Have I been playing this game wrong?

[The Big Boo]

The way I have been playing it is that once everyone has been dealt their starting hands everyone has a chance to play their race/class cards and any items they want to carry before the first player kicks down the first door.

However I have just watched Steve Jackson Play Munchkin on tabletop and it appeared that no one could do that untill it was their turn. If they had been allowed too Felica would have had a combat strength of 5 and been able to help steve kill the shrieking geek without steve having to use his freezing explosive potion.

also we have been allowing people to change race/class even when it's not their turn and allowed them to equip/unequip items when it's not their turn (as long as they are not in combat of course)

So have I got the rules wrong or was this a minor change they made for the cameras to make it easier for players not familiar with Munchkin to follow?

I have noticed some other minor errors, such as later on Steve and Felica ran away from the Floating Nose even though thats not possible and Steve used a kill the hireling GUAL card even though their was no hireling in play (at least not that I could see)

[Gospel X]

I have not yet watched this episode, but I can comment on playing cards in the beginning. Everything I've read on this forum says that you can play all of that at the very beginning of the game, before the first turn. They probably did not do it because, like you said, it is easier to follow if each person does it one at a time. Personally, I avoid playing my cards to the table until it is my turn so that I can keep myself out of harm's way and keep an eye on what everyone else is doing.

But you cannot change race/class when it is not your turn. You can discard a race/class whenever you like, but you cannot play it until it is during your turn. You can also do this during combat. Equipment, however, cannot be equipped when it is not your turn or during combat unless a card specifically says you can.

I'm definitely looking forward to the Tabletop episode.

[Bampop]

I'm sure that was for show production purposes. The rules about character creation mention putting down race and class cards even before the section called "Starting and Fininshing the Game" which begins, "Decide who goes first..."

[Sinkuu]

yeah, I've given up on Tabletop portraying every rule accurately for the sake of production values, sadly.

when in doubt, read the rules, not the tv show. :)

[Bampop]

Originally Posted by Gospel X

Equipment, however, cannot be equipped when it is not your turn or during combat unless a card specifically says you can.

You can't play new items to the table unless it's your turn, but you may switch items you have equipped any time you aren't in combat.

[The Big Boo]

Well thank god for that, it also occured to me that if Felica had been able to help out in that first combat with her full strength she would also have been an elf and got a level from the kill.

I have just been re-reading the rules and Bampop is right about the rules of Character Creation, so thats good to know!

[Flyndaran]

Also if everyone agrees beforehand to the rules, you can't be playing wrong.

[FourDeuces]

Yeah, I am sure a simple translation of the phrase "House Rules" into "Set Made to Look Like Wil Wheaton's Basement Rules" would yield the correct ruling :)

[Mister Ed]

Originally Posted by Bampop

I'm sure that was for show production purposes. The rules about character creation mention putting down race and class cards even before the section called "Starting and Fininshing the Game" which begins, "Decide who goes first..."

Not only race and class cards, but items as well. So yeah, the rules definitely allow you to play race/class and item cards to the table before the first turn.

[Andrew Hackard]

I think the other three players decided to wait, either for the cameras or because they didn't want to help Steve.

There were a few places when rules were, um, elided (it's a better term than "overlooked"), but generally they played the game by the book. You're seeing a 30-minute video edited down from a two-hour game, plus another hour or two of player interviews -- there are going to be inconsistencies.