Board Game Reviews Ep #200: MUNCHKIN

Munchkin on BoardGameGeek:

[fo-efqo]

I think there's a clause in the rulebook that's basically like "if something really strange happens, we dont know, do whatever you want" because there can be some complicated rules interactions.

[SURUS]

There is a deluxe version that comes with a board for keeping track of levels which is super helpful

[panpolypuff]

Munchkin's rules being convuluted has always felt like more of a feature than a bug to me. The game is a love letter to classic D&D, and arguing over rule interpretation is a time-hobored TTRPG tradition!

[MistromLuthane]

Oh man, i LOVED munchkin back in middle school. Theyre used to be a line in the rules about cheating being allowed if your not caught. Apparently it was facetious since it was removed, but i learned from one of the players who took it literally, so we all cheated when we played and if you got caught you died. You shouldnt play that way without everyone agreeing earlier, but personally I thought it was more interesting

[Tornroot]

The problem I have with Munchkin is the end, it always seems to finish with one person being screwed over by everyone else, and then the next person gets there without much resistance, and it feels a bit lackluster.

[segerbayer]

In response to end game complaints: I always had this problem with my friends so we invented Lightning Munchkin. The gameplay is identical except before you start the game you have someone who isn’t playing set a timer anywhere from 13-20 minutes and no one playing sees the timer or gets to look at a clock. Who ever is farthest ahead at the end wins!

This encourages harming people earlier on and burning resources to boost yourself earlier! It does rely on people playing honestly and not stalling when they’re in the lead– but my friends are cool so that’s not a problem. Let me know if this works for anyone else!

[AdeptSlayer]

The main issue I've always had with munchkin once you get over the initial learning curve is that it DRAGS. Dicking over your friends is fun and all but its way to easy to get into a scenario where you spend the last 10 minutes of the game constantly screwing over each other, wishing the game would actually end, until someone finally just happens to squeak through when everyone else runs out of fuck you cards.

[shadowjamm]

Totally agree that it's a very fiddly game to teach people, especially people not familiar with RPG class/race/equipment tropes, but man is it fun to openly threaten/coerce your friends and exploit them for treasures. Classic game

[Benny_Blue]

I think Munchkin is one of those games where once everyone gets the “plot” of it, it becomes way more fun. Someone else commented on how everyone burns out their resources trying to backstab the first player and prevent them from winning, and then the second player wins with ease. This is definitely an issue for the first game or two, but once everyone gets that the goal is to make yourself as formidable as possible in that final dash to win, it becomes WAY more fun. People start figuring out how best to make use of the 5 cards in their hand, planning out their backstabs and counterplays, making calls on what cards they can “carry” (put on the table to free up their hand) without revealing their plays — like putting out a decent “fire potion” for everyone to see while keeping in their hand a card that triples the effect of flame items. You’re trying to maximize the amount of “backstabbery” in the 5 cards you get to keep secret.

When played how it’s intended (or, more accurately, at its best), Munchkin is a game of setup and payoff — everyone races to LV 9 while assembling an armory, but they also tell a gameplay-based story on the way. Players give charity cards to others to keep their hand, negotiate deals that involve letting treasure go, make trades that let them reach LV 9 quicker. And once the final confrontation arrives, all the plays people have been planning come to light — and it is SO easy to see how past decisions made those plays possible. “Aargh, if only I hadn’t given you that class card!” “Wait, you actually USED that?!? I thought it’d be worthless to you!” “Nooo, why did I help you beat that monster!” It makes whoever wins feel foreshadowed and deserved.

[kylefischer]

I rarely if ever bring Munchkin out anymore. I used to love it but I realized that you have to play with the right group or it’s awful and results in hurt feelings. The idea is that players will dogpile with modifiers and wandering monsters on whoever is winning, which would keep things balanced and keep playing from snowballing. What ends up happening is that someone plays a modifier against another player, that player gets pissed and spends the rest of the game screwing over that other player and keeping them in last place for no reason.

[Killa]

1:57 it means nothing for nonbinary people, you aren't playing as yourself. The gender of your character is a game mechanic some items can only be used by women and some only by men. At the start of the game you declare whether you are female or male.

[LBPSaperoth]

I love your channel, it is great to see someone use youtube the way it was ment to be. your channel is just stuff you want to do or are interested in not what is trending. thanks for being your self.

[ghoti]

Man I loved Munchkin back in the early 2000s (TWENTY YEARS AGO) but the humour definitely didn't age all that well. It also really does depend on the group of people you're playing with, if they're willing to roll with it -- good with the roleplaying group, not so good with the paper wargame group. :)

[BlueDavrial]

Hellll yeahhhh. I love some Munchkin, it's a family tradition at gatherings (which have gotten less common over the years). I have almost every expansion and standalone version that thematically fits in with the base set, and they're all in a massive deckbox together. Makes it so each game is more unique. There's so many cards that i bump up the hand size

[RyansResolve]

This series has the undisputed best videos to watch while brushing your teeth

[sushiroll]

God, I remember playing this game at Summer camp when I was a kid. Good times.

[naberz]

Munchkin is an absolute classic and there are a million themed expansions that can all pretty much be combined with each other so you can make your own "version" of it.

[mpt]

Yeah, the rules are kinda fiddly (even more so when you add expansions or alternate base sets that have additional rules of their own) but once you get the hang of it it's a blast.

Edit: As was said, the deluxe sets come with a board for level tracking, and the sets made by USAopoly (mostly based on popular franchises like Adventure Time, Rick & Morty, or Marvel) have character cards that include a level tracker on the card.

[giantWario]

I still can't believe that being allowed to cheat isn't actually in the official rules. I played with three different groups in two different cities and they all used that rule where you're allowed to cheat so long as no one catches you and if you're caught, then you lose a level. Makes the game a lot more fun, you have to really watch what everyone is doing.

[gamzeemakara]

First game I’ve ever played back when I was ten or so. I remember being so incredibly excited to play it and then when I opened it up and saw the size of the rule sheet my excitement increased tenfold. I always had a passion for games with complex systems and mechanics that allow for plenty of strategy. I must’ve played it a hundred times at least, and years later I believe I have 6 different editions and 4 expansions. It’ll always be one of my favorites.