How to play Munchkin: each turn, kick open a door and fight any monster you find. Win by having a higher combat strength (monsters win ties) to gain a level and treasure. Lose, and you must roll a 5 or 6 to Run Away. The first player to reach Level 10 by killing a monster wins.
This page explains the rules from the Munchkin Deluxe rulesheet that came in our box, plus the official Munchkin FAQ where the rules leave gaps.
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Don’t own it yet? These rules cover Munchkin Deluxe and the card-only core set, which use the same 168 cards.
Setup
- Each player takes two standees of one color. Put one on space 1 of the board and keep the other in front of you as a color reminder.
- Split the cards into the Door deck (95 cards) and the Treasure deck (73 cards), and shuffle both.
- Deal four cards from each deck to every player.
- Look at your eight cards. You may play one Race and one Class, plus any items you can use.
- Roll the die to decide who goes first.
Everyone starts as a Level 1 human with no class. Three to six people can play.
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The Three Phases of a Turn
- Kick Open the Door. Draw the top Door card face up. A monster attacks you right away. A Curse hits you right away. Anything else goes into your hand or into play.
- Look for Trouble or Loot the Room. If you didn’t fight a monster, either play a monster from your hand and fight it, or draw a second Door card face down into your hand.
- Charity. If you have more than five cards, play some or give the extras to the player with the lowest Level. If you’re the lowest, discard them instead.
How Combat Works
Combat strength is your Level plus every bonus from your items and other cards. Compare it with the monster’s combat strength. Yours has to be higher. If it’s equal, the monster wins. The main exception is the Warrior class, whose ability lets you win ties.
The rulebook’s own example: Aric is a Level 4 Warrior with a +3 Chainsaw of Bloody Dismemberment, so he fights at 7. He opens the door on the Net Troll, a Level 10 monster. He plays a Magic Missile for +5 and pulls ahead, 12 to 10. Then Suzan plays Enraged on the troll, adding +5, so Aric is losing 15 to 12. He uses his Warrior power to discard three cards for +1 each, tying the fight at 15, and wins the tie because he’s a Warrior.
Any player can play cards into your fight: monster enhancers, Curses, one-shot items, or a Wandering Monster to add a second monster. If you can’t win alone, you may ask one player to help. Their combat strength is added to yours, and you can bribe them with items or a share of the treasure.
When you win, you go up one level per monster (some big monsters give two) and draw that monster’s number of Treasures. After you win, the rulebook says to wait “about 2.6 seconds” for anyone to object before claiming your rewards.
Running Away
If you can’t win, you must Run Away. Roll the die: you escape on a 5 or more. If you fail, the monster’s “Bad Stuff” happens to you. That can mean losing an item, losing levels, or dying.
That makes running away a one-in-three shot for a plain human. Some Races and Classes change the odds a lot:
The Elf card in our box says “+1 to Run Away,” so an Elf escapes on a 4, 5 or 6. Under the official 2010 rules changes, a Halfling who fails the first roll may discard a card and roll once more. According to the Wizard card, its Flight Spell lets you discard up to three cards after rolling, each adding +1, so only a 1 is a guaranteed failure.
The rule: never Look for Trouble with a monster you can only beat if nobody interferes. Someone always interferes, and you’ll be rolling for a 5 or 6.
Death
If you die, you lose all your stuff, but you keep your Class, Race, Level and any Curses. Starting with the highest-level player, everyone takes one card from your corpse. On your next turn, you draw four cards from each deck and start again. Dying in Munchkin is a setback, not elimination.
Items, Selling and Big Items
You can equip one Headgear, one Armor, one Footgear and either two 1-Hand items or one 2-Hands item. You can carry any number of small items but only one Big item, unless a card like the Dwarf says otherwise.
On your turn, outside combat, you can discard items worth 1,000 Gold Pieces to go up one level. You don’t get change. Items marked “No Value,” like the Huge Rock, are worth zero.
How to Win Munchkin
The first player to reach Level 10 wins, but you must reach Level 10 by killing a monster. You can’t sell items for the winning level, and you can’t play a Go Up a Level card to get it.
Helpers normally don’t gain levels, with two exceptions. The rulebook’s optional faster-play rules allow shared victories, where your helper also wins. And if an Elf helps you kill a monster, the Elf gains a level too, and the official FAQ confirms that level can be the winning one.
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Can You Play Munchkin With 2 Players?
Not officially. The rules are written for three to six players, and the game depends on having more than one rival to bribe and backstab. If you’re usually a pair, try something from our best 2-player games instead. Here to Slay is a similar fantasy card game that does work with two, and our comparison covers how the two differ. The new Munchkin Second Edition is also built for 3–6 players, so it doesn’t solve the problem. For the full verdict, see our Munchkin review.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you need to roll to Run Away in Munchkin?
A 5 or 6 on the die. Some Races, Classes and items change this. For example, the Elf gets +1 to Run Away, so an Elf escapes on a 4 or higher.
Who wins a tie in Munchkin?
The monster wins ties. Your combat strength must be higher than the monster’s to win, unless a Warrior is in the fight, since Warriors win ties.
How many people can help you in a Munchkin fight?
Only one. You can ask other players one at a time until someone agrees, but just one helper can add their combat strength to yours. Anyone can still play cards that affect the fight.
How many cards can you hold in Munchkin?
Five at the end of your turn. During the Charity phase, give any extras to the lowest-level player, or discard them if you’re the lowest.
What happens when you die in Munchkin?
You lose your items and hand, but keep your Level, Race and Class. Other players loot one card each from your corpse, and you redraw four cards from each deck on your next turn.
Can you win Munchkin by selling items?
No. Selling 1,000 Gold Pieces of items gives you a level at any other time, but the winning level must come from killing a monster.