Member House Rules

[TheDreamer]

Here is one for Munchkin Cthulhu.

Everyone who had read the Call of Cthulhu knows that Cthulhu’s influence over the world is at its strongest between March 22 and April 02 and I wanted to add this influenced to Munchkin Cthulhu.

During the two weeks between March 22 and April 04, The Class Cultist gets a +1 to Strength in Numbers making the combat bonus of +3 for every other Cultist in play.

During the first week of March 22 to 28, all the Monsters that are a Cthulhu embodiment (The Great Cthulhu, Cthulhoo, Cowthulhu, Chibithulhu, Little Bunny ‘Thulhu, etc.) gets a +1 bonus to their Level per day to a maximum of +7 to their Level on March 28.

On the night of the March 28 to March 29 Cthulhu’s influence is at its peak and Three manifestation of his power appears:

1-The Class Cultist gets a +2 to Strength in Number making the combat bonus of +4 for every other Cultist in play.

2-When the Dungeon Chasm of Cthulhu is in play, all the Monsters that are a Cthulhu embodiment (The Great Cthulhu, Cthulhoo, Cowthulhu, Chibithulhu, Little Bunny ‘Thulhu, etc.) have an extra +10 to their Level when they are played in this Dungeon.

3- All items that have a special bonus specific to any of the Monsters that are a Cthulhu embodiment are ineffective during that period.

During the second week of March 29 to April 04, all the Monsters that are a Cthulhu embodiment (The Great Cthulhu, Cthulhoo, Cowthulhu, Chibithulhu, Little Bunny ‘Thulhu, etc.) gets a regressive +1 bonus to their Level per day. From +7 bonus to Level on March 29 to +1 bonus to level on April 04.

I've played several games in this period and groups I play with had a lot of Fun with these Home rules. I’m going to dig in Lovecraft work to find other yearly events that could be Fun to add to the rules.

[Panic AK]

Finally started this game last night, and it was a blast.

Only rule we got so far is that after you declare victory, you have to push THIS BUTTON on the tablet. Other players have until the end of your victory theme to interfere. I think it would be even cooler to hack one of those "That was easy" buttons to play the victory theme instead.

[Langy]

I was playing Munchkin Apocalypse for the first time yesterday, and something that happened in it kinda stuck with me - we had a pretty full game (I think there were seven people playing, which is technically more than the game suggests without an expansion) and several of our players decided 'screw it with trying to win, we just want to bring about the apocalypse' and just kept popping open seals. Their desire to see the entire party shuffle off gave me an idea:

A player who plays as the 'Dungeon Master' and has a different victory condition from the rest. Note that I only have Munchkin Apocalypse at the moment (I ordered Star Munchkin and expansion, but it won't arrive until Tuesday), so the rules won't mention things only found in other games. I don't think there's anything specific to other games that needs to be addressed here - it should work mostly how the normal game plays out. Also note that I'm going to be using the 'Disaster' term to refer to Trap/Curse/Disaster/etc cards, since that's what I have, but like for all the other Munchkin rules all the rules that mention Disaster cards apply equally to any of the others.

This rules variant is very much a 'work in progress' and at this point is more like an idea, but the first draft is in the following post (it's too long to all go in one post).

[Langy]

At game start, the first player to go is the Dungeon Master; all other players are Munchkins. The Dungeon Master is a special player who doesn't kick down doors; instead, the Dungeon Master controls which Door cards players pull!

Setup of the game proceeds normally - the Dungeon Master exists as a character in the game and isn't just a disembodied voice! He pulls his four cards from each of the Door and Item decks and can play cards as appropriate. He may gain levels, classes, and races, equip items, etc - he's still a character.

The Dungeon Master's Turn: On the Dungeon Master's turn, the Dungeon Master draws cards up to his hand limit, which is equal to the number of players (including himself) - plus 1 per extra hand he has in play! He can draw either Item cards or Door cards. The Dungeon Master can play cards that only affect him on his turn, but cards that affect other players can only be played during combat and then only on the players involved in that combat.

At the end of his turn, if he somehow has more cards than his hand limit in his hand, then he must discard cards down to his hand limit - the Dungeon Master does not give to charity!

The Dungeon Master does not Kick Open the Door and does not engage in combat or interact with other players during his turn.

Trading: The Dungeon Master may trade at any time with the active player, but only the active player. This trade need not be equitable, but it needs to be agreed upon by both sides.

The Dungeon Master can not sell items for levels.

Kick Open the Door: When Munchkins Kick Open the Door, rather than drawing from the Door deck the Dungeon Master can play a card of his choice from his hand! This can be any Door card; Monster and Disaster cards take effect as if the active player drew them, while other cards allow the Dungeon Master to Join the Fray (see below) instead of their normal effects. During combat, the Dungeon Master plays as any other player - he can offer his help, interfere with combat, etc.

If the Dungeon Master chooses not to play a card for any reason (such as having no more Door cards to play), the room is empty - treat it as if a non-Monster card was drawn, giving the active player the option to Loot the Room or Look for Trouble.

Wandering Monster: When the Dungeon Master plays a Wandering Monster card, he may play it normally or with any non-Monster card to Join the Fray (see below).

Joining the Fray: If the Dungeon Master discards a card of his choice during the Kick Open the Door phase, he may Join the Fray, forcing the active player to face off in combat with the Dungeon Master himself! Rather than facing a monster, the active player fights the Dungeon Master. This combat proceeds normally, with the Dungeon Master's combat power being compared against the active player's combat power; like with monsters, the Dungeon Master wins on a tie. Whoever wins the combat gets one level; the loser may attempt to Run Away, but his Run Away is at a penalty equal to the winner's Run Away check bonus (or a bonus equal to their Run Away check penalty, if it's negative! If the Run Away check fails, the loser dies (see below)!

The Dungeon Master himself cannot benefit from Monster Enhancers, but any monsters joining the combat (due to a Wandering Monster card or other effect) may still benefit. Otherwise, treat the Dungeon Master's side as the monster's in all ways and the Dungeon Master a monster.

If the Dungeon Master has Joined the Fray, he may not choose to help the party for obvious reasons.

Death: When a Munchkin dies, the Dungeon Master always has first choice when Looting the Body.

When the Dungeon Master dies, he lays out his hand as normal but only the active player gets to Loot the Body, taking a number of cards equal to the number of Munchkins from the Dungeon Master. He may distribute those cards as appropriate (such as if he promised first choice of Treasure cards to a helper).

After the active player has finished Looting the Body, the Dungeon Master is immediately resurrected with the remainder of his hand and items intact, but he loses one more level.

Gaining Levels: Every time a Munchkin attempts to Run Away, the Dungeon Master gets to pull a face-down Door card from the deck. Every time a Munchkin fails to Run Away, the Dungeon Master gains a level - including if the Dungeon Master is the one chasing them!

Acolytes: The Dungeon Master may offer the chance to be an Acolyte to any player; if they accept, and the Dungeon Master wins, then the Acolyte wins or loses just as if they were the Dungeon Master. Once an offer to be Acolyte has been openly and officially given and accepted, it may not be taken back - but it's beneficial to both the Dungeon Master and the Acolyte to hold back on announcing the partnership until the final moment. The Dungeon Master may have only one official Acolyte for a game, but is free to secretly offer it to many players, even if he has no intention of officially acknowledging it. The Dungeon Master may also accept bribes to offer the Acolyte position to any player and isn't held to any promises unless he openly promises the Acolyte position in exchange for something - though this may be anything up to and including a sealed auction.

The Acolyte may Join the Fray during combat in the same manner as if he were the Dungeon Master whenever a Munchkin Kicks Open the Door - by having the Dungeon Master discard a card or the Acolyte using a Wandering Monster and discarding a card.

Mortal Combat: Mortal Combat is a situation that can occur in certain, special situations that signify the end of the game. During Mortal Combat, neither side of the battle may Run Away and any player who dies is immediately out of the game - they do not create a new character. The Dungeon Master need not discard a card to Join the Fray during Mortal Combat, and must have a Wandering Monster card (or similar) in order to play a monster, just as if he had discarded a card to Join the Fray. The Dungeon Master's Acolyte likewise may Join the Fray during Mortal Combat without requiring a discard or Wandering Monster card.

When a Munchkin challenges the Dungeon Master to Mortal Combat, then combat immediately begins between them and whoever loses dies permanently.

If the Dungeon Master challenges the Munchkins to Mortal Combat, then he must fight each Munchkin (except his Acolyte) in turn, according to turn sequence, and the Dungeon Master no longer draws cards up to his hand limit on his turn. Again, whoever loses in Mortal Combat dies permanently.

(Munchkin Apocalypse) Seals: The Dungeon Master's goal in Munchkin Apocalypse is to open the seven Seals. Like Monsters, the Dungeon Master gets a combat bonus of +1 per open Seal - and further, he ignores all negative effects of Seals! The Dungeon Master's Acolyte likewise ignores all negative effects of Seals, though he doesn't get the combat bonus.

Instead of Opening a Seal, the Dungeon Master's death Closes a Seal. Removing the Dungeon Master from combat does not count as a 'death'.

If the seventh Seal is opened, the Munchkins immediately lose the game - but that doesn't mean the game ends instantly. Instead, all players (except the Acolyte) with a Combat Bonus from cards in play (levels don't count) lower than the Dungeon Master's immediately die and are out of the game for the remainder. The rest of the game proceeds in a phase of Mortal Combat as if the Dungeon Master challenged the party (see above). For the remainder of the game, no effect may open or close any Seals except for the death of the Dungeon Master.

If all of the Munchkins die (except his Acolyte), then the Dungeon Master has won the game. If the Dungeon Master dies, then all the Seals close and the Dungeon Master loses the game - but the Munchkins already have. The game ends without a winner in a bleak post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Winning the Game: When a player reaches the level cap, he no longer immediately wins the game. Instead, if a Munchkin has reached the level cap, then he may now call out the Dungeon Master to Mortal Combat instead of Kicking Open the Door.

If the Dungeon Master reaches the level cap, he doesn't immediately win the game, either. Instead, he may challenge the party to Mortal Combat on his turn instead of drawing up to his hand limit.

Players may still choose to Kick Open the Door instead of engaging in Mortal Combat in order to better prepare for the end of the game.

If the Dungeon Master dies during Mortal Combat, the Munchkin or Munchkins that are still alive and have the highest level win the game - but if the Dungeon Master kills all of the Munchkins during Mortal Combat, then he wins the game.

The Acolyte wins or loses the game exactly as if he were the Dungeon Master - even if the Acolyte dies in Mortal Combat, if the Dungeon Master wins then the Acolyte still wins the game as well.

The level cap in ordinary Munchkin is Ten; the level cap in Epic Munchkin is Twenty. Ignore any effect that would raise a player's level beyond the level cap.

[Langy]

Well, there it is. A proposed complete redefinition of the game, almost. I have no idea how this would play out, whether it'd be balanced or fun or not, but it was an idea that was burning in my brain today so I had to get it out there.

I don't have much experience with Munchkin, so I'm putting it out there - does anybody have any critiques of the idea? See anything that's an obvious pitfall, or maybe something that might make this even more of an interesting twist on the base game?

From how I see it, it should make the game pretty antagonistic between the DM and the Munchkins, with the Munchkins trying to maintain party parity (everyone around the same level) so that they have good reason to team up to fight the big boss (the DM) at the end of the game, while also neutralizing the hell out of the Seals whenever they get to opening. With the Acolyte as a wild-card, it shouldn't be too easy on either the DM or party - especially if the Acolyte and the DM are able to work in concert secretly while the party tries to work together to win.

It's very much a departure from the base game in some ways, but I think it could be fun. Let me know what you think, and maybe I'll try this out sometime soon and report back.

[Langy]

After more thought, I think I'll redo the Acolyte portion of the rules such that it's optional, only recommended if there are 5+ players, and works a bit like the game Resistance or Battlestar Galactica in that the Acolyte knows they're the Acolyte before the other players do.

The basic procedure for letting the Acolyte know they're the Acolyte would be to have the DM say 'Who here is willing to join me as my Acolyte?' If anyone says yes, then the DM passes them one of several tokens that are identical at first glance (say, face down playing cards); the players look at the card they received and can tell whether they're the Acolyte or not, but can't reveal their card until the Acolyte chooses or is forced to reveal his. The DM doesn't have to actually pass out an Acolyte card in this phase - he can pass out all 'You Are Not The Acolyte' cards instead just to mess with people. If someone reveals their card before the Acolyte, they automatically lose the game just as if they forfeited.

The Acolyte is revealed if the seventh Seal is opened, if the Dungeon Master challenges the party to Mortal Combat, or if the Acolyte loses in combat when another Munchkin interferes on the side of the Monsters. The Acolyte can also choose to reveal himself at any time except during combat.

If the Acolyte loses and fails to Run Away in a combat that another Munchkin interfered in on the side of the Monsters, then he is immediately revealed to be the Acolyte, dies, and a Seal is Closed; however, if the Acolyte dies in a combat that other Munchkins did not interfere in before he is revealed as the Acolyte, then a Seal is Opened and the Acolyte doesn't have to reveal himself, just as if he were any other Munchkin.

After his reveal, the Acolyte dying will Close a Seal, just as if he were the Dungeon Master.

[docweb2004]

Hello,

My name is Phil and I am new to this forum. Been playing Munchkin a few months now and here are some two player house rules we use when can't find 3 or more to play. Welcome any feedback and maybe this can be tweaked to be semi-unofficial two player rules for Munchkin.

First, game is played same as for 3 players, but there is a dummy hand dealt. For dummy hand, anyone roll die, roll of 1-3, dummy hand starts out as male, 4-6 roll, player is female. Other player then rolls die for dummy hand to see who starts first.

Play continues as same as with 3 players, but, when a player is fighting a monster, etc., the opposing player gets to control the dummy hand.

Then, players alternate playing the dummy hand when it is the dummy hand's turn. Keep track of who played dummy hand last with your sex card, or just remember. lol

If the dummy hand defeats a monster and reaches level 10, the player playing the dummy hand wins the game!

This is a fun house rule and makes the game more fun when you only have two players.

Let me know what you guys think!

Thanks,

Phil

[Andrew Hackard]

The rules as written do not support a two-player game, so I've moved the previous post into this thread.

[hideindoors]

I usually just play with my girlfriend as a two player game.

Other 3+ player games we make lots of adjustments but in munchkin the only house rule that we have made is that you can't curse or help the monster until the other player passes level 5. It helps us not get stuck in the lower levels (if we can help it).

[Dudimus]

I'm not even sure if this counts as a house rule since it technically isn't breaking or even modifying the rules. In fact, it's the exact opposite.

I have really old (2008) games of regular Munchkin and Star Munchkin, but I've also been mixing them with much newer editions, including the expansions for those two games. The question then becomes what to do with the changed cards.

Hireling, Halfling, Mate and plenty of other cards have some very significant differences in the current printings. Remembering all the cards that have changed and what those changes are is ludicrous to expect of the players, and constantly referencing every little thing in the change log during gameplay would be tedious and sap the fun out of playing the game.

What I decided to do was just use the old cards as they say they should be used. So my Humongous card really does raise a monster's level, which can mess with level specific things like Mommy or an epic orc power. Baby does nothing to level 1 monsters. Mate and Clone will give you a minus 1 to run away (you're really screwed if they both get played in the same combat). That Hireling doesn't give you any combat bonus, although the other Hirelings from newer sets will. Super Munchkin cards from the older sets cannot be played if you only have one class.

The only thing I "upgraded" was that Kneepads of Allure can't be used to beat the game. That seems like a universal rule applied to all enforced help abilities, not something specific to the card. I'm debating pulling out the halfling cards because the old ones are so much weaker than the current ones, but I do like having the differences between the wizard abilities.

It's a fun way to keep using the old edition without being irritating to figure out, and it adds some interesting munchkinly twists to the game. It's also pretty humorous when someone draws an Old Edition card.