Documentary about Munchkins. Roleplayers wanted!

[GoblinGilmartin]

Some friends and I are working on a documentary about Munchkin roleplayers. It will discuss the WHY, HOW, and WHO of Munchkin behavior. If you have a tale of grand munchkinism you would like to share, shoot me a PM.

We're looking for video interviews as well as just stories. If you own a webcam or live in the Everett/Mill Creek area of Washington state, we'd prefer it if you would submit to us a video or an interview. We have a list of questions if you are interested. We're looking for people who have dealt with a munchkin player, either as a fellow player or a GM. If you instead consider YOURSELF a munchkin, we'd enjoy hearing from you too.

[The Glyphstone]

Is part of your documentary about the differing definitions/qualifiers people attribute to the term 'munchkin'? Very few people self-identify as a munchkin, it's generally a negative term without any positive connotations, but what it takes to be labeled such is very broad.


Also, shunting this to Roleplaying (General), since this has nothing to do with Video/Console/PC Gaming that I can tell.

[MukkTB]

This seems like a tricky subject. Munchkin is mostly used as an insult. The only time you're going to clearly be able to call someone a munchkin is when they outright cheat for advantage. Every other time you accuse some activity of being the land of munchkins you're going to have to build a concrete argument.

[AntiTrust]

This seems like a tricky subject. Munchkin is mostly used as an insult. The only time you're going to clearly be able to call someone a munchkin is when they outright cheat for advantage. Every other time you accuse some activity of being the land of munchkins you're going to have to build a concrete argument.

Somehow Penn and Teller got people to come onto their show Bulls*** so who knows who the OP might find. Perhaps the trick is to ask a bunch of people about helping them with a documentary on RPGS and then just parsing out the non-munchkins as determined by the OP

[MukkTB]

That sounds like a good way of generating "a list of things that annoy me when roleplayers do them" as seen by the op.

[GoblinGilmartin]

Not a mastermind here, I'm not trying to manipulate anyone. Just sayin'. In my definition, a munchkin is someone who abuses, but not breaks the rules, exploiting loopholes to gain crazy advantages. If someone is identifying as a munchkin, it means they do things like min/max to make a first level character that can take out a 10th level character, or use item creation loopholes to make a repeating crossbow with a 100 bolt mag. Or my personal favorite, a halfling that does infinite damage with a punch due to luck feats.

I assure you, I'm trying to be as fair as possible. There will be some negative connotations assigned, but I'll also explore the mindset of the people who do it, and how it can make for interesting stories at least.

MukkTB? If I was just doing this to vent about people that annoy me, I'd just rant for a half-hour about Mr.Welch's List. I am allowing other players with interesting stories to share them, and maybe vent a bit.

[AntiTrust]

That sounds like a good way of generating "a list of things that annoy me when roleplayers do them" as seen by the op.

I read the threads on the boards concerning how players drive dm's crazy and the reverse and enjoy them immensely so I'd still probably watch this if it was made. That being said I'm not afraid of a subjective perspective when it comes to something like this.

[mjlush]

Not a mastermind here, I'm not trying to manipulate anyone. Just sayin'. In my definition, a munchkin is someone who abuses, but not breaks the rules, exploiting loopholes to gain crazy advantages. If someone is identifying as a munchkin, it means they do things like min/max to make a first level character that can take out a 10th level character, or use item creation loopholes to make a repeating crossbow with a 100 bolt mag. Or my personal favorite, a halfling that does infinite damage with a punch due to luck feats.

I assure you, I'm trying to be as fair as possible. There will be some negative connotations assigned, but I'll also explore the mindset of the people who do it, and how it can make for interesting stories at least.

MukkTB? If I was just doing this to vent about people that annoy me, I'd just rant for a half-hour about Mr.Welch's List. I am allowing other players with interesting stories to share them, and maybe vent a bit.

I think your definition of 'munchkin' is a bit limited its possible to abuse the rules for laughs without any game breaking side effects (I use the funny once rule, ie you can pull any mad stunt you like using/abusing the rules, but it will only work once.. try it again and bad things happen :-)

Anyway IMHO the hallmark of a 'munchkin' is that they want to win an noncompetitive game, perhaps a look at the tvtropes definition may help (Ob Tvtropes Warning)

I think the page quote is particularly useful
"Munchkin: One who, on being told that this is a game about politics and intrigue in 17th century Italy, asks to play as a ninja."
— Andrew Rilstone

[GoblinGilmartin]

I think your definition of 'munchkin' is a bit limited its possible to abuse the rules for laughs without any game breaking side effects (I use the funny once rule, ie you can pull any mad stunt you like using/abusing the rules, but it will only work once.. try it again and bad things happen :-)

Anyway IMHO the hallmark of a 'munchkin' is that they want to win an noncompetitive game, perhaps a look at the tvtropes definition may help (Ob Tvtropes Warning)

I think the page quote is particularly useful
"Munchkin: One who, on being told that this is a game about politics and intrigue in 17th century Italy, asks to play as a ninja."
— Andrew Rilstone

Yeah, and that too. I already read the TV Tropes page. The goal here though is to find out what people THINK a munchkin is. It's, as you inferred, a very broad term, so anything is game, as long as it is ostentatious.