It took ten attempts for the Richman series to appear on Xbox consoles, but now we have the eleventh attempt pop up in the conveniently titled Richman 11. This Monopoly inspired series of interactive board games must have done something right to last for over thirty years. However, after playing a few rounds I was left thinking how bare bones the earlier titles must have been if this is the latest and greatest game in the franchise.
Richman 11 takes the basic premise of journeying around a board and buying up property quite literally wholesale from Monopoly, putting it into a cutesy, bubble-gum aesthetic. Up to four players take it in turns moving around a board, landing on squares and buying property. The more you land on the same square you own, the more you can level up the property. Many spaces are purely for residential properties, but some larger squares can also have facilities built on them. Depending on which type of facility you build will affect what happens to an opponent when they land on them. For example, build a hotel and not only will they have to pay, but they’ll be out of action until their ‘vacation’ is over.
There are a few modes to keep things interesting as you play Richman 11. There’s the Free Game that comes with the standard ruleset that has you gathering up property and attempting to bankrupt all other players. Challenge mode sees you teaming up with other players to bankrupt one of six Landlords. These Landlords play the game as normal but come with unique abilities to make them a bit more tricky. Then, certain maps allow for either Snatch or Brawl modes. Snatch allows you to build larger properties early on and should, theoretically, result in faster games (more on that later). Finally, Brawls mean that items such as bombs and missiles can contribute directly to money losses rather than hospitalisation for those affected.
On the maps, there are myriad obstacles and items to take note of. Your best bet is to consult the instructions screen in the options menu whenever you encounter anything that looks out of place. Richman 11 doesn’t necessarily do a good job of explaining what these do when in a game, requiring you to take time out to do the research yourself. Certain Gods for example will buff your player for a limited number of turns, but equal to those are ones that will hinder you too.
Be warned when checking the instructions though as Richman 11 is perhaps the worst game in terms of localisation I have ever encountered. Issues with spelling, grammar, punctuation – it is all there with dozens of examples.
Certain modes also come with a stock exchange for you to utilise. However, to prevent you from running away with the victory – or cause you to bankrupt early – rises and falls are both capped at 10%. If used correctly, it can offer you additional funds to give you that edge.
One thing that isn’t explained at all however, and is something quite crucial, is player movement. It would appear that you can only choose which direction you are going around the map when you land directly on a crossroads. If your dice roll sends you past the crossroads, you will instead continue on whatever path you are currently on. If that then means repeating the same run past a load of enemy houses, well, tough luck. As a result, it does often feel like Richman 11 is simply running in auto-pilot mode for the most part, because aside from having a hand of cards to help you, you are actually doing very little in the game.
Other obstacles to be wary of are dogs. I am specifically singling these out for reasons that will become clear. Running into a dog without any protection can land your character in hospital, where you are unable to collect money from other players until you are released. However, if you are in a vehicle, you can run into and mow down the dog. Quite literally as well, aside from protecting yourself this is the best tactic to avoid them. If this isn’t your idea of fun, I don’t blame you.
Just like any Monopoly game, things do have a tendency to last longer than you would like in Richman 11. With money constantly changing hands when most plots have been purchased, it is down to the luck of the dice rolls more than anything else. Thankfully, you can shorten or lengthen a game by decreasing or increasing the starting funds for players. There is also a price rise every so often that you can alter that is also useful for bankrupting the players hanging on with minimal funds.
There is an undeniable charm to Richman 11, sans the running over of dogs. But to suggest this is the eleventh instalment of the franchise is a concern. Much of the game is played out in an auto-pilot mode (there is even an option to toggle autoplay on completely) and it doesn’t feel optimised as a board game at all. Much of the early game is spent simply buying up property before things really start to get going. And then the ending can be a ways away as money just changes hands before anyone really takes control.
There are just about enough modes to keep things interesting in Richman 11 but it isn’t brimming with content, even after ten other versions of it. But hey, at least you don’t need to pass GO! before gathering up property.
