Whats a Munchkin?

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Der Wanderer

So thats a munchkin, someone who only plays what he likes (ok its a single "role", but hey I'm Joe Average in real life, don't need to be him in RPG too)...

No. No, no, no, no, no. No. Although someone who is incapable of playing more than a single role might be a munchkin.

Originally Posted by Der Wanderer

Thats exactly the way most players start their career in the scene (some stay longer, say forever in that phase) but there is nothing Munchkinesk about it...

Quite the contrary. Most of us (including me, certainly) start out as munchkins. That's practically where the word comes from!

Originally Posted by Der Wanderer

So claiming that this player "lacks imagination and cannot think beyond his own unvarying ambitions and goals" is just snobish thinking

Again, you're missing the point. I am positing someone who, largely because he is lacking in imagination and can't or won't pay any attention to the setting, acts in a certain way. Those limitations are part of the definition. Someone without those limitations is, ipso facto, not a munchkin. Is it, perhaps, that you don't believe such people exist? That no one "just doesn't get it"? If so, fine, but that just means that there's no such thing as a munchkin, not that I'm saying anything at all about any actual gamer.

[Tom Kalbfus]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

At which point the private is put under arrest, court martialed, and depending on the trial, either executed for insubordination in battle, or sent back to jail in Fort Leavenworth where he'll spend the next 10-20 years of his life.

Disobeying a direct order in that type of combat situation can also get the private shot, legally.

So the private give him a share of the loot, and the superior officer pats him on the back and says, "Keep up the good work!" as he pockets a gold watch and a couple diamond wedding rings.

Actually this character is playing the Dungeon looter type, this character is not entirely unrealistic in a World War II setting. World War II provides lots of opportunity to get rich, and there are secret doors and hidden passage ways, and some superior officers would want privates to keep on searching for loot so long as they get their share. Perhaps this character is not so much an Munchkin after all.

[Ze'Manel Cunha]

Originally Posted by Tom Kalbfus

So the private give him a share of the loot, and the superior officer pats him on the back and says, "Keep up the good work!" as he pockets a gold watch and a couple diamond wedding rings.

At which point the officer is put under arrest, gets court martialed, and depending on the situation probably ends up in Leavenworth too.

Originally Posted by Tom Kalbfus

Actually this character is playing the Dungeon looter type, this character is not entirely unrealistic in a World War II setting. World War II provides lots of opportunity to get rich, and there are secret doors and hidden passage ways, and some superior officers would want privates to keep on searching for loot so long as they get their share. Perhaps this character is not so much an Munchkin after all.

Characters aren't Munchkins, people are Munchkins.
What you're describing is a Munchkin player in a Munchkin GM's world.

[yam]

I always thought a munchkin was someone who played an RPG to 'beat' the other players and GM (hehehe) so he could laugh and say 'My character is better than yours is!' at least in his own mind, if not out loud.

[Der Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

Quite the contrary. Most of us (including me, certainly) start out as munchkins. That's practically where the word comes from!

Now matter what you say, we agreed on that ;)... except that I would not call that a Munshkin (maybe a Greenhorn, mabe limited but possibly also focused)... The previous posts seem to agree that what you describe would rather be a Power Gamer, only when he starts to break the rules he would be upgraded to Munchkin...

[Der Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

At which point the officer is put under arrest, gets court martialed, and depending on the situation probably ends up in Leavenworth too.

No corruption???

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Characters aren't Munchkins, people are Munchkins.

yup, though if the character is a roleplayer he could technically have the Munchkin Disadvantage (reputation -1; ST +100) [-1000 CPs]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

What you're describing is a Munchkin player in a Munchkin GM's world.

Quite possibly the character had just Greed [-15]

[roguebfl]

The Greedy person watis till after battle, and fighting has lulled, to do his his looting.

[Der Wanderer]

Originally Posted by roguebfl

The Greedy person watis till after battle, and fighting has lulled, to do his his looting.

No thats independent of Greedy... there could also be a Greedy Daredevil...

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Der Wanderer

No thats independent of Greedy... there could also be a Greedy Daredevil...

nope that does fit with the Ignoreing swaron others, and danger to compaions, aspect of abanding your post to loot.

which was my paoint the Greedy doesn't describe the actions

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Tom Kalbfus

So the private give him a share of the loot, and the superior officer pats him on the back and says, "Keep up the good work!" as he pockets a gold watch and a couple diamond wedding rings.

That sort of thing could actually happen, though you'd have to know the officer in question. Looting like that is illegal. It's done, but illegal.

In any case, if a character with greedy decides to go try and loot, well, that's roleplaying. It's munchkinism if the player expects this process to go smoothly, or objects to the fact that much of the time he won't actually get anything, or expects to get any special benefits out of his looting. For example, in GURPS I would have a simple way of determining if he actually found useful loot: if he pays the points for wealth, he's found enough loot to give him a level of wealth.