Getting into Northwestern might soon be as easy as rolling dice.
All you’ll need is a little luck, a few friends and a copy of Evanstonopoly, a board game being released next month that allows players to buy and sell city properties such as NU.
The game, played just like the Parker Brothers original version of Monopoly featuring Atlantic City spaces, consists of many classic Monopoly elements, including money, houses, hotels and activity cards that direct players to spots on the board.
“They’ll land on Northwestern University and maybe they’ll be told that ‘you’ve just been admitted for the next session,'” said Doris Rudy, a member of the First Night Evanston Board of Directors who is coordinating the Evanstonopoly project. “If you’re sent to a not-for-profit, you’ll be asked to make a contribution. All the activity cards will have to do with the properties around the board.”
The game is a fundraiser for First Night Evanston, Evanston’s annual New Year’s Eve festival. The board, which consists of 37 spaces, has sold all but one to local companies such as First Bank & Trust, Bennison’s Bakery, Hotel Orrington and St. Francis Hospital.
“Our efforts were aimed at having the board represent the diversity of Evanston from the large banks to the small businesses,” Rudy said. “We’ve tried to get not-for-profit and highly profitable groups. And it’s just a great diversity of organizations that are very representative of Evanston. Some of the places are those that people have never heard of, and others are the ones that are right next door and that everybody’s heard of.”
The first shipment will include 3,500 copies of the game, which the group hopes to have ready for release during the first week of December, Rudy said. The games will be on sale for $34.95 at various businesses throughout Evanston, including Norris Bookstore.
The artwork was designed by Evanston artist Brian Bourke and by Innovative Design and Graphics, an Evanston graphic-design company. Katy Consultants Inc., a consulting firm based in Manitowoc, Wis., is helping customize and produce the board.
Despite similarities to Monopoly, there are a number of distinct Evanstonopoly features. For instance, players will find that there is no jail space. All of the money is stamped with the name Harris Bank. Tokens such as a Pace bus, recycling bin and lighthouse have replaced the traditional top hat, race car and thimble.
“We have six tokens; you roll the dice, you move up the spaces,” Rudy said. “All the spaces will have a color at the top that are not the same as the Monopoly spaces. The last two properties before ‘Go’ are not going to be Boardwalk and Park Place. The activity cards are the same, the money is the same, except that everything will have someone’s name on them. It’s a very custom-made game. The concept is exactly like Monopoly, but it is so customized that there is no reference to Monopoly.”
The cost of sponsorship ranges from $2,000 to $7,000, depending on location and exposure. The money will go toward a “blizzard fund,” a contingency fund for First Night Evanston in case there is a blizzard on New Year’s Eve, said Corinne Pierog, the festival manager.
Chris Mailing, the owner of Turin Bicycle, 1027 Davis St., said that First Night Evanston is an event he has supported for years. When he was approached about becoming a sponsor on the Evanstonopoly board, he liked the idea.
“It’s kind of a neat idea,” he said. “I think it’ll be fun to have, and at the same time, a way to get to know Evanston a little better.”
Reach Matt Presser at [email protected].
