Hippopede and Level 9

[MunchkinMan]

This is not the same situation as intentionally playing a card that is specifically designed to give you a level. Those cards can't be played when you are at Level 9. Also, I can't see a way to justify that someone can't Run Away from a Monster just because the Bad Stuff or other effects can't be applied to them. There are also many cases where a secondary side effect of some action that gives a level that doesn't say that level can be the Winning Level can still be played.

Think more along the lines of a Curse/Trap that is played on you, or Bad Stuff from a Monster when you can't suffer the effect. As an example of what I mean, Curse! Lose Your Race from the original Munchkin tells you to discard any Race(s) you have in play, but has no effect on you when you have no Race(s) in play. Finding a Curse that doesn't affect you doesn't change the game play (i.e., you don't get to ignore that card and kick down another door), nor are you prevented from playing an ineffective Curse on another player. Another good example from the original Munchkin game is Shrieking Geek, with Bad Stuff that makes you lose Race and Class cards you have in play: if you have neither of these things, nothing happens to you. In no way does that mean you can't Run Away from the Monster, nor does that mean you are automatically successful in running away.

[josh_dog2]

Originally Posted by MunchkinMan

...I can't see a way to justify that someone can't Run Away from a Monster just because the Bad Stuff or other effects can't be applied to them.

Thank you MunckinMan, that was more of an answer I was seeking, in that the intent of the secondary effect was to never stop someone from running away in a scenario like that.

I also took a look at the rules sheet (as I should have done in the first place) and in the Conflicts between Cards and Rules section it does state to ignore any card effect that would contradict one of the 4 commandments of munchkin.