Why Munchkin Deluxe is better than the original

I have been playing Munchkin for years. I love that it is a boardgame that is equally fun whether you are pulling it out for a quick game with your significant other during a sunday afternoon or playing it while sharing a couple of beer with your geeky friends on a friday night before heading to the bar.

When I first encountered Munchkin it was the original game, which simply consists of the cards and the rulebook. In some aspect the minimalistic version fits the idea of the game well, however I sometimes found that it became a bit too abstract. Especially when playing with people who are not as much into the whole Pen and Paper, RPG world as I am.

Over the years my circle of friends has started including a lot more non geeks or what can be described as "minor nerds" and it can be a bit daunting for them attempt to get into a game like Munckin that has geeky RPG references as the very core of the game.

As such I was delighted when I received Munchkin the Deluxe edition as a gift from my mother. While it is still the exact same game as the original Munchkin, the Deluxe edition adds a couple of things that makes it less abstract and easier to understand for non geeks and new players.

First and most importantly it adds the game board, which basically serves as a visualization of the 10 levels you are trying to achieve, but for people who have never played pen and paper roleplaying games, it takes Munchkin and makes it more like a boardgame where you move towards a goal.

Which brings us to the second addition, the game pieces. The only function of the game pieces is to move forward on the game board, but for some reason having a physical piece to move around makes it much easier to understand the concept and the goal of the game.

Everything else, including the rules are as we know it from the original, which is great, because why mess with something that is working great?

You still open doors, battle monsters and collect equipment, while backstabbing and cheating your way to level 10.

For the last many years me and my 2 geeky cousins have played Munchkin at some point during Christmas Eve. This year I hope that I can persuade more members of the family to join the fun by bringing my Deluxe edition to the table.