Customer Reviews

Munchkin Cthulhu

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Munchkin Cthulhu is the newest branch on the Munchkin family tree and as its predecessors, this is a game for gamers, made by gamers, and making fun of gamers.

Game Mechanics
In terms of game mechanics and concept, Munchkin Cthulhu is almost identical to its predecessors. The players kick in doors, fight monsters, steal treasures, and stab their buddies. Traps are now known as Curses, but are otherwise the same.

The new Classes are the Investigator, the Monster Whacker, the Professor, and the Cultist, and of these the Investigator seem to be the one with the most useful abilities (they are particularly neat when combined with the Feline from Star Munchkin), while the Monster Whacker seems to be the most puny. There are no Races (or an equivalent such as Loyalties from Munchkin Impossible), which is a bit of a disappointment as it limits the possible character combinations.

There are some special rules for the Cultist printed in the rules but not on the Cultist card, and it is very important to read these if you want to keep the game from going awry and the players from going mad. Finally, similar to the "...in Black" monsters from Munchkin Impossible, Munchkin Cthulhu offers "Goth" monsters such as the Shog Goth and the Froggoth which can aid each other and cause havoc in combat.

Theme
Not surprisingly, Munchkin Cthulhu is concerned with the game Call of Cthulhu and so it takes on a great challenge. As a game Call of Cthulhu is by many considered an all-time classic among roleplaying games, but the truth remains that it is also a relatively obscure and narrow game. The universe of Call of Cthulhu is complex and a veritable treasurechest of gods and monsters, but even if many roleplayers know and have played the game, the mythology is undisputeably esoteric. This makes it a difficult topic for satire. While the illustrations by John Kovalic do that cards such as the Nightie-Gaunts and the Fun Guy from Yuggoth are amusing in and by themselves, they are probably more so to someone who has encountered Night Gaunts and Fungus from Yuggoth in their games. But many gamers think of Call of Cthulhu as a style of gaming more than an actual game, and so these references to mythos monsters are often for naught. Therefore the challenge of Munchkin Cthulhu is to capture the essence of this style as much as it is to get the references right.

To a large extent Munchkin Cthulhu succeeds in both. In mythos specific references we find monsters such as the Shallow Ones, the Dunwich Snorer, and the Grape Old Ones, as well as Curses such as Learn Yet Another Awful Truth and a card declaring that the Stars are Wrong. It is not a huge surprise that beside the Necronomicon itself, there are no less than four Necronomi-puns (I made that one up myself).

More interesting, maybe, are the cards trying to reflect the sillier aspects and problems of Call of Cthulhu games such as the players being railroaded into the plot (Tchoo-Tchoo People), finding circumstances to be against them (Flashlight Goes Out!), taking drastic measures to defeat the monsters (Backpack Full of Dynamite), abandoning their friends (Shoes of Only Having to Run Faster Than You), and then finally involving outside authorities to deal with the problem (Report Creatures to the FBI), after which they are declared insane (Dragged Off to Snarkham Asylum).

Conclusion
Munchkin Cthulhu is a fun game, and overall the game designers have done a good job of getting the atmosphere of the game just right with a good selection of references and jokes. It shows, though, that the premise of the game - the original Call of Cthulhu - is not as broad a "genre" as for example fantasy or science fiction.

While the many puns on the Necronomicon and the various "Goth" monsters are amusing, they are also a bit repetitious. Likewise, there is a great emphasis on the Cultist, which steals some focus from the other Classes. This is only made worse by the fact that there are no second character-defining trait such as Race in the game.

Even more so than the other incarnations of Munchkin, Munchkin Cthulhu is highly dependent on the players having a specific frame of reference to understand the jokes. While a wide audience can probably appreciate the more universal and pop-cultural jokes of games such as Star Munchkin and Munchkin Impossible, it is doubtful that the same appreciation will be found for the Cruller Out of Space or Gnarlyhotep. But if you do know your Cthulhu Mythos, it is very funny.

I was very happy to see a Cthulhu addition to Munchkin... well, besides the level 20 Cthulhu monster in the Munchkin Bites set. This set adds in cultists, which is a nice addition when you have more players, as cultists get bonuses for other cultists being in the game, though it's very difficult to stop being one. The other classes are investigators, professors, and monster whackers. There are no side-kicks in this set, which was kind of a bummer. It would be nice to include some research assistants or something like that. You don't have to have read any Lovecraft to appreciate this set, though it helps if you want get the jokes and puns.

Another wacky and fun Munchkin version, this time into the mind bending world of HP Lovecraft's Ancient Evils From Beyond The Stars (and possibly under the bed). The best feature is the "cultist" mechanic, that speeds play and adds a few great twists to stabbing your buddies in the back! The jokes are not as fun and inspired as in "Impossible", the classic Munchkin sets or "Bites!", but there are still plenty of chuckles, puns and groaners.

My sons (11 and 14) really enjoy playing this game. As a long-time reader of the Cthulhu Mythos stories, I get all the jokes although they're lost on my sons. I look forward to playing the other Munchkin games.

If you're a fan of Steve Jackson Games Munchkin (the card game that spoofs D&D) and know something of HP Lovecraft's Cthulhu stories (perhaps you've played the very excellent Call of Cthulhu) then you MUST get this card game. It's a fun, easy-to-learn, non-collectible card game.

It follows Munchkin rules and could be used as an expansion, but it's even better stand-alone. There are some new Cthulhu specific rules. There's a new cultist class that's hard to get rid of. And the rule for summoning in -goth monsters is a very special new way to mess with the other players.

But, for me, it's all about the puns. Just hysterical.

an amazingly fun game. i play it with my young nieces and nephews and having to debate all the rules is really improving their reading skills.

Firstly to explain the standard Amazon questions.

How much fun? 5 stars
Its an awesome game and is fun for people of all ages. I've played it with many people of different types and each game has ended with fits of laughter and general enjoyment.

Educational? 1 star
This game is supposed to make you laugh and enjoy, not much to learn honestly.

Durability? 3 stars
They are cards after all. The better care you take of them, the longer they'll last.

I had a ton of fun playing a bunch of different types of Munchkin such as Cowboy, Standard, Space etc. and Cthulu is one of the best. Its a great addition to Standard sets but is fun even on its own. I love this game and I know all my friends do too.

If you're familiar with Munchkin from Steve Jackson Games, then you already know that you're either going to love or loathe this title. If you're looking for a lite Cthulhu title to entertain a group of friends who all at least have a passing knowledge of HP Lovecraft's works, you'll definitely want to try this out. If neither you nor your friends have any background in the Cthulhu Mythos... Well, I won't say "stay away" from this, but I'd strongly suggest spending a few weeks reading up on HP Lovecraft's work on Wikipedia and watching videos on Youtube, if nothing else.

You don't have to have read every title to get in on most of the inside "jokes". I bought this game years ago and just finished reading most of Lovecraft's books and stories as well as some books in the mythos by other authors... I don't "get" the humor in these cards any more than I did after spending a week or two of cramming on Lovecraftian Wikipedia entries a few years ago. That'll do enough to give you the who, where, what, and when. DEFINITELY read the books though! They're public domain, mostly, so you can find them free online or cheap in book stores!

Anyway, to the game:
The rules of the game are simple but the first time you play or teach someone new how to play you're going to spend some time trying to figure things out, as it is with all such games. I won't go into the rules here, but the gameplay can be fun if you have about 4 or 5 people. I'd say no more, no less. It's possible to play with less or more, but it either gets too long (in the case of the 6 people games) or too short and personal (in the case of the 3 people games). Just keep that in mind when you start.

The art on the cards is silly, but nice and appropriate. Very simple art that fits the mood of the game. I like it, but it took some time for me to warm up to the art style. Aside from the art on the cards, you're going to notice a lot of "humor". It's pretty hit-or-miss, with a lot of misses, in my opinion, but it's well-intentioned and makes me smile just because the author's did take the time to make everyone's favorite references in a dumb, light-hearted way. Examples of card names include: Nightie-Gaunts (feature night gaunts wearing, you guessed it, nighties), Shoes of Only Having to Run Faster Than You, Necrognomicon, Necrocomicon, Curse! Get All Blobby, Curse! Sole Stealer (you lose your shoes), and my favorite monster, "Tht Whch Hs N Vwls".

If you are drinking while playing this game, it's going to be quite enjoyable. If you're not, it may be even more enjoyable if it suits you. Really, it comes down to having friends who would enjoy it, and if they enjoy it so will you. One warning though, the game pits friends against each other more aggressively than other titles. You may piss off your buddies while playing this game, but due to the absurdity of the game, transgressions are always quickly forgotten.

One piece of advice: Don't overplay it! I overplayed Munchkin for like 3 months in college with my closest friends, between classes, at night, at parties, etc. It was great for the first few weeks, but the game does wear on you after some time. I'm going on record and saying this game is best enjoyed semi-regularly. Perhaps once every other week or even once a week if you think you can stomach it. If you go that route, however, I strongly suggest picking up the expansions as well as a few other Munchkin sets just so you have some variety.

I'll say this to conclude my feelings about the game. I am one of those people who loves it, but I totally get and even sympathize with the people who despise it. If you have some knowledge of the mythos, are looking for a solid, well-constructed, light hearted group game to last an hour or maybe a bit shorter or longer depending on luck and playstyle, look no further. There are "fast rules" and "epic rules" too, by the way, so look those up if you want a game to run shorter or longer.

Munchkin Cthulhu is also one of the best-supported installments in the Munchkin series, with 3 expansions, card carrying boxes (to be released on Amazon soon, I think), t-shirts, dice, and a plush Chibithulhu (cute!), most of which can be used for in-game bonuses! I strongly recommend this game to the right sort of person, and strongly advise against this game if you do not like cutthroat gameplay, know nothing about the mythos and have no desire to learn, cannot handle the concept of a light-hearted Cthulhu game, etc.

Thanks for reading and comment if you have any questions!

Munchkin is quite an intriguing game. On one hand, it's a nerdy game that brings to mind tabletop RPGs, celebrating while also parodying and satirizing them. That said, it's also a game that even non-nerdy people can enjoy, since it's played similarly to most card games and involves working together and then turning around to stab each other in the back. While Munchkin is usually an easy-to-learn game, if you're coming to it for the first time, it might take a bit to get the flow down and understand what's going on. The first couple of times I ran a game with people who hadn't played it before, it took the whole game for them to really grasp and understand what was going on. A card game that requires reading and understanding what each card does...and not only that, but requires strategy? It takes a bit. But once your gaming companions understand the way the game is played, you're in for one hell of a time.

Which leads me to Munchkin Cthulhu. Cthulhu adds some interesting mechanics to the basic Munchkin game, complicating the game. With that in mind, I wouldn't recommend starting with Cthulhu, if you're a newcomer to the game. I'd stick with the perfectly great original Munchkin, get to know the rules and then maybe move to Cthulhu for the ripples it adds to the gameplay. So what does it add? Well outside of the H.P. Lovecraft-specific jokes and puns, it introduces four new classes, The Monster Whacker, The Investigator, The Professor and the Cultist. Each class has different abilities which are also different from the classes from the regular Munchkin game; a welcome addition, making it feel like you're not simply playing a reskinned Munchkin game. The Cultist class is the most interesting, since it can completely change the way you normally play Munchkin.

If you draw a Cultist card, you have to replace your class with it. If for some reason, the Cultist gets discarded, it has to go to a different discard pile that's not reshuffled into the deck. Being a Cultist adds both positives and negatives. Some cards (like "Gibbering" or "Frothing") can add permanent bonuses to players playing as a Cultist. As more cultists are inevitably added to the game, you also gain bonuses for them; however, it's a dual-edged sword. When only person remains as not a Cultist, that person gains an automatic level (that could win the game). If everyone playing becomes a Cultist, the game automatically ends, with the highest level player(s) being the winner(s). Do not be surprised if your Cthulhu games end prematurely because of this added ripple. Other Cthulhu-specific cards add some little touches. Some weapons give bonuses to "-goth" type monsters, like Shoggoths, etc. Other treasure cards are ichor-based and can provide both bonuses and negatives to either side...unless you're wearing an ichor-preventing poncho. Things like this add some depth to the original game, but also might require players to be more comfortable with the game before they're introduced.

Those additions aside, Munchkin Cthulhu is the same Munchkin game you know and love. You still "kick down doors," fight whatever monster lies there (or get affected by whatever curse is lingering), loot the room, get treasure, stab your buddy and try to be the first person to hit level 10. It's a lot of fun and, in my gaming group at least, we prefer this Cthulhu variety over the original. I've already ordered the two additional Cthulhu-specific expansions and can't wait to try out some of the additional ripples they're introduce. Very much recommended for fans of Munchkin.

Have you read any of the fevered writings of H.P. Lovecraft, author of "Call of Cthulhu" and other books about strange, nightmarish things man was not meant to know? Have you played the "Call of Cthulhu" RPG or "Arkham Horror" board game? Do you have any idea what the difference is between Yog-Sothoth or Shub-Niggurath?

If not, you may want to skip this version of the wonderful card game known as "Munchkin," because it's filled with so many inside jokes related to the writings of Lovecraft that you'll have a hard time understanding what's going on.

And if you are a fan, two pieces of advice:

1) Get the original Munchkin, and its expansions, before you delve into this one. It's arguably the best set, and it has the most to offer in terms of add-ons.
2) If you pick up Munchkin Cthulhu, be sure to get its expansions as well, because they add some much-needed depth to the game.

Probably the most peculiar aspect of the core game is that a new class, "Cultist," can't be removed from all players by anything other than a card that's only included in the original Munchkin deck ("Divine Intervention"). The rules on how to use it aren't very clear, and unless you're playing Munchkin Blender (where you mix different decks together), it sticks out like a sore thumb. Ah well. The game's still fun... it's just not as solid as some of the other spinoff sets, like Munchkin Bites or Star Munchkin.