Inside an NYC Transit-inspired board game: Pass the OMNY reader, collect $200
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – Normally, passing the OMNY reader will cost you $2.90, but when you pass the OMNY reader in this Monopoly-inspired public transit game, you collect $200.
It’s not the traditional Monopoly rule for passing Go, nor the MetroCard nod you might expect at the start of the game. But its creator, Frederick McNulty, wanted to build something that was true to riders’ experiences.
McNulty has spent the last few months fine-tuning his public transit version of the classic board game, which operates much like Monopoly. Instead of buying properties like Boardwalk and Park Place, players buy subway lines like the A or the C.
“A part of what makes Monopoly variants fun are the ones that you can relate to in some way,” McNulty told PIX11 News. “People, on one hand, complain endlessly about the subway, as do I, but ultimately it’s a part of our community.”
The traditional games’ railroads are Interstate Rail Service lines, like the PATH and Metro-North Railroad, and the jail is a subway repair yard. If you’re unlucky, you may land on a space for “extreme weather” or “budget cuts” and cough up some cash.
Monopoly’s chance cards are replaced with Metro-North Railroad draw cards, which can cost a player $15 for getting caught in the rain walking from Grand Central or $50 for a wild animal getting on the tracks.
The Long Island Rail Road draw cards range from collecting $20 for making a tight E train connection at Jamaica or paying $20 for a fare increase.
“I wanted to be optimistic. On the other hand, I did also want to mention some of the challenges the system had. So instead of the income tax space in Monopoly, there’s a budget cut space,” McNulty said.
The game is also forward-looking. It includes the T train, part of the Second Avenue Subway line expansion that was paused when congestion pricing was suspended.
When McNulty started working on the project, congestion pricing was still in the cards but has since been paused by Gov. Kathy Hochul. It’s one of the few political nods he let onto the board.
“Monopoly’s origins are actually fairly political,” McNulty said. “It’s hard to sort of have politics on one hand and then the rest of your life on the other – you could not vote or not read the news or anything, but if your subway is delayed significantly because of funding issues, that’s a political issue.”
When he revealed the game online, people loved the details — like that the games’ background is the green that colors parks on the New York City subway map created in 1979.
The game's money features NYC bus route maps. (Frederick McNulty) 
Long Island Rail Road cards replace Monopoly's traditional Community Chest cards. (Frederick McNulty) 
An example of an Exclusive Rights card, the equivalent of a mortgaged property card, and an Interstate Rail Service card. (Frederick McNulty)
“People who are really into public transit in New York City are intense about it,” McNulty said. “I love it, it’s a great energy, but I kind of knew that if I was going to be creative in this way I was going to need to be very meticulous.”
Game pieces include famous symbols of New York City, like the Statue of Liberty, Flaco the owl, a bagel, and icons for the five boroughs, like the Staten Island Ferry and Queens Unisphere.
A spokesperson for the New York City Transit Museum said McNulty’s game is a great example of the enthusiasm many have shown for mass transit-themed games, like a Monopoly-style game for Grand Central Terminal’s 100th anniversary and a 1983 board game in the museum called Straphanger.
New York City has already inspired a number of official Monopoly offshoots, like a Harlem game and a city game that lets you buy the Statue of Liberty. In Brooklyn Monopoly, players purchase McCarren and Prospect Park or train stations like Utica and Atlantic.
“We are always excited to see new creations that celebrate our city's transit system. We appreciate the love and creativity that goes into these projects,” said Chelsea Newburg, a spokesperson for the museum. “At the New York Transit Museum, we have a deep appreciation for the enthusiasm surrounding mass transit-themed games.”
McNulty has no plans to monetize or sell the game – it was just a creative outlet for a long-time transit lover. But many have taken to social media to tell McNulty they’d love to play.
Find more photos and details about the game here.