Munchkin Game Objective
Total Number of Players – 3-6 Players
Game Materials – 168 cards, 1 dice, 10 tokens, Rules book
Game Type – Strategy game
Game Audience – Kids
Contents
How to Setup
The cards are divided into different decks – Treasure Deck and Door Deck. The cards are then shuffled and all players are passed 4 cards from each deck.
Cards Management
Both the decks have their separate discard pile. The cards in the discard pile are faced up. No player can look at the cards unless the cards say otherwise. In case a deck runs out of cards or becomes dry, then you must shuffle the discard pile.
Game Play
Character Creation – All players begin level 1 human begin without class. The characters are either male or female. Players will first examine their 8 cards and see if it includes a class card or a race card. Place them in front of you on the table if there are any. You should also place the items in front of you if you have any.
Players choose the first one to begin by rolling a dice. Players can either choose the first player with the highest or lowest number that showed on the dice. The game includes turns of players each having 3 phases. The player who first reaches level 10 wins Munchkin game.
Actions players can take the below actions during the game –
At any point of the game –
· Discard a race or class card.
· Play a Go up a level or Hireling
If not in Combat –
· Play an item
· Equip various items
· Trade items with other players
· Play cards even if you just received.
Munchkin Rules of Combat
As said before, players have to compare their combat strength to that of the monster against them. If the player has a greater combat strength than the monster, then the player wins. But for a lesser or equal combat strength to that of the monster, the monster wins.
Turn Phases
There are 3 turn phases –
1. Kick Open the Door – Draw one faced up card from the door deck. Players can keep the cards in hand or play them. If it is a monster card, then the player has to fight it. If the card turns out to be a curse card, then the curse will apply either right away or continuously, depending on the card. Then the card is discarded.
2. Look for Trouble and Loot – Players who had to fight a monster in the 1st phase will directly go to Phase 3. In case you did not fight a monster, then look for trouble by playing a monster in hand and fight it. You should play one you can manage unless you get help. Players can loot by drawing a second card from the door deck. But you will have to keep this card faced down.
3. Charity – If you have more than 5 cards in hand, then you will have to play them so as to reduce the hand cards to 5 or less. If a player does not want to play them, then they can give them to the player on the lowest level or simply divide them among lowest level players. But you are the player with the lowest level, then you must discard the cards.
Statistics of Characters
All the characters in the game have a personal collection of Armor, magical items and weapons. These characteristics also have 3 statistics – Race, Level and Class.
· Level – Level is the measure of the strength. A player can gain levels by 2 means – killing monsters or if a card directs. In the same way a player can also lose their levels if the card directs that. But no player can go to a negative level below level 1. However, combat strength can go negative if a player gets it at worst.
· Class – There are various classes of characters like – Clerics, Thieves, Warlords and Wizards. If a player does not have a class card, they also don’t have any class. The class cards give special abilities that are depicted on them. The card also depicts when the player can use the associated ability. If a player discards their class card, they also discard the ability associated with it. A player can discard their class card at any point in the game. Unless a player has the Super Munchkin card in game, they can belong to multiple classes.
· Race – The game Characters also have various races like – Human, Elves, Dwarves and Halflings. If a player does not have a race card, then they are human. Humans don’t have any special abilities. Unless a player has Half breed card, they can belong to multiple races.
Super Munchkin and Half Breed
Super Munchkin and Half-breed cards can be played at the time when it is legal to play a Class card or Race card. No player can have more than 1 Class or Race card. In case you are playing Super Munchkin along with another class card then you will get the benefits of being in the class but no disadvantages of that class. However, you will still be required to pay for the abilities. All of the same rules are applicable for Half breed cards.
Treasures
Treasure cards are played at any point in the game except for Combat and can be used for one time or permanently.
1. One Shot Treasure Cards – As the name says, these treasure cards can be used for one time only. These cards are used in Combat to add up more strength. Players can play treasure cards directly from their hand to the table. Some treasure cards bear additional effects so it is recommended that you read the card with utmost attention. These cards are to be discarded after effect.
2. Other Treasures – Some treasure cards have particular instructions about when they can be used in the play and If they are one time or continuous.
Items
Most of the treasures are items. These items have Gold piece value. The items in the game are considered ‘carried’. The items that are equipped give bonus points. In order to indicate the unequipped items, you must turn the card sideways. Players cannot change the item status in a combat or when they are running away.
A player can either sell items for a level or trade items with other players or simply give items to another player who wants it. A player can also discard items to power some class and race abilities.
· Big Items – A player can carry how much ever small items they want but one player can carry only one big item. The items that are not marked big are considered as small items. A player can discard a big item to play another but for that you have to first sell that item or trade it or lose it to a curse or simply discard it to power a race or class ability. If somehow a player gets to have more than 1 big item, and they lose the ability then they have to either solve the issue or get rid of all the big item/s except for the big one.
· Selling items for Levels – A player can discard items total of at least 1000 gold pieces and go a level up at any point in their turn, exception for this is if the player is in combat or is running away.
· Trading – A player can trade items with other players but the items traded should be from the table and not from the hand of the player. Players can trade at any point in the game except for when the players trading are in combat. We would recommend players to trade when its not their turn. Item received in a trade have to be retained in the game. Players can also give away items to bribe other players.
Combat
When a player fights a monster, then have to compare their combat strength to that of the monster. You can calculate the Combat Strength which is the addition of Level and Modifiers. The Combat Strength can either be positive or negative.
In case the monster and the player have equal combat strengths, then the player loses. If the combat strength of the player is less, then the player loses. After losing, the player has to run away.
However, if the combat strength of a player is greater than the monster, then the player will kill the monster and gain the number of treasure cards printed on its card. Killing a monster will make the player go up a level.
There are also some cards that will let the player win without having to kill the monster. But in this case, the player does not go a level up. Make sure that you read these monster cards with attention as they have some special powers.
In a combat, a player can use the Class and Race abilities or the One-Shot treasure cards. These cards are very essential as they can help you win. Players cannot equip, trade or sell items in a Combat. Also, players cannot play treasure cards from their hand unless the card instructs to do so. After killing the monster, players have to discard it along with other cards that have played during combat.
Monsters
If a faced-up monster is drawn at the Kick Open the Door phase of a turn then they attack the person right away. In case not, then they play them at the Look for Trouble phase of your turn or when another player is fighting if you have the Wandering Monster Card.
· Monster Enhancers – Some cards are Monster Enhancers. These will either raise or lower the combat strength of some monsters. Monster Enhancers can also affect the number of treasure cards the monster is worth of. Monster Enhancers can be played by players during the combat. The enhancers for individual monsters are added up. In case a combat has more than 1 monster then the person who played the enhancer has to decide which monster it should affect.
· Battling Multiple Monsters – Cards can allow other players to send monsters to fight against you. And to win the fight against them, you will have to overcome their combined combat strength. While the fight is going on, the special abilities are still active. A player cannot just fight one monster and then run away from the rest of the monsters. The player should try to eliminate the monsters with the help of
· Undead Monsters – A few monsters are known as Undead. Players can use the undead monsters in hand if they do not use a wandering monster card at the time of combat in order to help the other undead monsters. If a player has a card that can be used to make a monster undead then they can play it with a non-undead monster.
Call for Help
If a player is not able to win a combat on their own, then they can ask for help to any other player. If that player declines to help you, you can ask other players. You can continue asking till someone helps you or all refuse. A player can be helped by only one other player. That player adds to your combat strength.
Play cards too affect the combat strength. A player might also have to bribe someone to help you. This can be done by offering that player an item or items that you possess now or any number of treasure cards that monster has.
If a player offers the other potential helper player a part of the treasure of the monster, then they offering player has to decide upon who picks the treasure first. A Player can also offer to play other cards from their hand that they can like the Go Up a level card etc. But the player who helped will not go a level up for helping.
Combat Interference
A player can interfere a combat by –
· With a One-shot treasure card – they can help or hinder other player in combat.
· Wandering Monster – Can backstab players in combat if you are a thief or curse them if you have a curse card.
· Monster Enhancer Cards – Make the monster stronger.
Reward
When a player kills a monster, they go one level up for each monster they killed. There is an exception for this, if the monster card instructs otherwise. It then gives the player all its treasure. All monster cards have a treasure number at their bottom.
Players are to draw that number of treasures along with the modifications of the monster card on it. If a player has killed the monster alone, then they must draw the card faced down. If someone has helped a player in killing a monster then they have to draw the cards faced up so as to let that other player see what you got.
In case a player has defeated a monster in the non-deadly way then that player does not go a level up and may or may not get the treasure. This totally depends on the method used. Even the player who helped can play the treasure card as soon as they get them.
Running Away
In case no other player helps you or if someone tries helping you but the member of your fellow party interferes such that they do not let you win, then you can run away. By running away, players do not get levels or treasure. They also lose the chance to loot the room.
Players roll the die. If they get a 5 or more, then they can escape. A few class and race abilities and also some of the Treasures can affect running away. They can make it easier or difficult. A few monsters also give bonus or penalty for the roll for that monster.
If a player fails to run away from a monster it can do bad things to you as are depicted on the card. These bad things cane be losing an item or losing one or more levels, death, etc.
If a player is running from more than one monsters, they will roll separately for each monster in the order they wish to. They will consequently have to face the bad things from each one of that monsters if they catch you.
In case two players are together working but are not able to defeat the monster, then the both of them have to run away. Both the players then roll separately and choose the order to run away for themselves. The monster or monsters can catch them both.
After resolving the run away rolls the players have to discard the monster/monsters.
Death
If a player dies in the game, they will lose all of their stuff. However, they can keep their Class, Race and Level which will make your new character look like the old one. If a player has a half bred or a super munchkin, they can keep those too. After a player dies, they do not have to worry about running away from the rest of the monsters.
For looting the body, lay out the hand beside the cards you had in the game. In case you have an item attached to a cheat card or carried by a hireling, then make sure to separate those cards.
All players choose one card starting with the player on the highest level. If there is tie in levels, then the players will roll a die. In case the corpse of a player runs out of cards. When all the players get one card each, they will discard the rest of the cards. The cards looted will become a part of the player’s hand.
No dead characters will get cards, not even through charity and neither can they level up nor win the game. Once the next player begins their turn, your new character will come and help others in combat with the level, race or class abilities. But you will not have any cards unless given by charity or as gifts from the other players.
On your turn, you will draw 4 faced down cards from each deck and play legal cards that you want to. Then you can play as usual.
Curses
Curse cards are applicable to the player who drew them faced up during the Kick Open the Door phase of the game. There are also other ways a player can get a curse card like looting the room. In that case the curse cards will be a part of your hand and you can play them on any other player at any point of the game. This can make the game very interesting!
The curse cards affect the victim right away and then the card is discarded. But some curse cards also have the ability to give the victim a penalty for later in the game or with a constant effect.
The players have to keep the curse card with them until they get rid of the curse or the penalty happens. If a curse card is applicable to more than one item then the victim gets to decide which item should the curse be applied to.
If a curse card is applicable to something that you do not possess then you can ignore it. You will have to read the curse card carefully as some also have alternate effects.
End of the Game
The first player who reaches the Level 10 wins Munchkin. However, to reach level 10 you must do so by killing a monster. There is only one exception for this – if a player gets a card that specially mentions other way for the player to win.
FAQs
Can Munchkin be played with 2 players?
Yes, you can play Munchkin with 2 players. However, the more, the merrier.
Is there a way to play Munchkin online?
As far as I know, there is no officially licensed way to play Munchkin online.
Is Munchkin easy?
Yes, Munchkin is pretty easy to play.
How many players do you need for Munchkin?
You will need 3 to 6 players to play Munchkin. The more players there are, the more fun the game becomes.
That was it all about the Munchkin card game. I hope you all could easily understand the game and by now know how to play Munchkin. In case you have any questions to ask, feel free to drop them in the comments below. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
