I can’t imagine anybody not knowing “Munchkin“. In case you don’t, let me shortly introduce you to the game itself: “Munchkin” is – by now – a series of card games. Fantasy, Cthulu, Super Heroes, Vampire… just name the genre, you’ll find the suitable Munchkin Edition. The goal is to reach hero level 10 by fighting monsters. It’s a very easy game, all the rules are basically written down on the cards. For winning a fight you gain boh “level ups” as well as treasures, that in turn give you extra points for your next fight. And most important: Munchkin means war! Players can boost the monster level, cast curses or release traps on other players or team up against other players.
All in all Munchkin is great fun and we’ve spend endless nights battling each other.
Star Munchkin (Game Design by Steve Jackson, Illustrated by John Kovalic) mixes up every single sub-genre of SciFi out there. Star Wars, Dr. Who, Star Trek, Firefly, BattleStar Galactica – you’ll find detailed, beautifully painted cards for each one of these. Did I mention that Munchkin basically makes fun of everything? Well it does! Munchkin lovingly teases roleplayers, gamemasters, fans and itself alike.
www.worldofmunchkin.com
The cards include different races (like Cyborgs or Felines), different professions (like Traders or Media) and of course a wealth of weapons and useful equipment. My favourite? Weapons that end with “aser” can be combined to one single two handed weapon, still giving you all the boni for fighting. Ever fought with a Raser-Taser-Laser-Banananfanafofaser? You definitely should try to get them all. Maybe you’ll find an extra-hand to carry more useful stuff, a cool Cellophane Armour or a Tailgun (only usable by cats). During your epic quest you will encounter the most horrible monsters, that inflict really “Bad Stuff” (which happens in case you loose the fight) on you, like the “Creature from the Pink Lagoon”. And there are always “blank cards” supplied that you can design and incorporate into your Munchkin yourself.
Unfortunately Munchkin does cause a bit of an addiction. And of course there’s a LOT of Munchkin stuff you can collect out there. Shirts, Mugs, Basecaps, and more and more and more Munchkin Games. Which is great on the one hand… and a bit annoying on the other at times.
All in all Munchkin is a great, easy to learn game. And as with all roleplay games – don’t mix “In Character” and “Out of character” for gorgeous evenings of roleplay-card-gaming.
