Munchkin

[Karak]

So it's time.
To explain my favorite card game of all time. Even beating out the amazing Rage and Illuminati.

Munchkin.

If you have ever wanted to see the zany side of things, if you ever laughed at a Gnome Warrior or a Orc Thief...this is the game for you.
Munchkin is basically the most tongue in cheek card game ever.
Each player attempt to achieve 10 levels. The card deck is split into two parts. Doors and treasure.
A player's main turn consists of opening a door, seeing what is on the inside and either reacting, fighting or taking the card. The best part is that at the same time other people can not only interact with the monster the player may face but the rules are so zany and flexible that you can pretty much do anything.
For example if I opened a door to see that I found the "Carrot of Grating Greatness" Someone who had a +5 "of awesomness" card could play it.
Thus I would be facing a Carrot of Grating Greastness +5.

The player compares their random loot-character to the level of the monster, if they win they get the amount of treasure cards that the monster card indicates as well as going up a level.
If they die a single level is lost. If they try to run away and fail, each card has a BAD STUFF section making running sometimes the worst thing.

Each player creates their character by opening doors and collecting. And as you gather items you make your own paper doll character sheet in front of you. Helmets and hunters caps and the like go on the top and you work down from there.

With expansions from everything to Matrix style martial arts, super hero, horror and western based AND the ability to mix everything together, you end up with some amazing characters.
Such as my Gnome, Investigator, 4 handed Yokuza with a giant stone slug for a steed.

An excellent party game for people who don't even like roleplaying.

[TheKeck]

I played this once. The humor is there, but as a game, it didn't really hit me in the right places, if you know what I mean.

I realize that it is well loved by many, though.

[Suave Peanut]

I love this game! My friends and I used to play it all the time in high school.

I should catch up on expansion packs and try to round up some new players.

[TheEvilNarwhale]

Munchkin is fun for a while, but once you've read all the cards it kind of loses its magic. however I still want to get Cthullu Munchkin.

[Karak]

Munchkin is fun for a while, but once you've read all the cards it kind of loses its magic. however I still want to get Cthullu Munchkin.
...Read all the cards?
There is like 3000 cards now and with each having the ability to adjust almost any other card in the deck...
I could never read them all. :(

[Deimos]

I played this with some family a while back. We had a good enough time with it but its not something I'd want to play regularly. The best part of the game is actually the arguments that always spring up.

[Heretic Machine]

I love Munchkin, bought a set back in college and played it a ton in the dorms.

[Karak]

I feel behind the times then

[Wilkz07]

I've seen Munkin in game stores alongside Killer Bunnies and Horror Clix but didn't think too much of it... until now.

How is the learning curve?

[rifter]

It is fun. Killer bunnies is too.

[Soulless Toast]

strategy card game type things usually do not appeal to me but
I <3 Munchkin!

[Evewalker]

It's a fun game, and is extremely popular at conventions. Do check out other offerings from Steve Jackson Games, though. A lot of folks pretty much see them as the "Munchkin Company" these days, when there is quite a outstanding history of games from SJ.

[shunoshi]

Munchkin is a blast. I have a few friend who are fanatics and own every set to date. It takes us about 15 minutes just to figure out what cards we want to play with. Munchkin Fu and Munchkin Bites are two of my favorites.

[Karak]

I've seen Munkin in game stores alongside Killer Bunnies and Horror Clix but didn't think too much of it... until now.

How is the learning curve?
Pretty low.
I would say a 3 on a 1 to 10 scale. However, its pretty freeform so you can play as you like. Including secret decisions to f-over the others playing! It's a blast. I have a tendancy to metagame just about everything but it seems like Munchkin is already set up for that. You can trully have a blast.
Right now my group consists of 4 guys and 3 girls. The girls hated the idea of anything even like DND. If you mentioned dwarf they freaked. 1 game and they were hooked. My damn parents played it with me.

[roboninja]

A friend of mine has a deck, but I still have not played it.

[NoName]

Munchkin is awesome! Still break it out with friends now and then.

I'm looking forward to getting Munchkin Booty (based on pirates!) and the Munchkin board game. Both look like they're going to be great.

[Evewalker]

Yeah, I have to admit that one thing that really rocks about Munchkin is it's accessibility.

It's a solid "gateway drug" for non-gamers who normally wouldn't touch anything tainted with geek with a ten foot pole, and their egos remain intact while having fun with it, because technically it's making fun of dorky stuff.

[TheEvilNarwhale]

...Read all the cards?
There is like 3000 cards now and with each having the ability to adjust almost any other card in the deck...
I could never read them all. :(

Well I just have the basic set. :p

[pheriannath]

My wife and I are nuts over Munchkin - I have the core set with every expansion (and the dice), Munchkin Bites, Munchkin Cthulhu and Star Munchkin with all of their expansions.

The only card-based game I enjoy more is my copy of Deluxe Illuminati.

[The Doctor]

It's a fun game, and is extremely popular at conventions. Do check out other offerings from Steve Jackson Games, though. A lot of folks pretty much see them as the "Munchkin Company" these days, when there is quite a outstanding history of games from SJ.

Because that's what they've become. They've even admitted that Munchkin makes much more money than their other lines (like GURPS) and that's where their focus is at. Not that I can blame them, they found something profitable.

Evil Stevie is clever enough to have a backup plan for when Munchkin finally dies out, so I'm not worried about them putting all their eggs in one basket. I just long for the olden days of more GURPS supplements over more interesting materials coming out with actual regularity. (And in print. Not in PDF)

[diablopath]

Munchkin is the shit.
We play quite often (as I mentioned in the Zombies! thread), and its a blast.
I just love fucking my friends over, it really never gets old.

When we get bored with it, we invite two or three new people to the group, and it becomes newb smashing until their hardened to our ways.
...then we do it again.

It's really a blast.
I want to play now ;|

[Jeffool]

Munchkin is fun for a while, but once you've read all the cards it kind of loses its magic. however I still want to get Cthullu Munchkin.Munchkin is all about the people you play it with. I played with a bunch of hardcore gamers, and things were fantastic. One of our best things was use of a blank card. As we were all programmers, we made one "mod (%) roll." The player would roll the ten sided die, and that would be their new level (0-9). (Or, they could use it on someone else.) It was the ultimate for revenge, or last minte come-behinds.

Ahhh, good times.

[Rogue_hunter]

I love this game. Though, I never had a d20 until I just got the PA Adventures Episode 1 CE at PAX this year. I always borrowed friends dice to play.

The dickery and backstabbery was epic in drunken 2 am games.