Munchkin is a humorous card game parody of tabletop role-playing dungeon crawlers, complete with character leveling, race and class selection. Created back in 2001 by renowned game designer Steve Jackson and equally famous illustrator John Kovalic, the game has become legendary, selling over 100 million copies worldwide and being translated into 16 languages.

About the Board Game Munchkin

Descend into the dungeon, kick down doors, and slay anything that moves—or run for your life! Backstab your friends, steal their gear, grab the treasure, and bolt!

Munchkin lets you dive into the world of role-playing games without tedious rules or lengthy texts. It’s all about humor and fun! Don your Latex Armor, wield a Gentleman’s Cane, chug some Helpful Slime, and charge forth to slaughter the Legless Pony or the Bullrog. But watch out—your friends are wide awake, waiting for the perfect moment to throw a wrench in your plans by tossing an extra monster your way, casting a wicked curse, or boosting your foe just as victory was in your grasp. Isn’t that a blast?

How to Play?

Unlike other role-playing games, the rules are incredibly simple. From 3 to 6 players start at level 1 and immediately plunge into the dungeon in search of treasure. The game features two decks: Doors and Treasures.

A player’s turn begins with “kicking down the door”—drawing a card from the Doors deck. Most often, it’s a monster. To defeat the creature, roll the die, add your level and any bonuses from treasures to the result, and compare it to the monster’s level. You can call on another player for help, but you’ll have to share the loot. Slay the monster, and you gain a level plus the treasure cards listed on the fallen foe’s card. Lose to the monster, and face “bad stuff,” typically involving the loss of levels or treasures. At the end of your turn, count the cards in your hand—if you have more than five, give the extras to the player with the lowest level.

Victory goes to the Munchkin who first reaches level 10.

We also recommend checking out the video rules in the "Video" section and, if you’d like, exploring a more detailed, illustrated version of the rules in PDF format in the "Files" section.

In Conclusion

Don’t approach Munchkin expecting a serious dungeon crawler. The game is highly satirical and designed for lively, fun-loving groups. If you’re seeking balanced and predictable gameplay, you might want to look elsewhere. But for everyone else who enjoys a good laugh, Gallu the Rooster recommends this game—especially since the Ukrainian translation adds a unique local flavor.