Bored? Game! Munchkin

Munchkin is about adventuring, looting and stabbing your buddy in the back. It says so on the box, and it’s pretty much true.

Munchkin was one of my first experiences of a card game in this new renaissance we’re experiencing. Before I played Munchkin, Pokèmon cards were things that I gathered because they looked cool rather than because I wanted to battle. For the record, I did battle once and lost spectacularly, enough to make my opponent regret taking me on in the first place because of the complete lack of a challenge I presented. I never considered attempting to play something like Magic the Gathering – that would be something for the more dedicated, the hardcore, those who were more interested in trying to build the perfect deck.

My first game of Munchkin was played at Loading Bar back when it was based in Soho. Simon showed Fran and I the ropes and I was instantly hooked. Mostly it’s because the game is not only fun, but really, really funny. There’s a spark of humour in every card that you draw from the deck, whether that’s in the monster that you face, the loot you draw or the Polymorph potion that turns any unsuspecting enemy into a parrot that harmlessly flies away, leaving you the treasure.

What's behind Door Number 1?
What’s behind Door Number 1?

The steps to Munchkin are simple enough. When it’s your turn, ‘kick the door down’ by drawing a card from the door deck. If it’s a monster, you fight it, maybe trying to negotiate help from your fellow players through bribery. If you win, you get valuable treasure which will either help you up your strength or protect you against future monsters. If it’s no monster but an item, you can take it and then decide whether to ‘loot the room’ by drawing another card and adding it to your hand, or ‘looking for trouble’ by playing a monster card from your own hand, defeating it and snagging more treasure. Defeating a monster or drawing special cards gains you a level. The first to level 10 wins glory and bragging rights.

Where Munchkin gets complicated is how each card does something – each card has text describing a stat change, an effect of some kind and if it’s a monster, what you need to do to defeat it or how screwed you are if you lose. There’s a lot of reading, a lot of remembering and a lot of clever plays that can be made. If you’re holding potions, you can use them to help you against monsters. If you have certain cards, you can screw over your buddies by adding additional monsters for them to fight, and perhaps dangling the prospect of your help… for a price, of course. It’s hilarious, mercenary, ‘everyone for themselves’ gameplay that really captures the idea of being an adventurer in a dungeon and doing your best to get the best deal for yourself, and yourself alone. Team up with people to take down others, then stab those people in the back by making monsters they have to fight even stronger. Do so while being a Halfling Warrior with a gentleman’s club for a weapon (only useable by men), a stepladder to give you a stat boost (useable by halflings only) and some rather sexy-looking leather armour to give you additional points that might make all the difference when you’re exploring the dungeon.

We're gonna need a bigger table.
We’re gonna need a bigger table.

Munchkin is almost like a rabbit hole in its own right. Once you start playing Munchkin and look into buying your own set, you realise how many extra decks and expansion sets there are. There’s a thriving Reddit community, sharing clever ideas for new cards to add to decks. Have a crazy Munchkin game by mixing and matching all of your decks and don’t forget to buy a Box of Holding to put them all in. Don’t buy a Duck of Doom, though. Only an idiot picks up a Duck in a Dungeon.

munchkinDuck

There are also apps that help you count levels and stat boosts, ones that make a fun victory sound when someone reaches level 10. I’ve been surprised by the wealth of stuff that is out there. I was also pleasantly surprised when having dinner in Italy when I was on holiday in the summer, to look over and see some German tourists on the next table in full dungeon exploration mode with a thick deck of Munchkin cards.

Winner!
Winner!

Easy to play, a little more difficult to properly understand and master. Full of classic humour, liberally seasoned with RPG references and left to stew in its own card game juices to produce an overpowering scent of fandom, merchandise and expansion packs. Yet, ultimately a very fun, very geeky, very tongue-in-cheek card game experience.

Designer: Steve Jackson
Publisher: Steve Jackson Games
Mechanic: Card drafting/Hand management
Number of Players: 3-6 (best with 4)
Length of Game: 60-90 minutes
Complexity: Medium


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One response to “Bored? Game! Munchkin”

  1. Barry avatar
    Barry

    There is also the Deluxe version that comes with a board, coloured character pieces and gender cards. So you can keep track of your progress without your phone 🙂

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