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Old 09-02-2020, 05:31 PM   #1
munchgirl
 
Join Date: Aug 2020
Default best starter expansion set

Due to covid 19 I want to expand my basic card set to avoid reshuffling. As a beginner what package do you reommend I start with?
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Old 09-02-2020, 07:26 PM   #2
Andrew Hackard
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Location: Austin, TX
Default Re: best starter expansion set

I'm moving your post out of Munchkin 101, which is really meant for rule questions, and into the main Munchkin forum where you can get a wide variety of opinions, not just mine.

(EDIT: And I realized I didn't exactly answer your question, which is about expansions for a game you already have. I am a bad Line Editor. I'm going to leave this up to the other posters here; if all you had was original Munchkin, what would YOU want to get next?)

My short answer is "Play what you think your group likes." If you have a bunch of people into science fiction, Star Munchkin is a good choice. If you like pirates, Munchkin Booty has got you covered. Want to eat brains? Munchkin Zombies. And so on.

That said, the best selling set by far is the original game, and many of the other lets with the same card backs will mix together very well with that. Plus, there are LOTS of expansions for the "fantasy series," meaning original Munchkin and the other sets that look like it. I don't recommend that new players mix up different games, and really I think you should play the base game by itself a couple of times before you start thinking about adding any expansions at all. If it turns out that dungeoneering isn't your thing, better to know that before you've got eight expansions and a bunch of 15-card sets added in.

If you aren't into a license, you probably aren't going to want to play a Munchkin game based on it. I love Munchkin Pathfinder and Starfinder, but if you don't play those games from Paizo, you'll lose a lot of the humor and the world-specific notes on those cards. You can still have a fun game, and many people do, but they're designed with some in jokes that you'll miss if you aren't already pretty aware of the setting and rules. Same this is true with Axe Cop, Conan, Oz, and so on; the games are playable but the experience may not be quite as rich as you would hope.

And one other caveat: Munchkin Apocalypse is one of my favorite sets, and in this year of everything going to crap, it's tempting to jump into that one early on. Don't. Apocalypse, more than any other Munchkin set, works against the players in vicious and sometimes surprising ways. It is not meant for new players and could give you a really unsatisfying experience. Wait until you've got a few games under you, if you're interested, and then try it out on its own to see how the rule changes affect the game. I think it's a lot of fun, one of the best Munchkin games we've released, but you have to fight the game itself as much as the other players, and that's not for everyone.
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Old 09-03-2020, 08:28 AM   #3
Mister Ed
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Portland, Oregon
Default Re: best starter expansion set

I'm assuming that what you have is the original Munchkin (both because you didn't specify otherwise, and because, in most cases, if you had an different version it would be a much simpler choice as far as expanding it goes, due to a smaller selection of expansions).

If that's the case, then if you just want more of the same, I'd probably go in numerical order with the expansions. However, if you want to change the game up somewhat, there are some options that add new aspects to the base game.

Munchkin 6 and 6.5 are expansions that add Dungeons to the game, oversized cards that represent a special location that all players are in, and have a global effect on everybody.

Or if the idea of adding a Holiday (mainly Christmas) flavor appeals, there are tons of Christmas-themed expansions, and even a base set with that flavor (though those are probably easier to come by when SJGames brings them out of the vault for the holiday season). There are also small expansions for Halloween, Easter, and Valentine's Day, though they may be hard to come by.

Another option (though I confess I've no idea of current availability) is the Game Changers set, which collects a number of small expansions that change the game (hence the name) in various ways, like Fairy Dust (which rewards people for helping others) and Munchkinomicon (which rewards people for being mean), as well as Monster Enhancers (obvious), and Reloaded! (which I THINK is the one that has class and race enhancers in it).

(Personally, my first expansion was Munchkin 4, just because I liked the idea of Steeds, but they honestly don't change the game that much. But my experience does suggest to me that going "out-of order" doesn't really hurt.)
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Old 09-03-2020, 08:46 AM   #4
Andrew Hackard
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Default Re: best starter expansion set

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister Ed View Post
Munchkin 6 and 6.5 are expansions that add Dungeons to the game, oversized cards that represent a special location that all players are in, and have a global effect on everybody.
Quick Line Editor note: the original Munchkin 6 is out of print, and the new Munchkin 6 (Double Dungeons) includes the Munchkin 6.5 cards as well. If you're looking at a Munchkin 6 with reddish stripes along the top and bottom, it's the new set and you won't need 6.5 as well.

I want to make sure no one's spending money they don't have to spend. Save it for face masks!
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