Munchkin: Cthulhu

Designer: J.H.G. Hendriks and Steve Jackson
Publisher: Steve Jackson Games
Date Released: 2007

Number of Players: 3-6
Age Range: 10 and up
Setup Time: minimal
Play Time: Around 90 minutes

Game Mechanics:
Dice Rolling
Trading
Variable Player Powers

Game flow:
Munchkin: Cthulhu is a full spin-off game from the game Munchkin. I won’t bother with a full review of the game flow here, but if you missed our review of the original Munchkin, you can read our review of it here.

Review:
The twist Munchkin: Cthulhu makes with the Munchkin franchise is a refreshing one. There’s a reason it has the most expansions of any Munchkin spin-off. It does the rare thing of improving on the original.

Munchkin: Cthulhu adds madness cards to the mix, and these cards act as double-edged swords. Kleptomania forces a player to attempt to steal another player’s item at the beginning of their turn, and if you fail to steal an item, you suffer the consequences. Other madnesses alter the gameplay in humorous and intriguing ways, but Munchkin: Cthulhu throws in a lot more odd game mechanics.

Even the classes get a facelift with the cultist. You could be trying to convert everyone or get bonuses for the number of characters who are cultists. There’s just enough weird to Munchkin: Cthulhu that it shines on a crazy diamond.