I have a confession to make…….I’ve never played Munchkin before.
Dun-Dun-Duuun!
I’m not sure if this means I need to turn in my Nerd card or not but when I was approached by BenBella Books to review, The Munchkin Book, I figured what the hell.
The Munchkin Book printed by BenBella Books under their Smart Pop imprint, is a collection of 14 stories and anecdotes all about, you guessed it, Munchkin! The book’s forward is written by Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms setting and edited by ENnie and Origin award winner, James Lowder.
Munchkin adj – munch·kin – /ˈmənCHkin/ A powergamer. Players who love to min-max their characters, slaughter with impunity and do anything they can to win. See also Murderhobo.
Munchkin itself, is a satirical card game originally based on the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons. First printed in 2001 it went on to win an Origin award that year for best traditional card game. Now encompassing many other genres Munchkin has 18 different themed core sets for your gaming pleasure. It’s a game of kill the monsters take their stuff and screw over your buddies. Great family fun!
The Munchkin Book starts out with Steve Jackson regaling us with many facts and figures in regards to Munchkin. Number of copies sold, highest price paid for a single card ($1031.78), the number of cards in the database and other interesting Munchkiny tidbits. There are essays regarding zero sum theory gaming, the prisoner dilemma and Munchkin as monomyth. Wait isn’t this just a card game?
Jennifer Steen pens a very humorous chapter written from the perspective of the monsters who are perpetually attacked, nay, plagued by those pesky Munchkin adventurers. Of course there are more then a few essays that relate the author’s love of Munchkin and how it’s brought friends and families together and the great times they’ve had. The book wraps up with John Kovalic, artist extraordinaire of the Munchkin line. John talks about some of his favorite cards and gives us fun facts about his work on Munchkin.
Even though I’ve never played a single game of Munchkin I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gives great insight into the inner working of the Munchkin mind and maybe just the thing I needed to start me down the road of Munchkinism. Anyone up for a game of Munchkin Cthulhu? At 190 pages The Munchkin book is a relatively quick read and at just $14.95 it’s a no brainer for anyone who loves Munchkin. Even better, you can order through the Amazon affiliate link on our site and help us keep the lights on.