‘You win the How Many People Can You Spot On One Moto competition! Receive R50.’ So declares one samnang lahor (‘good luck’) card in CambOpoly. ‘You get Dengue Fever (it’s not the musical variety!). Go straight to the Medical Clinic,’ warns another. This, as you might have guessed already, is the newly launched Cambodian version of what is quite possibly the world’s most famous board game.
The concept came about two and a half years ago, when friends of a couple about to get hitched hit on the idea of creating an original wedding gift. The bride and groom liked board games and what started as a small independent project can now be played by one and all.
Unwrapping the game, you’re immediately immersed in the Cambodia so many of us know so well. CambOpoly’s logo, a green square with white text, is based on local road signage. The strong vinyl board is decorated with typical Khmer ornaments. The six player tokens, all tiny animals, come from Russian Market. An ample supply of paper money is provided in Cambodian riel. And the properties you can buy vary from Phnom Penh sangkats (‘districts’) to prominent tourist attractions, from well-known cafés to landmark hotels. Got an uncontrollable urge to demonstrate your burgeoning wealth to the Joneses? Simply park a miniature luxury car outside your CamboPoly properties.
The object of what was known in its original 1906 incarnation as The Landlord’s Game – long before the involvement of Parker Brothers, the British Secret Intelligence Service and Hasbro – is to become the wealthiest landlord in the country. But the eagle-eyed will notice land grabbing and forced evictions don’t factor into the rules.
Players take turns rolling the dice and working their elephant or snake token around the board. Real estate wannabes can snap up prime addresses such as Street 240, Hotel Intercontinental and even Angkor Wat. If another player lands on your property, he or she owes you rent. In an amusing nod to local values, the exact amount you’re owed depends not only on the value of your property but also on whether your Lexus or Bentley is parked outside (clue: the more luxury cars, the higher the rent).
One of the best things about CamboPoly is that you can customise the game yourself: the board comes with five blank samnang lahor cards, their directives limited only by your own imagination. As with the reality of real estate in this country, you can even make up the rules yourself. Just try not to bulldoze too many villages in the process, please.
The game is handmade, locally produced and all proceeds go to Support for Children of Incarcerated Parents (SCIP), which funds social worker visits for jailed mothers and fathers.
CamboPoly is available from Smateria, #8 Street 57 (cnr Street 278), priced $55.