It’s no secret how much my family loves Munchkin. Castle Panic was a game I had heard a lot about and wanted to bring it into the house. When we heard Fireside Games was going to be making a Munchkin Panic game we were excited. This seemed like a great excuse to pick up a copy of Castle Panic, which we did, and get familiar with the game before Munchkin Panic came along with its inevitable “munchkiny” variations on game play.
Castle Panic is a tough, but fun game. Players work cooperatively to repel monsters from the center of the board and defend the castle. Munchkin Panic drops a bit of that cooperative element, but players still work together. Only this time they really are looking out for themselves more.
After a couple of games my family has determined that Munchkin Panic is actually tougher than Castle Panic. While Munchkin Panic doesn’t quite have the back-stabby action of the card game it does lack the coopoerative elements of Castle Panic. Working towards a common goal is different from working together towards a common goal.
In many ways it pays not to know much about Castle Panic, if anything at all, in order to enjoy and play Munchkin Panic. Many of the elements are similar but the execution is vastly different. The action takes place on a circular field. The players’ castle is in the center with various monsters attacking from 6 different segments around the castle. Each turn they move in a little closer while each turn a player attempts to take out each monster using the cards in their Each ring the monsters occupy has a designation, each card the player has also has a designation – and when they match up it’s good for the players. All too often, however, it doesn’t.
Where Castle Panic is truly cooperative, Munchkin Panic is not. Players in Castle Panic can trade cards freely. This means it is almost encouraged to have your cards face up in front of you. For Munchkin Panic you can only negotiate one card from one other player during your turn. Players most likely will want to keep their cards to themselves. Especially with cards that can be really helpful such as the Flask Of Glue which stops a monster from moving for a turn, or one that allows a wall to be fortified, or damaging any monster anywhere on the board.
Treasure Cards are awarded for defeating monsters, and they of course, help out in killing more monsters. Some will add to the damage a monster takes, others just add to the mayhem. Players familiar to Munchkin will recognize some of the items in the Treasure Cards (Rat On A Stick, Spiky Knees, Bow With Ribbons). By adding the treasure cards players get some much needed help because those monsters are tough.
Some of the monsters will take multiple hits to defeat. That’s all well and good, but there are some which *must* be hit for multiple points at once in order to get them off the board. With players not working together as much it can be more difficult to eliminate these threats to the the castle. Why aren’t players working together as much? Each monster is worth so many points and the goal of the game is not just to defend the castle but end up with the most monster points.
Having played the game a few times with the kids I tried the game by myself. Each time the kids and I played we lost. The only time anybody “won” the game by defeating the monsters and having at least one piece of the castle still standing was when I played by Munchkin Panic can be played as a solo game and it is highly enjoyable.
Included in the box is an expansion which adds character cards, some more treasure cards and an extra castle card. These all come together and can easily be folded into (and out of) the regular game. This “expansion” doesn’t really make the game easier or more difficult to play, but merely adds another layer of complexity.
Munchkin Panic is recommended for ages 10 and up, and I generally agree with this. My 9 year old daughter played it with us and she didn’t have much trouble. My 7 year old son wanted to join us but couldn’t get a grasp of the rules (plus his reading level isn’t quite up to the challenge yet). This is a really fun and challenging game, one that really can bring members of the family together. It takes about an hour or so to play, and while you won’t laugh as much as you do playing a regular game of Munchkin, you’ll definitely have a good time. Hopefully you’ll have better luck repelling the monsters than we did.