Writing a review for Munchkin on BGG may appear to be an exercise in futility. Spitting into the wind. But Munchkin is a thing, right? As close to a "cultural phenomenon" as we can claim in the world of table-top gaming, alongside Cards Against Humanity, Catan, and Risk (odd bedfellows, there). And having played it recently with a group of smart, young (college-age), fun enthusiasts, I decided to put down my thoughts on why I think Munchkin works for so many people - and also, yes, why it doesn't work for me. This isn't meant to be one of those, "Munchkin is for idiots" reviews because, I think most of us can agree, nothing good would come of it.
Accessibility
As a game designer, I think about accessibility quite a bit. What audience am I trying to reach? What obstacles in the design are coming between the game and the target audience? How can I make my game more approachable and easier to grok?
Many would claim that Munchkin excels in accessibility, but I'm not so sure. It has a reasonably sparse rule-set. On your turn, you will engage in a limited number of actions. Your decision space is relatively small. Teaching Munchkin to new people amounts to explaining 1) how you win through leveling up, 2) how equipment works, 3) how combat works, and 4) the importance of social negotiation. Having said that, I've seen my fair-share of people immediately confused by the rules - especially once the game begins. People start putting down equipment - but there are always conditions and exceptions. There's an early battle and a request for assistance - followed by a complex set of negotiations having to do with the dividing of treasure ("I'll give you second pick", "We choose treasures randomly", etc.), future promises, and current threats. The value of cards in your hand is unclear, as a newcomer, so it's hard to participate in these negotiations without a sense of utter confusion. Especially since everyone is eyeing you, and your cards, like a shark. The timing of when cards are played is vague and can even be a point of contention among several of the veterans around the table.
Perhaps most damning is Munchkin's foundation in card-play. 118
Much like Magic the Gathering, the vast majority of cards in Munchkin have unique rules which require reading and understanding. Many Munchkin enthusiasts like to use two or more sets, which adds enormous variety to the game experience but brings that many more unique, specific, and bizarre effects. So much of the game for new players is spent examining and reading these cards, attempting to decipher the various meanings and exceptions which dictate the best way that card should be played.
All this is to say that Munchkin may not be the sparse, simplistic, gateway that so many claim it to be.
I'd rather not dwell on theme too much, but it clearly interlaces with accessibility in unpredictable ways. Meaning, if a theme "connects" with a given player, they're more likely to engage a rule-set in earnest and come to terms with a game. Munchkin is an odd duck here, because while there are innumerable sets that can potentially match the geeky obsession of anybody around the table, it's equally possible that people will bounce off the self-referential, insider humor that pervades the design.
Time
A common critique of Munchkin - and one I certainly have used - is that it overstays its welcome. My last game of Munchkin (with 5 players) took 2.5 hours. For what's supposed to be a casual romp, that's a hefty investment. But imagine that Munchkin is a game that often happens as a corollary to other social/entertainment events. A group is playing Munchkin while watching a playoff game in the background. A group is playing Munchkin while at a larger party. Etc. Under these conditions, a longer play-time doesn't feel as "intrusive" or greedy. Those who want to see Munchkin as a "filler" in between meatier, more strategic courses should reorient their perspective.
From a design standpoint, the issue of why Munchkin can absorb so much time is interesting. First, and this is messy, there's a lot of card text to consume, a lot of modifiers to process, and potentially a lot of different players to track. I'm not a fan of modifiers in table-top games (which is why most combat systems annoy me), as I don't really want to be doing constant low-level arithmetic while playing a game. This is one primary reason why Munchkin fails for me.
Second, the progression from level 1 to level 10 takes time and is fraught with peril. 884