When to Play Classes and Races

[Moldon]

Rules v1.6 say Classes and Races may be played to the table as soon as they are acquired, or at any time during your own turn. (page 6)
Rules v1.7 say you can play a new Class or Race card at any time on your own turn (page 2) and nothing about acquire.
Is it rule change or misprint?

[ColBosch]

Change, as far as I can tell, but it's meant to be a clarification. Per "Character Creation," at the beginning of the game, after you're dealt your initial 8 cards, you can play Class and Race cards (plus Items) before anyone takes a turn. That's what the 1.6 rules meant by "acquire."

However, there are ways to draw cards during other peoples' turns. The 1.7 rules revision closes the loophole where you could draw a Class or Race card during someone else's turn and immediately play it. This was unintentional, and could lead to abuses. Note that you couldn't play a Class or Race card during someone else's turn if it was already in your hand.

Of course, card text overrides the basic rules, and there may be cards that could specifically allow you to change your Class or Race during someone else's turn.

[Andrew Hackard]

It sounds like I need to take another pass through the rules and make sure we didn't accidentally change something that should have been kept. I don't think we intentionally removed the rule about playing Classes or Races as soon as you get them -- but the times you can get a Door card when it's not your turn are few, and we may have unintentionally removed the rule because the situation is so rare.

Short version: I'll look into it. For now, the 1.6 rule is correct.

[ColBosch]

*raises an eyebrow* That's interesting.

[MunchkinMan]

Originally Posted by ColBosch

The 1.7 rules revision closes the loophole where you could draw a Class or Race card during someone else's turn and immediately play it. This was unintentional, and could lead to abuses.

I'm curious: Where has it been said that it was unintentional? I can say that for all the time that I've been playing Munchkin (since its release in 2001) and working as the NetRep for Munchkin (~15 years), that it is by design that you can play Race and Class cards (and other Thingies, as they've come to be) as soon as you get them.

[MunchkinMan]

Originally Posted by Andrew Hackard

It sounds like I need to take another pass through the rules and make sure we didn't accidentally change something that should have been kept. I don't think we intentionally removed the rule about playing Classes or Races as soon as you get them -- but the times you can get a Door card when it's not your turn are few, and we may have unintentionally removed the rule because the situation is so rare.

For what it's worth, according to the "When You May Take Actions" callout, you can "[p]lay a card that you have just received," which would mean that you can play any Door or Treasure when you receive the card. The rules may have no longer explicitly stated that Classes and Races can be played when received, but the rules as written still support playing those cards when you receive them.''

Long story short, both sets of rules are correct and support the way we've always played these cards, but the current version is less clear and will cause confusion to old-school players who are on top of every updated rules sheet.

[Moldon]

Thank you MunchkinMan. I was confused new wording because of wrong Russian translate (my fault). New rules is clear.

[ColBosch]

Originally Posted by MunchkinMan

I'm curious: Where has it been said that it was unintentional? I can say that for all the time that I've been playing Munchkin (since its release in 2001) and working as the NetRep for Munchkin (~15 years), that it is by design that you can play Race and Class cards (and other Thingies, as they've come to be) as soon as you get them.

Rules version 1.02, copyright 2001: "Classes and Races: These cards may be played to the table as soon as they are acquired, or at any time during your own turn." I'd always taken that to mean, well, what I said in my response, because of the weirdness that otherwise you could play a Race/Class from (for example) the discard pile during someone else's turn, but not from your own hand until your turn. The change in 1.7, if deliberate, would verify that.

[Andrew Hackard]

Don't rely on ANYTHING from pre-2010 rules as definitive.

[MunchkinMan]

Originally Posted by ColBosch

Rules version 1.02, copyright 2001: "Classes and Races: These cards may be played to the table as soon as they are acquired, or at any time during your own turn." I'd always taken that to mean, well, what I said in my response, because of the weirdness that otherwise you could play a Race/Class from (for example) the discard pile during someone else's turn, but not from your own hand until your turn. The change in 1.7, if deliberate, would verify that.

Andrew has already said that to refer back to the previous rules sheet, which contained the text in the Class and Race descriptions. That confirms that the removal was a potential mistake, and that it is the designed intent that you may play Races and Classes as soon as you receive them, which can include occasions outside your turn. However, the callout I mentioned in my above post, which has existed for a while now, firmly confirms that you can play any card when you acquire it, which includes such events as drawing it outside of your turn, getting it from another player as the result of a Curse or Bad Stuff, or being given it as Charity. Obviously, some cards can't be played at any time (e.g., Monsters, Monster Enhancers), as they have rules on them or in the rules sheet governing when they can be played.