Munchkin

Munchkin is a fun card game that is takes all the fun of role playing games and condenses it to its basic premise: fight the monster and get treasure. Munchkin is fun for both the role player and the casual gamer. Munchkin is a light-hearted glimpse into the RPG world. Munchkin can also serve as a nice primer for those interested in RPG games. You can get an overall feel as to what RPG is all about without having to invest hours into reading rules and developing a character.

In the game of Munchkin, the winner is the person who reaches 10th level first. Everyone starts off at level 1. Everyone also begins the game as a human fighter. Players will draw four cards and always have four cards in their hand unless they have a card or ability that allows them to have more. Some cards feature races and classes. You can put these into play. Then your character changes to that race, which might be something like Elf or Dwarf. An example of a class would be a bard or monk. Each race has a special ability in the game. As an elf, you can have five cards in your hand.

Besides the class and race cards, there are object cards. Object cards can be weapons, armor, or other gear. There are rules as to how you can use object cards. For instance, you can only have one big item card in play at a time for your character. You can only have on one pair of boots at a time.

In Munchkin, you gain levels by fighting creatures. Your level and any bonuses that you may get from cards in play go up against the monsters level. If you win, you gain a level and get to draw as many treasure cards that are noted on the monster. You can ask for help in defeating a monster but be warned that your ally will probably want a pick of your bounty. Players can also help out the monster by beefing them up if they have the right cards. The first person to level 10 wins the game. You must gain the level by defeating a monster and not from a card. You can also gain levels by turning in items in play for their gold value. A thousand gold will buy you one level. This can be handy since some cards will cause you to lose levels. For a longer game, you can play to level 20.

Munchkin has several expansions that add cards and fun to the game. While Munchkin may sound complicated, it is fairly easy to catch on to once play begins. Every time we play Munchkin we have a good time. There is some strategy to trying to win the game while keeping others from doing so. Munchkin is different each time you play it. Different cards may show up in the game and throw new twists into the mix.

Gamers will like Munchkin because of it's structure and RPG elements. Non-gamers can also enjoy Munchkin because it's a game that doesn't take itself too seriously. Having fun is what Munchkin is all about.