Second!!! Plus: Munchkin Quest!!!

Hi there. Can I ask what you're doing here? Why don't you take a seat. Take a seat right over there...

I don't know where I was going with that, it just sounded entertaining to do. Anyway, as the currently other "half" or "contributor" for DaL, I just wanted to take the time to say hello. Now with pleasantries out of the way, on to my discussion: Munchkin Quest.

Wow, what a game. For those of you who have never heard of Steve Jackson Games, I suggest looking them up, and their designer. This is a guy who knows how to make a game. So far I have only played the Munchkin card game series, (future post!), so I was not sure how well this game would translate to the board game format. Well rest assured, if you've got 3 friends, (or 5 with the expansion added), some beers and a free hour to an hour and a half, this game will keep you entertained for quite some time.

The rules are pretty simple; explore a progressively growing dungeon, kill monsters, get loot, and make it back to the entrance to face the boss. What makes this game great is the level of depth that is added to those simple features. Take the growing dungeon; it starts with a simple "Entrance" tile, from which you move to other branches, allowing you to randomly draw a new room and connect it to the room you came from. Each room is unique, and all provide some humorous flavor in terms of art, name, and effects to your character or the monsters. The monsters are equally as entertaining, taking jabs at classic Dungeons and Dragons creatures, as well as being full of bad puns, like fighting some ZomBees, or the Wight Brothers. Some are groan inducing, but it just adds to the flair and spirit of the game.

Outside of the dungeon, the other dynamic is what you can do to the other players. There are various cards that can be played that bump monsters up to make them more powerful, curses can weaken another player, or treasure and class cards that can strengthen you. The big play in the game is working the other players. Do you help your friend hoping he gives you a hand later, or do you screw them over because they are stronger than you? It's all about reading the other people involved, and knowing just how far you can push someone. But this is what makes the game great: anything can happen. A player can be in last place, then make a come-from-behind string of moves to win it all, or it can be just a single player dominating the game.

Overall this is a fantastic addition to anyone's game collection. With the growing focus on games being very "digitalcentric", it's nice to see board games that break the tradition of the "cute family fun" stereotype. So dig this up on Amazon, or support your local hobby store,(yes, the place full of greasy nerds you're probably shamed from ever entering), grab it and a few friends. It's certainly worth the money.