Ken is right,
Making a Monopoly game would probably create more legal problems than would be worth it.
If we were to create our own game from scrach we could make it more like what FIRST is about. We could use elements like building the robot, going to regionals / championship, Gracious Professionalism, Fundraising, community service, etc.
*now to figure out how to incorporate such ideas into a game 
)
It also opens up more possibilities - instead of making a one dimensional game, it could be two or three dimensional (or if played on a computer, 4 dimensional)
and you could have more pieces than the one token you use in monopoly - it could be more like chess - where you have a team of pieces.
Im going to toss out one possible format. I took a 5 day training course in project management. They had a project simulation program that ran on a laptop. We had to assign virtual people to specific tasks, give them part of the funding and resources we had at our disposal, establish a desired schedule, and project objects, then you hit the RUN button. The program then told you what happened on your project during the first week (could be first day, first 4 hours…)
it made learning project management very interesting. Some of it was amusing, for example: I forgot to give my SW engineer a computer. He got frustrated in the first week and QUIT! So I had to assign someone else to his task, adjust the schedule (buy him a nice computer…)
you could do something similar: simulate a FIRST team, their actions and progress and accomplishments throughout the season. You would be the team leader - set up everything for a given time interval, then the program would calculate the results (with some randomness tossed in) and tell you what happened - from there you go on to the next day / week / …
if this was done well it could be an excellent tool for introducing new team members to FIRST.
I’m digging the 3-d game idea, I have no idea how to go about making a 3-d FIRST related board game, but I’m sure its doable.
You gotta have Beatty’s 05 bot. The cone of silence with just that.
I like the 3-d game idea.
You could upload your team logo, and your sponsor’s logo and do all sorts of fun stuff.
I’m liking this idea a whole lot better
Not to be a spoiler or anything…but the First Video Game project was started a few years back and ran for a very long time. A lot of people put a lot of time into it…and where is it now? Well I haven’t heard anything of it in months…
this isnt a video game - its a strategy / game of chance. Much easier to create.
Im thinking, is there a way to make this… whats the right term… an open source game?
A handfull of people could create the basic framework, but then other people could add more options / actions/ variables / responses…
for example: it might start out with two possible outcomes for attending a regional, your team wins the finals, or loses… then other people could add more options into the data base: you are a finalist, you win best seed, rookie of the year… chaimans award… that sort of thing
?
that way getting the basic game up and running would be much faster, and over the years the game would grow and develop as more and more people add onto it.
I may have found a way around this.
http://www.whatonearthcatalog.com/whatonearth/Item_Make-Your-Own-Opoly-Game_AV3832.html
Sure, it not software based but I think if we buy this and then collaborate on board designs, we could come up with some pretty interesting stuff to put on it.
Apparently this is sanctioned by Hasbro as well, so your copyright issues are no more. 
what does apparently mean? that they are selling it and have not been sued yet, or that you know Hasbro has signed a release for this game?
The fact that its made by someone else, and its called “Opoly” sure looks questionable.
Since you don’t have permission to use the monopoly name doesn’t mean you can’t make one similar. I think the best kind of game would not be one where you go around the board once but around the board until something happens that makes people drop out ( being broke in monopoly ).
So will this be an Aim High board or an overall FIRST board
yes, i have seen that on many websites. I also know that it is legal, as in no copyright issues…
and im not sure if it would be a general first board or 2006 aim high board…any thoughts?
General.
I think you could do either. just every year you could change the peices and the background. Most of the propertys should be the same.
However a general one is a better idea. It just seems like its more universal.
This is true. I have a game called “City Limits” which is the exact same as monopoly except the “Chance” cards aren’t called chance and don’t look the same and the properties are more realistically priced (20k, 40k, etc) with less realistic monetary denominations (20k, 40k, etc)
Essentially, the items trademarked are: Railroads, Chance, Property names, Go to Jail, Names of Properties and Utilities, Community Chest, “GO”, Physical look of money, play pieces, and cards.
The other main legality is “for profit.” Just like music and videos, you stay under the radar of the companies by simply distributing it to a small group for free. As long as you don’t use the above trademarks, you have a 99.9999% chance of not being noticed.
If you just distributed the game to FIRST members, I’m sure you could slip under the radar of anyone else seeing it and noticing similarities. Personally I think it’d be an awesome game!
did you email monopoly they probably will let you. They have alot of monopolys like starwars, and the simpsons. They probably would let you call it first monopoly
yes i have emailed hasbro, they said no because they have too many games out there with the opoly name…
that sucks. ive also heard that there are sites with a make your own 'opoly you could check and see how they do it.
ok well this idea kind of died for a while, ive also been very busy with things lately…ok well id like to start working on this and dedicate some time to it and at least get a semi-playable version out
so anyone who wants/still wants to help post here