[jameswalker85]

Hey there. As you may have seen on the 500k Facebook group, I'm designing a Shenmue-themed Monopoly set. And I need your help.

As you may know, a standard Monopoly board has 22 properties, 4 stations, 2 utilities, 2 taxes, Chance, Community Chest, Go, Free Parking, Go to Jail, and Jail/Just Visiting. And I have no idea what to put where.

I want to theme the set on the first Shenmue (I plan to make a Shenmue 2 version later), so I need suggestions as to what properties to have, and in what order. Obvious choices include YOU Arcade, Aida Flower Shop, Tom's Hot Dogs, Tomato Convenience Store, Asia Travel Co, etc.

For stations, I'm trying to decide between vehicles (Bus, motorbike, forklift, boat), drinks (Jet Cola, Orange Fruda, Grape Fruda, Jet Soda), or capsule machines (SEGA, Virtua Fighter, Harbor, Vehicles). Probably the vehicles, though.

For utilities, I'm stumped. Any suggestions would help.

As for the Chance and Community Chest, I'm thinking Phoenix and Dragon Mirrors.

Go currently reads "Ine-san's Daily Allowance - ¥500 - Collect as you pass", and Free Parking simply states "Let's get sweaty".

I'm thinking Go to Jail should be a guard from the Old Warehouse District. As for Jail/Just Visiting, I can't actually think of anything suitable other than the gate to the Old Warehouse District.

The art for the centre of the board is currently just a picture of Ryo... but I'm thinking the title screen would be really cool (or at least a close approximation).

So, like I said, any suggestions you guys have would be awesome!

Likewise, any HD screenshots of the locations that you might have/be able to grab would be really awesome.

[jameswalker85]

Current preview:

[RobLMor]

Maybe you could go with the drinks or something for the train stations and have the bus station and the shipping dock as utilities. Then just have each individual vehicle as one of the pieces?


As for the order, I'd possibly try and go for the order you can 1st come into contact with them in the game, so have things like Abe's store early on and things like Warehouse number 8 (or old and new warehouse districts) later.


Or instead, group them, so you have restaurants like Manpukuken Ramen, Ajiichi & Takara Sushi as one colour, a group of apartment blocks as a colour, bars as one, gaming areas (although I suppose you could just use You Arcade & the Slot House as Utilities?).


Definitely think buying Wang-san a drink could be the income tax square, or that could be one of the chance or community chest cards.

[jameswalker85]

I thought of having Wang-san as a chance/chest card, along with stuff such as getting swindled at Asia Travel Co, Fuku-san breaking his piggy bank, and winning big at the slot house.

Perhaps the utilities could be capsule machines, then the stations will retain their 'transport' status.

I'm gonna start putting together a list of possible properties. I think Hazuki Dojo and Yokosuka Harbor will be the top two.

[jameswalker85]

Just made a custom Monopoly logo, so I'm replacing the Ryo image in the centre. I'm pretty pleased with it. Not showing it off just yet, though.


Right now I'm making the Phoenix Mirror (Chance) and Dragon Mirror (Community Chest) icons.

[Shenmue Stare]

Awesome, I've been wanting to do this forever! For the properties use the shops. They should all be different quadrants of Dobuita and resemble their actual proximity in the game to each other. So Funny Bear Burgers next to Aida Flower Shop  could be the first two properties. The income tax could be a toll paid to Nagai industries for protection since they'd likely do that in real life as they're Yakuza. The super tax could be Chai has eatn your ticket to Hong Kong lose however many yen. The utilities could be Slot house and Lapis fortune teller, or even slot house and you arcade, or Lapis fortune teller and Yamanose Shrine, get kind of a vibe going there. railroads could be Tomato mart (both of them if you want) You Arcade and Slot House if they're not utilities, Abe Store, Heartbeats Bar (depending on which other bars you use as properties), and Warehouse number 8.

So either Lapis and Yamanose shrine as utilities with Tomato, Slot House, You Arcade, and Warehouse number 8 as railroads. I kinda like how both lapis and the shrine are both spiritual in nature. And while it seems strange to profit from the shrine, the cat does keep getting donations, not only that, but it gives a neat little vibe to it all, also considering those two places are the only two places of that nature in the game.

And then there's this option. You Arcade and Slot House as utilities along with Tomato, Abe Store, Tomato harbor, and warehouse number 8 as railroads. This approach is funny since the railroads are mostly convenience stores and the utilities are based on coins. Again, another neat little vibe.

The chance and community chest cards could be things like

Crack open fuku san's piggy bank, get 200 yen.

Today's hot dog is on the house courtesy of your friend Tom! Gain Tornado Kick plus 100 yen.

You're investment in Tom's Hot Dogs has not paid off. Business has been down since he keeps giving out free hotdogs. Lose 100 yen.

You stayed up late and watched some drunk guy get all qte and fall down. He dropped some money. Collect 100 yen.

You bet some sailors you could make a pool shot. Collect/lose 200 yen.

Lan Di sama will be pleased! Lose 50 yen just because that's what happens when Lan Di smiles. 

You defeated Chai at the You Arcade. Some passerby gives you his tokens in awe of your performance. Collect 100 yen.


You got lucky/unlucky numbers from the Lapis fortune teller. Lose/collect 300 yen.


Your father was murdered and left you an inheritance. Collect 300 yen.


Someone tried to blackmail you, and since that's waaaaay uncool, you turn the tables on them. Collect 200 yen.


You finished a VF/HArbor/Animals/Mini Sega whatnot capsule toy set and sold it to a pawn shop. Collect 300 yen.


Your capsule toy addiction has gotten the better of you recently. Lose 300 yen.


New Yokosuka movie theater grand opening night. Collect 50 yen from each player for opening night seats.

Got beat up by the Mad Angels. Lose 100 yen for hospital fees.


Go straight home and go to bed. Next morning collect 200 yen from Ine san.

You need a haircut. Advance directly to Maeda Barbershop. Lose 25 yen.


0468 61 5647 Father's Heaven? Nine Dragons. Mother's Earth? Comrades. Advance directly to Warehouse number 8, if you pass Ine san, collect 200 yen.

Or it could be the get out of jail free card. As in you called first and are now allowed past the gates. Likewise, go straight to jail should be the guard and you go directly to the gates.

Especially since you bought merchandise! Lose 100 yen in a raffle.

Ahhhh good! you've gotten a winning can! Collect 100 yen

Ahhhh bad! you run into Guangji Wang at the soda machine. His mouth is parched. Lose 100 yen.

Dinner is free tonight. Enjoy a pizza of love with Nozomi on the house courtesy of Bob's Pizza, eh! Gain 100 yen

Forgot to train today. Go back three spaces.

For the tokens we could use Mimi, Shiro as the dog, one of the ships from the dock, phoenix and dragon mirrors, Nozomi's amulet, A Chiyoumen tattoo, Mario Grianni's chef hat, A black car, A mini Ryo statue resembling the real one, Naoyuki's motorcycle, a soccer ball, Fuku san's piggybank, and a miniature Yukawa. 

For the center of the board it'd be neat to use the title screen logo.
Are you aware of any companies that print custom boards?

[jameswalker85]

For the properties use the shops. They should all be different quadrants of Dobuita and resemble their actual proximity in the game to each other. So Funny Bear Burgers next to Aida Flower Shop  could be the first two properties.

That would be a cool idea, but it would break the mechanic of the properties getting more expensive as you go around the board.

The income tax could be a toll paid to Nagai industries for protection since they'd likely do that in real life as they're Yakuza. The super tax could be Chai has eatn your ticket to Hong Kong lose however many yen.

I love the Nagai idea. I'm not sure Chai would work as a tax, as there's only so many tickets he can eat before you'd get wise.

The utilities could be Slot house and Lapis fortune teller, or even slot house and you arcade, or Lapis fortune teller and Yamanose Shrine, get kind of a vibe going there. railroads could be Tomato mart (both of them if you want) You Arcade and Slot House if they're not utilities, Abe Store, Heartbeats Bar (depending on which other bars you use as properties), and Warehouse number 8.

I think I need to finalise all the properties first, and work out what could be the utilities from what's left.

The chance and community chest cards could be things like *list of suggestions*

Thank you for all the suggestions. I'll definitely be using a lot of them.

For the tokens we could use Mimi, Shiro as the dog, one of the ships from the dock, phoenix and dragon mirrors, Nozomi's amulet, A Chiyoumen tattoo, Mario Grianni's chef hat, A black car, A mini Ryo statue resembling the real one, Naoyuki's motorcycle, a soccer ball, Fuku san's piggybank, and a miniature Yukawa.

I was going to print the VMU icons, and make little stands out of fuse beads so they can stand upright.

For the center of the board it'd be neat to use the title screen logo.

I wanted to, but I couldn't find a decent enough screenshot. Plus, it'd have to be horribly cropped. So instead, I made my own approximation of the Monopoly logo, and I'm really pleased with it.

Are you aware of any companies that print custom boards?

Not yet. But I was thinking of making my own anyway. If I get the board printed at a copy shop, I can make a foldable board out of some chip board, and laminate the top. The money I would print on coloured paper (to save ink), and the cards I would get done professionally (so that they're double-sided).

[James]

"Jail" could be some kind of guilty penance for breaking Ine-san's curfew.

[Guppy]

The jail cell frm shenmue 2

[jameswalker85]

The jail cell frm shenmue 2

Again, I'm just going to use Shenmue 1 properties for this version.


What I've been thinking is making the Jail square the gates from the Old Warehouse District, and having "Just passing" and "Caught".

[Giorgio]

Why it should be a jail? For example, why not having Ryo beaten up by Lan Di? Or, do you remember the scene where Fuku-san puts Ryo into bed and tell him to rest for today (after Ryo have been beaten up by Chai or the drunk sailor or the schoolgirls)? Why not use this? Why? Why?

[jameswalker85]

Why it should be a jail? For example, why not having Ryo beaten up by Lan Di? Or, do you remember the scene where Fuku-san puts Ryo into bed and tell him to rest for today (after Ryo have been beaten up by Chai or the drunk sailor or the schoolgirls)? Why not use this? Why? Why?

LOL. I was just trying to keep it in spirit of Monopoly, with it being some kind of detention. And since the guards already kind of look like the one on the Monopoly board...

[jameswalker85]

I need to get back to this. I've been sidetracked the last week. So, I'm going to try to compile a list of properties, and would appreciate help in ordering them by perceived value.

[jameswalker85]

Oh, and here's how the board looks now:

[James]

Haha, love the little Ryo in the logo.