Monitics is a strategic board game created by Dr. Stephen Michael that simulates real-life money decisions, crises, choices and the consequences that come with them. Players navigate a financial journey where every move — saving, investing, borrowing, or spending — creates consequences. Plasters occasionally meet difficulties – tax, market crash, penalties etc which they must attempt to overcome through strategic decisions, negotiations and planning.
Unlike games driven by luck alone, Monitics rewards planning, discipline, timing, and adaptability. Players experience income, expenses, market shifts, business opportunities, financial shocks, and hard trade-offs—much like real life.
The goal of Monitics is to finish the game with the highest net worth, calculated as: Cash + Savings + Asset Value − Liabilities
Players win not by moving fastest, but by making better financial decisions and accumulating wealth in spite of the challenges that come.
Players who make up to $1000 are considered extremely successful. Each game session is considered one year of living.
Final net worth is calculated to determine the winner. Any player who earns a thousand dollars or more has done well.
On your turn:
You may not exceed two actions unless explicitly allowed by a card or rule.
Circumstances: Life & Market Cards
Life happens. Good, bad, and inconvenient.
When a player lands on a Circumstances space, the number rolled that landed them to the box determines the situation they face and the financial consequence that follows.
These events test preparation, ownership, and discipline—exactly the things real money cares about.
An unexpected cost hits.
Use insurance (if owned) to avoid the loss entirely.
You are forced to raise cash under pressure.
If the player has no cash or savings at all, nothing happens
Your discipline pays off.
If not, pay $10
Ownership finally flexes.
If you own nothing, lose $20
This is financial chaos at full volume.
If you have either insurance OR savings, nothing happens
Entrepreneurship shows its teeth.
If you own no business, pay $20 to move on
When a player lands on a Circumstances space, the same dice number that moved the player onto that space automatically determines the Circumstances outcome.
The player does not roll again
The dice number corresponds directly to the numbered Circumstances list (1–6)
The player must resolve only the Circumstance matching that number
Example:
If a player rolls a 4 and lands on a Circumstances space, the player must resolve Circumstance #4 – Ownership Pays.
Players may purchase:
Each asset has:
Distress value (used during forced sales or Crash)
Players may take one loan at a time. Loans are progressive – a player must borrow and return the $200 and then $300 before $500
Loan types:
The loan cards (AKA loan contract) should be kept in the players “liabilities box” until repaid
Options provide flexibility.
Available options:
Rules:
Insurance can protect players from:
Bills represent everyday living costs:
Rules:
If a player cannot pay immediately when caught, the amount becomes a liability and must be paid at the end of the game with an additional $10 penalty.
When Crash occurs:
Crash represents major financial disruption—job loss, business failure, or economic shock. A market crash is a sudden, rapid, and often unexpected drop in asset prices.
Forced sales use the asset’s distress value
Distress value may result in:
Player-to-Player Distress Purchases
PLAYER INTERACTION RULES
When a player completes the board, they may give the other player two final turns to end the game and calculate their net worth. The player may or may not accept to use the turns.
Each player calculates:
The player with the highest net worth wins.