, this game can also be played exclusively with Thais.

The pile of cards will have cards as in the following example:

============================================

Isaan:

- Your 18 year old daughter who was working at a hotel in Pattaya as receptionist has meet a rich fahrang and they will marry next month.

Collect 200,000 Baht sin-sod and move 10 steps forward.

- You have been on a weekend visit to your daughter and her fahrang husband.

Collect 10,000 Baht and move 10 steps forward.

- You just received a notice from your daughter that her husband has decided to build a new house for you in the middle of the rice fields, where the old barn wher you lived

with your herd was located.

Collect the houses at Chaiyaphum Road with hotels for free.

- Your daughter has just noticed you that her rich fahrang husband is going to buy a brand new Isuzu pick-up for her and invites the whole village to be at the car blessing

by the monks at the local temple.

Collect 20,000 Baht and move to the first temple.

- Your daughter has just noticed you that her rich husband is going to buy the biggest lot of land that is available in Nakhon Somewhere and is going to build a 6 beth

-/bathroom villa for her.

The whole village is invited at the house blessing by the monks.

Collect 100,000 Baht and move to the next temple.

- You daughter has been granted a Green Card for being married to an American.

She will be working at a local Thai restaurant (annex massage parlor) and will send 30,000 Baht per month.

Collect 30,000 Baht every round.

- You just received a visit from your daughter and she complained that her husband has no more money and he has found out that she has a husband at her village.

You decide to get rid of the old fart and hire a local policeman to do the "dirty" work for you and keep you out of jail.

Pay 5,000 Baht.

Fahrang:

- You have managed to find an 18 year old Isaan girl from with a Ph.D. in Space Technologie at your hotel in Thaiiland and decided to marry her next month.

Pay 200,000 Baht sin-sod and move to jail.

Wait 3 rounds.

- Your in-laws have been on a weekend visit to their daughter and her fahrang husband.

Pay 10,000 Baht and wait 1 round.

- Your lovely wife with a Ph. D. has persuaded you to build a new house for her parents in the middle of the rice fields, where the old barn wher you lived with your herd was

located.

Pay 500,000 Baht and go back to the beginning.

- Your lovely wife with a Ph. D. has persuaded you to buy for her a brand new Isuzu pick-up to go to the beauty parlor a few blocks away from your house.

As required by the Isaan customs, a party will be organised at the local temple for the whole village of your in-laws.

Pay 1,000,000 Baht, move to the first temple and wait 10 rounds..

- After a short discussion with your PH. D. wife, you have decided to buy for her the biggest plot of land in your local village and build a 6 beth-/bathroom villa for her.

The whole village will be invited at the house blessing by the monks.

Pay 10,000,000 Baht, move to the next temple and wait 50 rounds.

- Your Visa has expired.

Pay 800,000 Baht to sponsor the Thai economy.

.

- You made yourself redundant and have found that your lovely wife with a Ph. D. has a husband at the local village.

A lcoal hitman will visit your house and bring you to the highest building in town where you will be forced to jump from the balcony or be pushed.

Leave the playing board.

=====================================

Every input from Thaivisa members about the design and the marketable value of this game is welkom.

Also, if somebody has additional ideas for the cards or the board design and want to see them included in the game, please post them.

[unomi]

ROFL, I think that is a great idea.

Only problem is that people play games as a form of escapism. Why would people play a game that was exactly like their actual lives?

Anyway I'll buy one.

[zorro1]

ROFL, I think that is a great idea.

Only problem is that people play games as a form of escapism. Why would people play a game that was exactly like their actual lives?

Anyway I'll buy one.

[dave111223]

Each property card would need to have 2 sides:

Chaiyaphum Road

Thai Side:

Cost: 1,000,000 THB

Rent: 10,000 THB

English Side:

Cost: 350,000,000 THB

Rent: Your entire bank balance.

[lazeeboy]

i'd buy one ,could be a laugh at dinner partys

[steveromagnino]

what you are suggesting (if you are serious) is a breach of copyright and trademark law.

It also seems to only have a market of old disgruntled farang expats married to Isaan women.

But having said that....and not wishing to pour petrol on the flames of discontent, may I suggest this: don't get too held up on the streets; instead change to a more conceptual board.

The 4 train stations should instead be the 4 stops for stereotypical mail order bride type farangs wanting Isaan wives:

patpong

Patong

Nana

Walking Street

And if you get the entire set, you also are entitled to 20% of the electric company and water works which instead are Beer Chang and Beer Singha. Since you are generating the cash for them and get a skim back.

There can be random community chest cards, which have a war on drugs period which means that when there is a war on drugs that all the rents on these 6 positions are reduced in half, and when there is no war on drugs they get doubled.

I suspect the players never will win such a game, you just get a little wiser each time :-)

[coalminer]

what you are suggesting (if you are serious) is a breach of copyright and trademark law.

Do you mean that brand the products you can buy everywhere in Thailand are actually REAL brand products?

It also seems to only have a market of old disgruntled farang expats married to Isaan women.

Thus, 99,99% of the fahrangs married to an Isaan woman with a PH. D. degree in Astrophysics.

But having said that....and not wishing to pour petrol on the flames of discontent, may I suggest this: don't get too held up on the streets; instead change to a more conceptual board.

The 4 train stations should instead be the 4 stops for stereotypical mail order bride type farangs wanting Isaan wives:

patpong

Patong

Nana

Walking Street

Good idea.

And if you get the entire set, you also are entitled to 20% of the electric company and water works which instead are Beer Chang and Beer Singha. Since you are generating the cash for them and get a skim back.

There can be random community chest cards, which have a war on drugs period which means that when there is a war on drugs that all the rents on these 6 positions are reduced in half, and when there is no war on drugs they get doubled.

I suspect the players never will win such a game, you just get a little wiser each time :-)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Wiser?

I don't agree...

The only ones who get wiser are the ones who jumps from balconies and high buildings.

[simon43]

Surely the owners of Monopoly (Waddington??) have a ... er .. monopoly on offering such a Thai game? It's a clear breach of copyright which is a major offence in Thailand (such is the rarity of such offences...)

Simon

[soundman]

Sorry to bust your bubble......

but Thai monopoly is allready available in both a cheap version 200B or an expensive version 1400B.

Can be bought in most bookstores.

Its called "set tee"

Cheers,

Soundman.

[TEFLMike]

I'll go and sell them, for you. ROFL

[JetsetBkk]

...Thai monopoly is allready available in both a cheap version 200B or an expensive version 1400B....

You are found selling counterfeit copies of Thai Monopoly. Go straight to jail, do not collect 200 baht.

(Or pay the nice BiB 200 baht and carry on selling.)

[kiakaha]

ahhh.....thaivisa..where barstool dreams come to die

[coalminer]

Sorry to bust your bubble......

but Thai monopoly is allready available in both a cheap version 200B or an expensive version 1400B.

Can be bought in most bookstores.

Its called "set tee"

Cheers,

Soundman.

And soon there will be a copied version available for 150B at all the shops in Thailand.

TIT

Go to the local temple and make a donation for a new portable computer for the head monks.

and a few cellphones for the regular monks.

Pass 5 rounds.

[steveromagnino]

And soon there will be a copied version available for 150B at all the shops in Thailand.

TIT

As with drugs, prosititution, murder and buying votes, something existing here (and the rest of the world) does not mean that it is actually legal.

The market for monopoly playing expats married to Isaan people is sufficiently small for this to be somewhat of a niche (and illegal) product; I cannot think of a single person I personally know wanting such a game.

However I do not see that it is appropriate I should be the one to crush your idea.

Therefore, allow me to offer further advice:

'You got second place in a farang beauty and the beast contest. Receive 15b.'

and

'Your wife got second place in a beauty pagaent and now demands you pay for her silicon nose. Pay 15,000b'

plus

make the green set (statistically shown to be one of the worst sets to own in the game of monopoly) the triple decker:

State Tower

The Sails

Ocean One Tower

[coalminer]

As with drugs, prosititution, murder and buying votes, something existing here (and the rest of the world) does not mean that it is actually legal.

Is this product legal? (learningthai.com)

The market for monopoly playing expats married to Isaan people is sufficiently small for this to be somewhat of a niche (and illegal) product; I cannot think of a single person I personally know wanting such a game.

However I do not see that it is appropriate I should be the one to crush your idea.

I sold already 3 sets to Thaivisa members who wants it buy it.

Reread the thread.

Therefore, allow me to offer further advice:

'You got second place in a farang beauty and the beast contest. Receive 15b.'

and

'Your wife got second place in a beauty pagaent and now demands you pay for her silicon nose. Pay 15,000b'

plus

make the green set (statistically shown to be one of the worst sets to own in the game of monopoly) the triple decker:

State Tower

The Sails

Ocean One Tower

Thank you for your input.

The first one is a very good one and can be extended with silicon boobs, silicon ass. etc...

BTW, is the triple decker the one where the fahrangs who are made redundant are supposed to be pushed out of the balcony?

[phaethon]

I would have thought something like Trivial Pursuit would be more poopular - with half Thai, half English card sets as a way of a couple helping each other learn about their repsctive langauges, cultures, histories etc.

[Goshawk]

ahhh.....thaivisa..where barstool dreams come to die

oh.. give him a chance. After all, i'm getting so bored with Connect 4 these days...

[steveromagnino]

I sold already 3 sets to Thaivisa members who wants it buy it.

Reread the thread.

.....

Thank you for your input.

The first one is a very good one and can be extended with silicon boobs, silicon ass. etc...

BTW, is the triple decker the one where the fahrangs who are made redundant are supposed to be pushed out of the balcony?

3 sets....well I won't ring up Warren Buffet just yet to invest, but well done ;-)

The triple decker is to tie in with the reality that statistically, the green set is the worst set to own on the board, due to the lack of traffic (as a result of the go to jail spot) and also the higher cost of housing without increase in revenue as with the deep blue set (mayfair and park lane as I recall) next door. These 3 developments seem to be prime candidates for similar white elephant status.

I did have an idea for the housing also.

instead of houses, you could develop the land in the following order:

slum

1 room shack

shop house

Free standing home

and then finally....every Farang married to an Isaan woman's dream (according to TV)

GATED COMMUNITY NO DOGS ALLOWED

And for the playing pieces you can use:

- a bowl of somtam

- a motorcycle

- a pickup truck or better still an ee-tan (the rice truck)

- a kwai

- a mangey soi dog

- a large 'tua ngern tua tong' lizzard

- a pin saying Thaksin Su Su

- and instead of the hat, you can have er, one of those balaclavas the poor people use on the rice fields

Community Chest:

- Newin is up for election and pays all people landing on the Buriram set 100b

- Thaksin comes to town. All players receive 100b

- New education policy; all poor people must vote for Chavalit; pay 20b per person

etcetc

[coalminer]

I sold already 3 sets to Thaivisa members who wants it buy it.

3 sets....well I won't ring up Warren Buffet just yet to invest, but well done ;-)

Hey,

My game is still in the R&D face.

The triple decker is to tie in with the reality that statistically, the green set is the worst set to own on the board, due to the lack of traffic (as a result of the go to jail spot) and also the higher cost of housing without increase in revenue as with the deep blue set (mayfair and park lane as I recall) next door. These 3 developments seem to be prime candidates for similar white elephant status.

Ah so,

Will try to include the triple decker in the gameboard.

I did have an idea for the housing also.

instead of houses, you could develop the land in the following order:

slum

1 room shack

shop house

Free standing home

and then finally....every Farang married to an Isaan woman's dream (according to TV)

GATED COMMUNITY NO DOGS ALLOWED

ROTFLMAO

A brilliant idea.

Keep'em coming.

And for the playing pieces you can use:

- a bowl of somtam

- a motorcycle

- a pickup truck or better still an ee-tan (the rice truck)

- a kwai

- a mangey soi dog

- a large 'tua ngern tua tong' lizzard

- a pin saying Thaksin Su Su

- and instead of the hat, you can have er, one of those balaclavas the poor people use on the rice fields

ROTFLMAO

A brilliant idea.

Keep'em coming.

Community Chest:

- Newin is up for election and pays all people landing on the Buriram set 100b

- Thaksin comes to town. All players receive 100b

- New education policy; all poor people must vote for Chavalit; pay 20b per person

etcetc

Thank you for the very good ideas.

It will be a bestseller.

If the thread is not deleted again by the mods because of the multiple Thai/Isaan bashing .......

[astral]

The Thai version has been available for many years.

It was great to watch my children getting such fun from a game that I enjoyed as a boy.

[soundman]

The funny thing is that the Thai version has similar things to the OP "farang" mock ups in the "community chest" cards such as...

"Got caught driving too fast and had to pay off the police - 2000B"

Game should be called "Expat Monopoly" or more to the point "Expat Roullette".

[steveromagnino]

The funny thing is that the Thai version has similar things to the OP "farang" mock ups in the "community chest" cards such as...

"Got caught driving too fast and had to pay off the police - 2000B"

Game should be called "Expat Monopoly" or more to the point "Expat Roullette".

so is there a 'your concrete business benefits when Banharn gets elected again. Receive 20% of everyone else's money and move to the Suphanburi square' in the Thai version?

A Chavalit card would be great 'Chavalit gets elected PM, everyone's money is worth 1/3 and anyone with mortgages must increase the amount they owe by three times. The person with the mobile phone AIS playing piece; receive three times more money from everyone else and get an immeidate monopoly for the duration of the game on the telephone company and energy company sets.'

The local 7:11 stops selling booze from 7am - 12pm; move twice as many spaces due to not being drunk all day

The Lydia card 'Lydia comes to town and you get to sleep with her. Pay 30b in healthcare fees to get rid of the nong nai na Shinawatra (syphillis)'

Or how about a bit of Muay Thai 'You run into the Don in Soi Cowboy. Pay 3,000b in chiropractor fees for curing the neckpain resulting from the flying kick to the head'

I have always thought a great card would be 'Go directly to jail. Do not pass Go. Do no collect 200. unless you have the most money on the board, in which case the poorest player must go directly to jail and not pass go, and you get their 200'

Ah, good old Isaan.