Munchkins Question

[Brendan]

So I'll keep this brief but in the munchkins card game is it legal to intentionally fail at running away? I know in D&D you can always treat a roll as if you had gotten a 1 and since part of the idea of munchkins is emulating that spirit, it feel like it makes sense (after all, all it is is making sure to run really slowly...) but i cant find anything like that in the rules.
Can you guys help me out on this? thanks.

[Mando Knight]

Technically? The rules don't say you can. Also technically, the rules don't say you can't. :smalltongue:

I would say, this goes by an owner-by-owner basis. If one is cool with you munchkining it up so you can intentionally fail to run away, cool. If another decides otherwise, well, it's his game, he gets last say.

[factotum]

Given the whole point of Munchkins is to game the system for all you're worth, the only answer is: it depends if the other people at the table let you get away with it!

[Amiria]

Nothing in the rules, but I agree what has been said to far. In our group we allow it.

[Cieyrin]

If all else fails, a Loaded Die card changes it to whatever you want the run away die to be. :smallwink:

[Siosilvar]

Here's the relevant rule:


...Any other disputes should be settled by loud arguments among the players, with the owner of the game having the last word.

[ObadiahtheSlim]

Since run away success is determined solely by the dice roll, I'd say no. You can't intentionally fail a run away (even if dying would be beneficial) without using a loaded dice to force a failed roll.

[Brendan]

hmm. darn. since i was level nine when this happened and that would have more or less ensured i would not just win but entirely conquer, i kinda doubt the owner of the game would be all that impartial...

[ObadiahtheSlim]

I am curious. How exactly would the Bad Stuff help you in this case?

[Balain]

I am curious. How exactly would the Bad Stuff help you in this case?

I too wonder this. I haven't memorized every bad stuff on every card, or seen every card yet from all the expansions, but I can't recall or imagine any bad stuff helping you out?

[tyckspoon]

I too wonder this. I haven't memorized every bad stuff on every card, or seen every card yet from all the expansions, but I can't recall or imagine any bad stuff helping you out?

The most likely corner case I can think of would be taking advantage of a "lose X kind of item" Bad Stuff to ditch something that was cursed by another player, since most of the item-curses prevent you from voluntarily discarding them. Somewhere there's probably a power/class/item that lets you retarget or modify a Bad Stuff as well, along the lines of "Decoy: Play when you would suffer Bad Stuff. You Run Away, and the player to your left suffers the Bad Stuff in your place."

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Use a d4. There's no rule that you can't use dice other than the one included with the game, and all cards just say "roll a die."

Munchkinery at its finest!

[tyckspoon]

Use a d4. There's no rule that you can't use dice other than the one included with the game, and all cards just say "roll a die."


..huh. I had to check the PDF rules-sheet, but.. yeah, this is correct. The game comes with a six-sider and assumes you will use it, but it never specifies that the die that comes with the game is the one you're supposed to roll.

Edit: But make sure it's a really important roll, because you're only going to get away with this once if at all.

[Venetian Mask]

That, or everyone else will start using it because "hey, the rules don't say we can't, do they?"

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

That, or everyone else will start using it because "hey, the rules don't say we can't, do they?"

Well, there's a big difference between "there are no rules for it at all, so I can do it" and "there is a rule, but it's vague."

It specifically says "roll a die." It doesn't say what *sort* of die to roll. Legal, yes. Munchkiny, but legal.

Saying "since it doesn't say I can't, clearly I can do XYZ" isn't being a Munchkin. Being a Munchkin is about bending and breaking the rules that exist, or adding little "rules" elements of your own, not about whole-heartedly creating rules where none exist.

I'd probably let the die thing slide the first time or two. Making up a rule (or saying "it doesn't say I can't"), however, would never work in our Munchkin games.

[The Glyphstone]

I too wonder this. I haven't memorized every bad stuff on every card, or seen every card yet from all the expansions, but I can't recall or imagine any bad stuff helping you out?

If it's early game and you got a bad hand, it can be beneficial to die and refresh.

[Selrahc]

hmm. darn. since i was level nine when this happened and that would have more or less ensured i would not just win but entirely conquer, i kinda doubt the owner of the game would be all that impartial...

I'm getting the impression this was an enforced run away, and that you wanted to fail in order to fight the monsters. That's not actually how it works. Once you run away the battle is over. You either suffer the bad stuff or you escape it. The only reason to want to fail to run is if you want to suffer the bad stuff.

[Brendan]

Basically, since i was one level from a win, everyone went absolutely all out to make sure that I couldn't beat the encounter. To put it in perspective, I was losing to a level one monster or something. Because of all they'd put down to make things more difficult, I would be getting like eight treasures or so if i won.
I had a card that, had I tried to run away and failed, would make the monster null and void (i think it was like a crack in the earth it falls into) but I would still get the treasure and no levels.
I couldn't get the level from the encounter, but I was pretty sure eight treasures would help me no next time I got up to the plate. I hope this makes sense.

[Linkavitch]

Basically, since i was one level from a win, everyone went absolutely all out to make sure that I couldn't beat the encounter. To put it in perspective, I was losing to a level one monster or something. Because of all they'd put down to make things more difficult, I would be getting like eight treasures or so if i won.
I had a card that, had I tried to run away and failed, would make the monster null and void (i think it was like a crack in the earth it falls into) but I would still get the treasure and no levels.
I couldn't get the level from the encounter, but I was pretty sure eight treasures would help me no next time I got up to the plate. I hope this makes sense.

There is a card for that in the original Munchkin...I don't remember what it was called, though I have used it many times.

[Ivellius]

Use a d4. There's no rule that you can't use dice other than the one included with the game, and all cards just say "roll a die."

Munchkinery at its finest!

Even better if you can find a die that only goes up to 3. I think they make those, don't they? The other players might not even realize it at first.

[Cieyrin]

Even better if you can find a die that only goes up to 3. I think they make those, don't they? The other players might not even realize it at first.

See, the problem with using a six-sided d3 is that you've gone from munchkinry into cheating. The d4 exploits the terms of the rules, the d3 throws deceit into the mix, which is likely to get people annoyed when it comes out. At least, if you don't use a Cheat card first. :smallwink:

[The Glyphstone]

Ooh, Cheat cards. What's the best, most munchkinly way you've actually seen a Cheat card used? I've had it played to use an item equipped by another player, or to use an item that hadn't been drawn from the deck yet. Thought about playing it to use an item from another Munchkin set that wasn't in the game right then.

[pffh]

Ooh, Cheat cards. What's the best, most munchkinly way you've actually seen a Cheat card used? I've had it played to use an item equipped by another player, or to use an item that hadn't been drawn from the deck yet.

That's what it's usually used for when my group plays. The worst though is when someone used it to equip an item from the hand of another player.

[Darth Mario]

See, the problem with using a six-sided d3 is that you've gone from munchkinry into cheating. The d4 exploits the terms of the rules, the d3 throws deceit into the mix, which is likely to get people annoyed when it comes out. At least, if you don't use a Cheat card first. :smallwink:

It's not against the rules if they don't notice you doing it.

[Aidan305]

Ooh, Cheat cards. What's the best, most munchkinly way you've actually seen a Cheat card used? I've had it played to use an item equipped by another player, or to use an item that hadn't been drawn from the deck yet. Thought about playing it to use an item from another Munchkin set that wasn't in the game right then.

It's for reasons like this that it's been heavily errata'd in the most recent editions.

[Mando Knight]

It's for reasons like this that it's been heavily errata'd in the most recent editions.

Really? Cheat! isn't as much fun when you can't use it to pull that +5 weapon from the grave and use it despite already wielding three other hands' worth of weapons.

[The Glyphstone]

It's for reasons like this that it's been heavily errata'd in the most recent editions.

So, basically, they took all the fun out of it?


Really? Cheat! isn't as much fun when you can't use it to pull that +5 weapon from the grave and use it despite already wielding three other hands' worth of weapons.

Yeah, or facing down the Plutonium Dragon and then Cheating in a Bananafanafofaser.

[Cieyrin]

It's not against the rules if they don't notice you doing it.

I think some people are observant enough to notice when you bring out a special die that always seems to make you fail at running away. :smallwink:

[Darth Mario]

I think some people are observant enough to notice when you bring out a special die that always seems to make you fail at running away. :smallwink:

Fair bit less obvious than a d4, I think. Plus if you pull it out once, and can convince people to use their own dice from the start... There are ways to make it work.

[factotum]

Fair bit less obvious than a d4, I think.

However, using a d4 is very obviously exploiting a loophole in the rules--you can't exactly hide what it is. A d6 with only the numbers 1-3 on it? Unless you openly tell the other players what it is, that's slipping over the edge into outright cheating, IMHO.

[Darth Mario]

However, using a d4 is very obviously exploiting a loophole in the rules--you can't exactly hide what it is. A d6 with only the numbers 1-3 on it? Unless you openly tell the other players what it is, that's slipping over the edge into outright cheating, IMHO.

Which, according to the Munchkin RAW, is legal unless you are caught.

[pffh]

Which, according to the Munchkin RAW, is legal unless you are caught.

Indeed if you aren't using sleight of hand all the time while playing you're doing it wrong :smallbiggrin:

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Indeed if you aren't using sleight of hand all the time while playing you're doing it wrong :smallbiggrin:

Yeah...I've surreptitiously gained about 5 levels over the course of the game, with enough confusing banter to make people not remember what level I was.

In fact, when playing Munchkin with me, half of the game becomes "watch Djinn's hands, and make sure he's not doing anything bizarre." Of course, this is mainly because my friends *like* the challenge of making me abide by the rules.

[pffh]

Yeah...I've surreptitiousness gained about 5 levels over the course of the game, with enough confusing banter to make people not remember what level I was.

In fact, when playing Munchkin with me, half of the game becomes "watch Djinn's hands, and make sure he's not doing anything bizarre." Of course, this is mainly because my friends *like* the challenge of making me abide by the rules.

Hah I'm not allowed to shuffle the deck anymore after my friends figured out I learned how to stack decks while shuffling.

Also it's amazing how one of my friends figured out how she can distract everyone at the table by simply mentioning that there are boobs on the TV (even if there aren't any we'll all, males and females, check, hell we'll check even if it's off and we know she's doing this)

[Brumski]

Yeah...I've surreptitiously gained about 5 levels over the course of the game, with enough confusing banter to make people not remember what level I was.

In fact, when playing Munchkin with me, half of the game becomes "watch Djinn's hands, and make sure he's not doing anything bizarre." Of course, this is mainly because my friends *like* the challenge of making me abide by the rules.

Ha, reminds me of a friend who is no longer allowed to read and interpret rules, since he regularly leaves out relevant text that would go against him.