Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

Hey guys,

I've been a huge fan of Munchkin since I first played it this summer. As a result, one of my friends just bought Munchkin Cthulhu, and we sat down to play together last night.

At this point, he informed me that EVERYTHING I KNEW WAS WRONG. Or, specifically, one very important thing.

While I've read the rules several times over, I had been taught by my friend that when you're in combat, you roll the dice for a "combat bonus" for your character (adding the numbers to your levels and item bonuses), then once for the monster you're fighting, before adding and comparing the numbers. Sort of like in Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder, you know?

Welp, because I never read anything to the contrary in the rules, I assumed that was the case. My friend informed me that there's nothing about rolling in the rules in the first place. I was so embarrassed! I always thought that the die roll was a big part of it, as it gives you a fighting chance against monsters higher than you.

Is this real life?

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

The die's main purpose is for determining if your attempt to Run Away from a Monster has been successful. In some cases, the die can be used for something else, but that card will always tell you that you can roll the die and what to do with the result. Also, any reference to rolling will always refer to a six-sided die, unless otherwise stated. In no Munchkin card game is the die used as an add-on to combat strength without the use of a specific card which allows you to do so.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

That may have been a house rule for d6s.

The Munchkin Bag of D6s was never given an official rule, so there are dozens (maybe hundreds) of house rules recorded on this site in the Munchkin section of the Forums for those dice. Your friend may have just been using one of those rules.

Either way, the basic rules as-written for Munchkin do not involve rolling any die except for deciding who goes first, determining if you successfully Run Away, or when a card makes specific mention of rolling a die.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

The question is about Munchkin. Stop talking about Quest.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

I'm... not. I'm talking about this thread:

Munchkin d6 rule ideas

Unless I'm horribly mistaken, I assumed this was always intended for Munchkin and not Quest.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

Everyone: thanks so much for the clarification. I actually like the "house rule" we've been unintentionally playing by, as it allows for a bit more "gambling," but playing by the actual rules is so much faster.

Amazing how such a simple misunderstanding can have so many effects on gameplay.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

I wasn't talking to you. There have been several posts deleted from this thread because they couldn't focus on the question at hand.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

I've always interpreted the reason that you don't have to roll dice for combat in Munchkin as a recognition that real munchkins always somehow roll a "natural 20" in the notional pencil and paper game the card game simulates. Therefore there's really no point in actually rolling dice.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

You know what? I remember reading that somewhere. Funny how it only makes sense to me now!

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

I don't think that much thought was put into it. The original release of the game required you to provide your own die, and the Thief's theft ability and Running Away was already more than enough work for a die that you didn't get with the game.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

Sure, I don't think it was deliberate. I just think it is a good after the fact explanation. I do occasionally get a bit of "If this is a simulation of munchkins playing D&D, why don't we roll dice for combat?" and that answer is both satisfactory and funny.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

I don't know. I really do swear that I read your explanation somewhere on some official Munchkin materials, as I didn't even know what "Munchkin" referred to until recently.

Re: Holy crap, really? On rolling dice.
 

I'm not sure to which materials you are referring, but I've been involved with the game for a very long time, and I've had a lot of opportunities to discuss the occasional oddity or decision with the designer(s), and that's never come up as a reason why a die roll isn't added to the combat strength. It may be an after-the-fact explanation that sounds good, and it may have been a justification that may have been made, but never expressed. Regardless of all that, we're straining the charter of the Munchkin 101 forum in all this discussion.

For the final time, just in case someone comes to the end of this thread and is still confused about what to do: In any Munchkin card game, there is no general rule which says you roll a die and add it to your combat strength before making the final determination during combat. There are cards that allow you to do this, but that is always a case of a card overriding the rules, which means you can't normally roll a die and add its result to your combat strength.