are you a munchkin afficionado?
Munchkin is one of my favorite geek games of all time, earning a spot on my "will always play" list with classics like Illuminati: Deluxe Edition, Bohnanza, Car Wars, and Abalone.
If you're a Munchkin aficionado like I am (Oh! That makes me wish I could do Photoshop: Someone should design a Cigar Aficionado parody cover called Munchkin Aficionado. Notes: CA is always very pretentious, materialistic, and self-important. It's like Cosmo for cigar nerds, but it pretends that it isn't. Please also note that none of these facts ever stopped me from reading and enjoying it. Here's a big honkin' pile of reference covers. John Kovalic: I'm looking in your direction.)
Anyway, as I was saying, before I was distracted by the pretty lights, if you're a Munchkin Aficionado like I am, I believe this cartoon from Supermegatopia will make you chuckle.
(via the daily illuminator, which warns that the rest of that site is probably NSFW)


Really? Chuckle? I dunno... it seemed pretty unoriginal, like explaining to non-Munckin players how the game works.
Your story about playing it with Nolan and Ryan, now that was funny.
Posted by: Astin | March 19, 2007 at 10:02 AM
I'd have to say this game is one I've never heard of.
But on the other hand, there must be a zillion games (RPG & Board) I've never heard of since I stopped playing in the late '80s when I was an AD&D fan.
I also dabbled in Toon, Blue Max, Runequest, Villains & Vigilantes, and Star Frontiers from time to time.
Would that I'd have any time at all to play those games today...
Posted by: CHV | March 19, 2007 at 10:07 AM
Hey Wil:
Did you ever heard the "Dragonlance" novel series as a kid?
If so, is the following bit about an animated film (due this fall) of the first novel in the series news to you?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825245/
They've got Kiefer Sutherland voicing Raistlin, and Mike Rosenbaum ("Smallville") as Tanis.
Wowsers...I hope it's halfway decent.
Posted by: CHV | March 19, 2007 at 10:24 AM
>>Did you ever heard the "Dragonlance" novel series as a kid?
Sorry, obviously meant to say "read" above (instead of "heard").
Posted by: CHV | March 19, 2007 at 10:33 AM
I haven't talked anyone into playing Car Wars with me in 15 years. Damn, I do miss it.
Posted by: Jim Monday | March 19, 2007 at 11:08 AM
I keep meaning to pick up Munchkin, but I'm not sure which is the best version to start with. I'm surprised that hubby & I haven't gotten into it yet, as we like Illuminati and have played our fair share of RPG games.
Hey, a good Geek In Review would be an overview of must have geek games like this! (We also include Grave Robbers From Outer Space on our list. Perfect for us horror/sci-fi/MST3K fans.)
Posted by: Jessika | March 19, 2007 at 11:13 AM
I remember reading Wild Life in The Daily Cardinal back in my student days. Glad to see that Mr. Kovalic is still here in Madison...unlike those traitors from The Onion.
Posted by: Sally J | March 19, 2007 at 11:14 AM
Reading your blog where you talked about playing Munchkin with your sons, is what got me to go buy Munchkin. I now have all my friends hooked on the game, asking where they can go buy it, even friends who've never heard of D&D love the game.
Thanks for talking about it!
Posted by: PirateAlice | March 19, 2007 at 11:22 AM
Echoing PirateAlice - Steve Jackson should be sending you a commission. I got curious about Munchkin after reading your earlier entry...then you wrote about Dork Tower last week sometime. I spent several days reading Kovalic's archives, and then went and bought Munchkin and the first expansion pack this weekend. If I can just get some of my family on the same schedule for a night, we'll try it out. Hoping to get my wife in the Leather Armor and Kneepads of Allure...though at that point, our teenagers might be in the way!
Posted by: BobApril | March 19, 2007 at 11:33 AM
Any interest in ANOTHER CON, ANOTHER PLACE in 2008?
Just wondering. I am considering going. I need a vacation. Great opportunity to mix geeks, too.
Posted by: oedipuscomplextrekfannumbertenmillion | March 19, 2007 at 12:04 PM
Jessica: The whole B-Movies game set is FANTASTIC! Steve Tassie did a great job with them. We just spent a weekend playing "The Scurvy Muskateers of the Spanish Main."
Wil, for you:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/da_zhuang/427100972/
Posted by: Clay | March 19, 2007 at 12:12 PM
Are you kidding? I love Munchkin! I was the best at manipulating the group and my character when we played the D20 system. Our DM never planned ahead because we'd completely screw up everything he ever planned. It was worth drawing on my forehead with a Sharpie for the "Marker Mayhem" feat.
Also, Illuminati is awesome!
Posted by: Danco | March 19, 2007 at 12:15 PM
Oddly enough, I just discovered Supermegatopia yesterday. There's some really funny stuff there, Wil, especially the Civil War Spider-Ham stuff. But, yeah, NSFW.
Posted by: timewalker2099 | March 19, 2007 at 12:33 PM
Is it just me, or does anyone find it mildly amusing and/or serendipitous that the link Wil provided for cover reference imagery via Google images shows WILLIAM FUCKING SHATNER in the second row?
Posted by: junkurchin | March 19, 2007 at 12:56 PM
Wil,
There is nothing more satisying than havig a riotus game of Munchkin with friends. Especially the sneaky-stab-you in-the-back-bastard kind - now that's munchkinly.
+10 Humoungous on the post sir. Well Played.
Posted by: vinelander | March 19, 2007 at 03:10 PM
What, no Settlers of Catan?
(And I spent way too many Monday nights in college playing Talisman until the wee hours...)
I love playing Uno, too: MSN was nice enough to give us a Free Preview of their version, which matches you to other players by rank...
Posted by: Garrett Fitzgerald | March 19, 2007 at 03:27 PM
Munchkin? I love it.
"The Dead Sea Trolls" card was my idea. :)
Posted by: GlenBarnett | March 19, 2007 at 03:47 PM
My husband and I were introduced to Munchkin a few years ago at Origins. We liked it so much, we decided to buy a copy of the original game and have collected pretty much every manifestation and expansion of it since. I personally like to play Munchkin Bites, which has vampires and such, and I think Steve Jackson games has been working on a Cthulhu version, which I'm looking forward to (if it's not out already). A couple of years ago, I actually entered a Munchkin Tournament at Origins. I was very surprised and pleased with myself when I finished third at my table (and by a close margin, too). It wasn't enough to go on to the finals, but it was the first time I'd ever played in a tournament before, so I was happy with my result. We haven't played in a while, and reading your post and the comic makes me want to pull out one of the sets and try my luck again! Thanks for the inspiration!
Posted by: vincentsmommy | March 19, 2007 at 03:50 PM
http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/9499/cigarmunchkinbz7.jpg
Ok, well, there's a fairly quick attempt at an aficionado cover.
Enjoy.
Posted by: mawazi | March 19, 2007 at 03:55 PM
I got excited because I thought you meant the donuts.
Posted by: Lisa | March 19, 2007 at 04:12 PM
I got excited because I thought you meant KC Munchkin! (Not excited enough to use an exclamation point but it's actually part of the name.)
Posted by: Magic_Al | March 19, 2007 at 04:57 PM
Here's my magazine cover.
http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/953/munchkinsg7.jpg
-Chris
Posted by: Chris Hanel | March 19, 2007 at 06:44 PM
I usually read this blog over at LJ, but I had to come over to comment on this one. I love Munchkin. You know those blank cards they include with the deck? My husband and friends and I made some fun cards with them. We made a monster: the Level 14 Carniverous Ninja Hamster. We even made a new race: Chicken (impervious to Chicken on Head curse). And my favorite is the Dude! That Sucks! curse in which you lose all items, one level and all limbs (there's a little picture of a guy with his arms and legs fallling off). To compensate though, we made a new treasure too: +3 Bonus Head Axe (+5 to combat for amputees). I'm curious what cards other people have created...
Posted by: klevermore | March 19, 2007 at 08:19 PM
Yep, the missus & I are big fans of Munchkin, her fave is Space Munchkin and mine is Munchkin Bites but we're both eagerly awaiting Munchkin Cthulhu!
http://www.sjgames.com/munchkin/munchkincthulhu/
Posted by: MikeN | March 20, 2007 at 04:12 AM
wow, it's like a fark photoshop contest here.
almost.
Posted by: xanadian | March 20, 2007 at 10:08 AM