The Munchkin Book

I'll be purchasing this book in paperback to add to our extensive munchkin collection. We are big fans of munchkin in our house, since a friend introduced my husband to the game, we have several sets, and play most weeks with the kids.
This book will be an excellent addition

A great addition to the Munchkin game. A really handy guide with additional info and a great gift for fans.

If you have played any role-playing game in the past 30 years, be it D&D, Top Secret, Boot Hill, The Fantasy Trip, Traveller, or others not named and have not played Munchkin or its variants, what are you waiting for? Go out and buy one of the basic sets that tickles your fancy. gather a group of like-minded "friends" and experience the hilarity of kicking in doors, fighting assorted monsters, gathering treasure, aiding and abetting mayhem while trying to be the first to get to Level 10. OK, now that you have done that, read the rest of the review.

The Munchkin Book is The Official Companion to the Munchkin game system. The fifteen essays, foreword, and introduction will certainly entertain and inform. Steve Jackson opens the book with "Munchkin by the Numbers," a look at how Munchkin came about and plenty of numbers in regard to sales, variants, number of cards accompanied by stories related to the numbers. Andrew Jones delves into the psychology of game theory as applied to the Munchkin universe. The monsters gain a voice in Jennifer Steen's letters addressed to the maddening wandering adventures who keep disturbing the ducks. Then Bonnie Burton blends Munchkin with romance in Flirting 101. Liam McIntyre provides a play-by-play of a Munchkin Hollywood game (just a thought concept at the moment) that provides newbies plenty of game fodder to digest. And the book ends with John Kovalic trying to choose his favorite cards from the various starter sets . Of course there have to be cards separating the essays that can be used in Munchkin to "abuse" the printed rules and make for even more mayhem! As the cover says: "Read the essays, (Ab)use the rules, Win the game!"

This is a great companion to the game - full of tongue-in-cheek essays, special rule options, and comedic observations. Interspersed among the 15 essays are illustrated 'cards', some definitely more usable than others. Contributors include Steve Jackson, Ed Greenwood, and more - providing a wide array of very amusing quips and commentaries. Essays include:

- Madness in 168 easy steps, Monty Haul and his friends at play, Screw you, pretty balloons, How playing Munchkin made me a better player, Munchkin Hollywood, My favorite Munchkin, and more. As can be seen by the titles, the essays are just as amusing as the game and worth the read for the puns alone.

But beyond the humor, there really or some fun ways to change the game up and make it just a bit crazier. Whether getting +1 for each pun you recite, keeping all the cards sideways to you, or adding two monsters to your hand for each combat. Each one of the extra rules is illustrated. Several of the essays are variants as well.

In all, a great companion for the dedicated gamer or Munchkin game fan. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Thanks to BenBella Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book was mostly lost on me because I am a fairly casual Munchkin player. Within the first few pieces, the book delves into mathematic dissection of the gameplay, and almost totally lost me.

That said, I really believe people who genuinely love Munchkin will genuinely love this book. I guess I'm not enough of a fan to really fully appreciate it, but I would not hesitate to buy a copy for one of my more hardcore friends.

Some of my favorite memories are of my days as an assistant manager at a small, indie movie theater. Downtime was spent munching on popcorn, drinking all the soda we could stand, and playing Munchkin until after the last movie ended. This book is a fun addition to the world of Munchkin and takes me back to happier times. It made me want to hit up my old employee friends for a game night.

If you’ve never played Munchkin before, go play Munchkin, for like 24 hours, and then read this book. To fully appreciate the book, you should probably already have an attachment to the game. Once you have formed that bond with the game, you will be able to fully utilize this book to its potential.

I especially loved the essay about the age old question of backstabbing. Should you? Shouldn’t you? I never did, and that worked to my advantage sometimes (as long as I wasn’t winning), friends would feel sorry for me and help me, but once we get past about level 7, all bets are off and I’d always lose. In a game where backstabbing is almost essential to winning, is there a situation where it’s better to resist turning on your game mates? This essay sheds light on the issue.

Overall, the book explains some of the finer points of the game in greater detail, while providing a lot of humor that will keep you turning pages. I’d definitely recommend it for any Munchkin fan, or even for someone who might be interested in playing and wants to get a better feel for this gloriously crazy game.

Interesting read.

Full review in link

A fun and highly-detailed companion to the Munchkin card game. Not only will you hear about the history of the game, its phenomenal rise and dedicated fan base, but each essay ends with an in-game bonus you can use next time you play. A great companion for lovers of the game, though anyone only moderately interested in the game will likely find it a bit too much for extended reading.