Yaaarrr Matey

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Game Name and Creator:  Munchkin Booty by Steve Jackson Games

Number of Players:  3 - 6 
Game Time:  1 - 2 Hours

Goal of the Game:  To be the first player to reach level 10

How to Play/ The Rules of Munchkin Booty:
- During the beginning phase of Munchkin Booty, each player starts at level 1, with an attack power of the same amount.
- Players draw eight cards each to begin the game. If a player draws any Class or Accent cards, they may immediately use these cards on their character.  Class and Accent cards remain face up in front of the player.
- At the beginning of each players turn, they are allowed to go through four unique phases.

- Kicking Open the Door is the first phase of a players turn. During this phase, the player draws one card from the door deck and immediately flips it over.  If the card is a Curse, the curse will become effective immediately and the card is discarded.  If a Buff, Weapon, or Class card is drawn, the player may choose to use it immediately, or keep it in their hand for later use.  In the event that the card drawn is a monster, the player will enter combat. In combat the player must attempt to combine their level, weapons, buffs, and items, to be a higher number than that of the monster.  While fighting, other players may choose to help their fellow player, or add a card to the monster to buff its current power.  If the monster is defeated, the player gains a level and may collect loot from the loot deck.

-  The second phase of Munchkin Booty, is the Look for Trouble phase.  If the player did not draw a monster while kicking in the door, they may play any monster cards in their hand and attempt to defeat them in combat.

- Looting the Room is the third phase of a players turn.  If they did not draw a monster card or look for trouble, the player is allowed to draw one more card face down from the door deck and place it in their hand.

-The Charity phase is how a player ends their turn.  If there are more than five cards present in the players hand at the end of their turn, they must either play enough cards to get their hand down to five, or they must donate their excess cards to the lowest level player. If the current player has the lowest level, the excess cards will just be discarded.

The Good:

I really enjoyed playing Munchkin Booty because of how different it is from other card games.  With such a strong Role Playing Game theme, it almost feels as if each card can turn the tides of battle and ruin another players game plan.  This keeps the players engaged at all times, as they must be aware of each others actions.  I also liked how players can help each other, in exchange for a piece of loot.  During the course of my game, a fellow player and I teamed up in hopes of getting our levels up faster than the other players.  It is a great game to play with new people, as you must barter and strike deals to advance in the game.

The Bad:

The learning curve of Munchkin Booty is a little intimidating for a new player.  There are many things happening during a players turn and as a new player, I found myself getting lost during a few of the combat phases.  Once a player learns the rules of the game however, Munchkin Booty is a fun and easy game to play.

What I Would Change:

If I could change one aspect of this game, it would be the gold pieces that allow you to level up. On certain cards there is a different amount of gold value, listed in the bottom right corner. Upon reaching 1000 Gold Pieces, players may choose to trade in these cards for a level up.  I found this pointless as I could get more use by trading the cards, instead of stockpiling them in hopes that I would reach 1000 Gold.