Munchkin Card Game
Jul 19, 2019 Top 10 Best Munchkin Card Game Retailers On The Market Product NamesProduct ImagesCheck Price#1 Arcane Tinman AT-10025 Sleeves: Dragon Shield Mint, One. Template:Otheruses2 Template:Infobox Game. Munchkin is a card game by Steve Jackson Games, written by Steve Jackson and illustrated by John Kovalic, that has a humorous take on role-playing games, based on the concept of munchkins (immature role-players, playing 'to win'). Munchkin won the 2001 Origins Award for Best Traditional Card Game, and is itself a spin-off from The Munchkin.
OBJECTIVE OF MUNCHKIN:
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3-6 Players
MATERIALS: 168 cards, 1 dice, 10 token
TYPE OF GAME:Strategy
AUDIENCE: Kids
SET-UP
Divide cards into separate decks: Door deck and Treasure deck. Shuffle them and pass each player four cards from each.
MANAGING CARDS
Each deck has a separate discard pile. Cards here are placed face-up. You can not look at these cards unless a card allows it. If a deck is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile.
During Play: Cards in front of you that show your race, class, and items. Cards such as continuing curses also remain on the table after they have been played.
Hand: Cards in hand are not considered in play. They cannot help you or be taken away. You must have no more than 5 cards in hand. If you wish to get rid of a card, discard it or trade it.
Many cards have special rules that can disagree with the rules of the game. Cards trump traditional rules. Note, you have to kill a monster in order to reach level 10.
CHARACTER CREATION
Each player begins a Level 1 human being without a class. Characters are either male or female, the sex of which is chosen at your discretion. Examine your 8 cards you start with, if it includes a Race or Class card place it in front of you on the table. Also, if you have items you may play them by placing them in front of you.
STARTING & FINISHING
Pick the player who goes first by rolling the dice. Interpret the results as you choose. Gameplay consists of turns each with several phases. The first player who reaches level 10 wins the game, only if you kill a monster, unless a card specifies otherwise.
ACTIONS
You can at any time:
- Discard a Class or Race card
- Play a Hireling or a Go Up a Level
- Curse
You can, if not in combat:
- Trade items with other players
- Equip different Items
- Play a card even if you have just received it
- Play an Item
BASIC RULES OF COMBAT
When you are fighting a monster compare your combat strength against the monster’s. If you have a greater combat strength you win! If you are equal are lesser in combat strength you lose.
TURN PHASES
- Kick Open the Door. Draw 1 card from the Door Deck, face-up. Cards can either be played or kept in hand. If it is a monster you have to fight it. If it is a curse, they typically apply immediately, unless they are continuous. After, discard it.
- Look for Trouble & Loot. If you had to fight a monster in the previous phase go to phase 3. If not Look for Trouble by playing a monster in hand and fighting it. Play one you can manage unless you can get help. Loot by drawing a second card from the door deck. Keep it face-down, in your hand.
- Charity. If you have greater than 5 cards in hand, you have to play them to reduce your hand to 5 or less. If you do not wish to play them, give them to the lowest level player or divide them evenly among the lowest level players. If you are the lowest level player, discard the extra cards.
CHARACTER STATISTICS
All characters have a personal collection of armor, magical items, and weapons. They also consist of three stats: Race, Level, and Class.
Level
Measure of strength. You can gain levels by killing monsters or if a card directs. You can also lose levels if a card says so, however, you can never go below Level 1. Combat strength can go negatve if you are it by a curse.
Class
Characters can be Wizards, Warlords, Thieves, or Clerics. If you do not have a class card you have no class. Classes have special abilities associated with them, they are displayed on the card. The abilities are lost if you decide to discard your class card. The card outlines when these abilities may be utilized. You are allowed to discard your class card at any time in gameplay. You can belong to multiple classes unless you have the Super Munchkin card in play.
Race
Characters have different races: human, elves, halflings, and dwarves. If you do not have a race card you are a human. The rules for class apply. Humans do not have special abilities. You can belong to multiple races unless you have the Half-Breed card in play.
SUPER MUNCHKIN & HALF-BREED
These cards can be played whenever it is legal to play a Race or a Class card. You can not have more than one Class or Race card that is the same in play. If you play Super Munchkin in conjunction with another Class card you get all the advantages of being in that class and none of the disdvatages assiocated with that class. You must still pay for abilities. The same rules apply to Half-Breeds.
TREASURES
Treasure Cards or both for one time use and permanent. They can be played at any time except in combat.
One-Shot Treasures
These treasures have a one time use. They are typically used in combat for an extra boost of strength. These cards can be played from you hand to the table, directly. Some have extra effects, take card to read the instructions on the card thoroughly. Discard after the effects resolve.
Other Treasures
Some treasure cards are not Items (descrbed below), these cards have specific instructions as to when they can be put in play and if they are continuous or “one-shot.”
ITEMS
Treasures generally are Items. Items have Gold Piece value attributed to them. If an Item is in play it is being “carried.” Items which are not equppied are indicated as such by being turned horizontally. You cannot change the staus of items if you are in combat or running away. Any player has the ability to carry items. However, you can only equip 1 headgear, 1 suit of armor,1 set of footgrear, and either two 1 hand items or one 2 hand item. There are certain cards in the game that contrradict this rule- follow the card’s instructions. Items may have restrictions placed on them. Some items, fore example, can only be used by certain races.
Items may not be discrded “just cause.” You can sell Items and level up, trade items, or donate an item to a different player.
You can carry as many small items as you like, but only a single big item. You cannot discard big items so that you may play another- you must sell it, trade it, lose it, or discard it to power an ability.
The only trade-able cards in the game are items. Items may only be traded from the table, not your hand. Trades may occur at any time other than combat. It is a best to trade when it is another player’s turn. You can also give items away and use them to bribe other players.
During your turn, except if you are in combat or running away, you can discard Items that have a total value of a1,000 Gold Pieces (at least). This makes you level up. If you discard 1,300 worth you do not get change for the transaction. However, if you discard 2,000 worth you level up twice. You can not sell to reach level 10.
COMBAT
When you fight a monster, you must compare your combat strength to theirs, Combat strength is equal to Lever + Modifiers (this could be positive or negative, it is given by other cards like Items). If the monster and yourself have equal combat strengths, you lose. If your combat strength is less, you lose. When you lose you must “Run Away.” If your combat strength is greater than the monster’s, you kill it, and receive the number of treasure cards printed on its card. More importantly, you go up a level. Some cards will let you win without having to kill the monster, if this occurs, you do not go up a level. Read monster cards carefully because some have special powers!
During combat, you can use Race and Class abilities or One-Shot Treasure cards. These cards can ocntribute to your winning effort. You cannot euipq items, sell, or trade items during combat, and you cannot play treasure cards from your hand unless the card says otherwise.
Once you kill a monster, discard it along with any othr cards that may have been played during the combat.
MONSTERS
If a monster if drawn, face-up, during the “Kick Open the Door” phase of a turn, they attack that person immediately. If not, you play them during the Look For Trouble phase of your turn or during another player’s fight if you have the Wandering Monster card.
Monster Enhancers
Some cards, named Monster Enhancers, will either raise or lower combat strength of certain monsters. These cards can also affect how many Treasure cards the monster is worth. Any player can play one during combat. Enchancers for an indiviual monster are summed. If there are more than one monsters in combat, the person who played the enchancer must decide which monster it effects.
Battling Multiple Monsters
Cards may allow other players to send monsters to join the fight against you. To win, you must beat both of their combat stregnths. Special abilties remain active during the whole fight. You cannot not fight one monster then run away from remaining monsters, try to elimate one through special cards and fight the other as usual. If you run away from some or all monsters you do not gain a level or treasure.
Undead Monsters
Some monsters are labeled Undead. Undead monsters in hand can be used in combat to help other undead monsters, if you do not use a wandering monster card.
ASKING FOR HELP
If you are unable to defeat the monster(s) by yourself, you can ask another player to assit you. They may refuse, and you may continue asking other players for help. Only one player is allowed to assist. Their combat strength is added to yours. However, beware, any player can play cards that can affect the outcome of your combat.
Generally, to receive help you must offer a bribe. A bribe can be anything you are carrying or a portion of the monster’s treasure. The monster’s abilities and weaknesses apply to the player assisting you as well. If you both win, discard the monster and redeem your treasure. Each monster you kill gives you 1 level up. However, the player who helped you does not level up for assistance.
Comat Interference
You may interfere with combat by:
- Using a One-Shot Treasure card, you can help or hinder another player in combat.
- Monster Enhancer Cards, you can make monsters stronger.
- Wandering Monster, you can backstab players in combat if you are a thief or curse them if you posses a curse card.
REWARD
Munchkin Card Game Review
If you kill a monster, you go up 1 level per monster and receive the amount of treasure cards listed. When the monster is killed alone, draw cards face-down. If you received assistance, draw the cards face-up.
RUNNING AWAY
If other players refuse to help, or if you receive help and interference wil not allow you to win, you can Run Away. You do not receive levels or Treasure cards nor do you have the opportunity to Loot the Room. If you are trying to run away, roll the dice. You can Run Away on 5 or 6. Other cards in the game can make it easier or more difficult to Run Away.
If you cannot sucessfully run away from a monster it will do Bad Stuff to you, which is described on the card. There are various outcomes from this, such as Death. When fleeing several monsters, roll the dice for each monster separately. You can choose the order of Bad Stuff.
Two players unable to defeat a monster may also have to Run Away together. They roll the dice separately. Discard the monster after the Run Away is resolved.
DEATH
When you die you lose all you things. However, you retain your Class, Race, and Level, as well as any Curses on you at the time of youe death. You will be reincarnated as a new character that looks exactly like your old one. Keep Half-Breed and Super Munchkin cards.
Steve Jackson Games
Looting Bodies: Put your hand beside the cards you had in play on the table. Separate cards. Each player chooses one card, starting with the player at the highest level. If players have equal levels, roll the dice to determine who goes first. After each player gets a card from your dead body, the remaining cards are put in the discard.
If a player is dead that can not be the receipents of cards, not even if it is charity. When the next players turn starts, your character comes back to life. When it is your turn again, draw 4 cards face-down from both decks and play the cards you can. The game continues as usual.
CURSES
Curse cards acquired during the Kick open the Door phase apply to the person who drew it. If the cards is retreived in any other way it can be used on another player at ANY point in the game.
REFERENCES:
Munchkin Card Game Online
http://www.worldofmunchkin.com/rules/munchkin_rules.pdf