Tabletop Noob: Munchkin & Killer Bunnies

by Lindsey

This year at International TableTop Day, I learned to play two really fun games where I got to KILL EVERYONE.  

Well, kill their characters… which is just as thrilling but requires no jail time.  The level of backstabbing involved in Killer Bunnies and Munchkin was a great departure from my typically cooperative gaming experience and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. 

Killer Bunnies is one of the few games that has an equal balance between luck and skill. No one is ever completely out of the game, regardless of how well another player seems to be doing. Some of the weapons in the card deck can wipe out all of the bunnies at a time - allowing for drastic changes in game leadership. 

Your two goals are to keep your bunnies alive and collect carrots. When all carrots have been collected, the game ends and you'll find out which carrot is the "magic" carrot. You need at least one bunny left alive and at least one carrot to have a chance of winning. 

We had one player who had 90% of the carrot cards and still lost at the end (which was great). The game has a very twisted sense of humor that adults definitely love and I imagine older kids would enjoy too. The original game includes two deck of cards, but there are another nine expansion decks (which can drastically change game play). 

Munchkin is all about wheeling and dealing and screwing over the other players. You don’t have to be a level 50 Dungeon Master to appreciate the humor in the “boots of butt kicking” armor and monsters like “crabs”.  There are several terms, etc that would definitely make it rated PG.  
Game play is very simple: if the strength of your weapons and level combined are higher than the monsters level, you win and get treasure cards. You can also buy your way to the top or weasel your way into a win.  

The game is fairly fast paced and very tongue-in-cheek. The maker says it "captures the essence of the dungeon experience...with none of that stupid roleplaying stuff."  Simple, fun, and full of wonderful treachery! 

Both games offer plenty of expansion packs and special versions.  I recommend starting without too many expansions if you are a noob and then moving on to the other decks when you understand all the rules, etc.  Both games are fun with small or large groups of players and I am definitely going to introduce them to my family. 


Thanks Wil Wheaton for starting this awesome tradition!