MARVELOUS MUNCHKINS
TWO-GUN PIXIE Presents:
LEGENDARY
GAMING
003 – Marvelous Munchkins
By Thor's Hammer and Hulk' Purple Pants! Salutations and Excelsior Noble Nerd Herd! This Pulse-Pounding edition of Legendary Gaming brings you a game of Heroes true, Agents skilled, and Villains foul with the newest version of a Steve Jackson Games classic... Munchkin Marvel
First be told is that Mr. & Mrs. BIG Johnny G! as well as the Twenty-Sided Warriors have played many games of many different editions of Munchkin. Whenever the game hits the table the Warriors have an awesome time; from classic Munchkin, to Munchkin Cthulhu, Star Munchkin and Munchkin Zombie and so many more. Honestly I thought I was done spending cash on this series with all I already have on the gaming shelves already. Well, truth be told, I didn't actually spend money on this item as it was a gift. Let's check out this game and see if after playing it if I would throw down the bills for yet another Munchkin game.
MUNCHKIN MARVEL
Designers: N/A (?USAopoly & Steve Jackson?) Developed By: USAopoly, based on Steve Jackson's Munchkin Artists: N/A (Marvel Licensed Artists not listed in the credits Publisher: Steve Jackson Games & USAopoly Year Published: 2016 Manufacturer Suggested Player Age: 10+ Number of Players: 3 - 6 (Best with 3 or 4) Average Play Time: 60 minutes - 120 minutes Game Mechanics: MSRP: $24.95 SKU: SJGMU011000 UPC/ISBN: 700-3040-473-42 Weight: 1 pound Product Dimensions: 1.8 x 6.2 x 9.2 inches Integrates With: All other Munchkin games, especially Super Munchkin
The Box First off, the departure from the traditional John Kovalic art of the standard Munchkin games is actually a refreshing breeze. No, don't get your meeples in an uproar, nerds. I have no problem or dislike of John's art; not at all. In fact we here at Two-Gun Pixie are fans of his Dork Tower strip. However, the use of actual Marvel art really makes the game POP and standout against your other editions of the Munchkin game. Other than that the box is standard in quality and contains four sections to divide these cards, and future expansions, in nicely.
The Components If you own, or have played, any of the other editions of Munchkin (especially Super Munchkin) then you really know what to expect. There is precious little difference to mention here.
If you do not own or have not played another Munchkin game before then let me say that the two different decks are of manufactured form good, standard stock and will hold up well for casual use of the game. If this turns out to be a game you will play frequently then you'll want to invest in sleeves for these cards.
The oversized, double-sided S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Role Cards and red-tinted clear level trackers, kinda like little bingo trackers, are a great way to record your level advancement – especially since that’s integral to combat as you’ll see. Each Role Card has a male agent image on one side and a female agent image on the flip side. Additionally, each of these cards has its own individual agent division which dictates what special ability you have which will help to add a slightly deeper level to the game's tactics. The six-sided die (d6) is standard to all Munchkin games, this branded with an iconic S.H.I.E.L.D. logo on it in lieu of a “1”. The game rules booklet is edited and designed like all the fold-out rule booklets of Munchkin games.
-6 Oversized, Double-Sided S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Role Cards -168 Cards (including Door Cards and Treasure Cards) -6 Red-Tinted Clear Level Trackers -1 Custom six-sided Die -Game Rules Booklet
Gameplay Nothing new here for anyone who has played Munchkin games before.
The basic premise of the game is that you are an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and are looking to be made Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. To do so you must advance to 10th level before your fellow agents. You gain levels by defeating villains, or what Munchkin games call "Monsters". Along the way you may gain Allies and Allegiances with, or even gear and equipment from, iconic heroes and organizations from the collective Marvel Universe.
For those of you who are new to Munchkin allow me to go over the rules and game play for you. At the star of the game each player chooses his or her individual S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent and the two decks get shuffled and each placed face-down in the game area with space to place discarded cards from each pile. Players then get dealt 4 cards from each deck. This becomes the player's starting hand. Players may lay down their active cards, such as gear, powers, or affiliation cards - even Level Up cards can be played from the start! If you play a Level Up card immediately move your level tracker up one space for each card Level Up card played.
Remember - Unless a card SPECIFICALLY says otherwise, the winning level MUST ALWAYS be obtained through defeating a Monster, not though a Level Up card.
The first player then starts off with "Kick Open The Door". • Kick Open The Door - the player draws the top card of the Door Deck and plays it face down in the play area for all to see. If the card is a villain (AKA a "Monster" as per the rule booklet) the level is compared to the active player's current level plus any and all bonuses he or she may have for gear, allies, powers, or affiliations. If the players score is higher than the monsters then he wins.
The monster wins on a tie.
However, if any player has any cards to boost the monster or add more monsters to the fight they may play them against the active player. Each monster is fought separately and all must be defeated to win. If not he or she suffers the effects of the “Bad News” that is listed on each Monster card he or she could not defeat.
Traps cards can also be played at this time from your hand. Of course, any one-time cards the active player has in his hand may likewise be played to boost his or her own combat for that turn. Card after card can be played for either side until hero or villain is victorious. This is where the game gets intense with the “Take That” attitude of players (or as we here in the Nerd Wasteland call it, “'F' You”). In fact the last time we played Leigh thought she has an easy win until the rest of the Twenty-Sided Warriors played sooooooo many cards to boost her monster she was soon facing a Level 99 Loki! Holy Shit that was FK’N Awesome! When facing monsters players may opt to beseech their fellow agents for assistance but most help comes at a hefty price as “friends” can demand a cut off - or all of – the loot gained from the encounter. The active player still gets the level for the kill, this CAN NOT be bargained for as treasure can be. Unless a monster card specifies otherwise most defeated monsters are worth 1 level and 1 treasure. If multiple monsters descended upon the hero during the same fight and the player is victorious the agent gets the combined level rewards listed and all the treasures (Minus what he or she bargained away for assistance in the battle) for each monster in that encounter.
IF the active player did not draw a monster card (such as perhaps a TRAP card instead among other options) when he or she Kicked Open The Door they have two choices,
"Look For Trouble"
OR
"Loot The Room"
• Look For Trouble - this is a great choice if you are holding a monster card in your hand you can easily defeat and level up with. Throw down a crappy level 1 monster and wail away on him with all your awesome bonuses. . Watch out, as explained above your friends might object to you leveling up so easily and may boost your lowly HYDRA agent to Ultron-like proportions! Or add Loki as a wandering monster to help that AIM grunt wipe the pavement with you.
• "Loot the Room" - is your other option if you failed to draw a monster card when you kicked open the door. This decision allows you to draw from the door deck face down and place that card directly into your hand. You can play Affiliation, Ally, or Power cards immediately if you want or you can save the card for later use.
Now the active player moves onto what's called Charity. “Charity” – occurs at the end of your turn. T that time you must either play enough cards from your hand or discard enough cards to get your hand to five or fewer cards. If you can't or won't play a card then you have to give your excess cards to the player with the lowest level. If it is a tie divide your cards as evenly as possible between the players tied for lowest level. IF You are the lowest level player discard your extra cards into the appropriate Discard Piles so you have no more than five cards in your hand.
That's it in a nut shell.
The few differences between this edition of the Munchkin brand and the others actually mirror some of the more common elements.
Affiliations loosely simulate the Class cards of the original game while the Ally cards are somewhat akin to the Hirelings cards of the basic game.
The use of Power cards are similar to the Power cards from Super Munchkin edition and work the same way. Players can have as many different powers in active play in front of them SO LONG AS the total score of each power does not exceed the character’s level. The character’s LEVEL, NOT the total of your level plus all your active gear and allies, affiliations and powers as you do in combat.
No, just your character level.
Example, if you are Level 6 then you cannot have more than 6 total points in powers. These points are clearly marked on each Power card. You can have six 1 point powers in play at the same time, one 6 point power, or any combination of powers that DO NOT go over 6 points.
As with Affiliation a player may not choose to trade Power cards with another player.
CHECK OUT THIS AWESOME MARVEL ART SUPPLIED FOR THE GAME, MY NERDERS!
Final Thoughts Munchkin Marvel is a welcomed and fresh breath of excitement to the Munchkin family. This edition takes a game many players feel both happily nostalgic about playing as well a bit tired of the endless procession of variations flooding the Munchkin market place and injects it with new levels of fun!
Players and fans of the Munchkin brand will surely feel good about adding this to their collection. Fans of the Marvel Universe will find this game fun. In fact, this is a great gateway game to introduce Marvel fans to the fun world of tabletop gaming.
Thematically speaking this game delivers. The Twenty-Sided Warriors definitely felt immersed in the Marvel Universe while playing.
Munchkin Marvel balances the off-the-wall, face-paced lunacy of Munchkin with the gritty, adventurous feel of an epic Marvel story. Although we fully expected the Marvel aspect of the game to feel "Pasted On" to the Munchkin brand we couldn't have been more wrong. Before the game was back in the box the Twenty-Sided Warriors were already discussing when our next game of Munchkin Marvel would be and who would kick whose ass. (YOU'RE GOING DOWN NEXT TIME, LEIGH!)
A nice touch is the inclusion of Infinity Gems in the game. Over the course of the next several planned expansion editions Munchkin Marvel will soon have all six gems and the Infinity Gauntlet available to players in a mad attempt assemble them all together and win the game/destroy all the other players - AKA Becoming a GOD!
FYI - the first two expansions scheduled for release are Mystic Mayhem (which brings Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, and other arcane-infused heroes to the game) and Cosmic Chaos (introducing the Guardians of the Galaxy, Adam Warlock, Nova and other space-faring heroes to the table).
One minor detail that may irk only the most anal of players is the use of gear. Sure, on one hand it's Freakin' AWESOME to look down at your S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent card and see that you are rockin' Spidey's Web-Shooters, Thor's Hammer, and Captain America's Shield! As long as you can relax and remember it's just a fun game you can get past questions such as, "How the hell can my agent lift Thor's Hammer?" Just let it go and you'll have fun. Trust me.
Trust...
Me.
Overall this is one of the best editions of the Munchkin brand published to date and deserves a spot on any gamer's shelf.
You might find this to be the most Fun Marvel game you've played. Mind you, I said the most Fun, I didn't say "The Best Marvel Game Ever".
If you want a fun Marvel game to add to your gaming shelf you need to consider Munchkin Marvel.
Now, IF only USAopoly can obtain the rights to produce a Munchkin DC game...
If only...
yes...
Oh, sorry... Just dreaming out loud.
'Nuff said, nerds.
