If you have been following me on Twitter you know how much we love Munchkin in my house. Heck I’ve even done a blog post with all the variations we have (which is already out of date since I’ve ordered more expansions). So when Munchkin Treasure Hunt was announced I was excited. My kids were excited. So much so that Steve Jackson Games got excited enough to send us a copy of the game.
So how is it? Does it capture the fun and mayhem of Munchkin in a board game? Is it really appropriate for younger kids as advertised? Do the smaller sized cards make a difference? Where do zebras get their stripes? Wait…
Here’s the bottom line – Munchkin Treasure Hunt is a fun board game for kids, and it is more “inspired” by Munchkin than it is a board game version of the card game. While there are some things I don’t like about it (which I will go into in a bit) they are mild and don’t detract from the fun the game offers. Munchkin Treasure Hunt is a fun board game that is worth picking up for the… er… munchkin in your life.
My older kids who regularly play the card game didn’t play Munchkin Treasure Hunt as enthusiastically the 3rd or 4th time around. My 7 year old, however LOVES Munchkin Treasure Hunt.
We first approached Munchkin Treasure Hunt almost like the Munchkin card game. Would there be backstabbing the other players? Well, no, and that tripped us up. Is there a constraint to how many cards you have in your hand? Again, no, the point is to gather up as many treasure cards as you can to get the most gold by the end of the game. Treasure comes in two forms, one-time use and permanent, and the only restriction is players are allowed to have two permanent treasures in front of them and in play at a time (but they may be switched out at any time).
Players roll the dice, move about the board and collect treasure, mostly by fighting the monsters on the board. Each monster has a set value or level, and there is a modifier in the form of the monster cards which are all adjectives which gives the monster in question more power (spiky, slimy, mean, nasty, etc.) or no additional power (sleepy for example). To battle the monster players roll a die and that is their value or level then using the treasures in their hand or in front of them build up to the same level or greater than the monster to defeat it. This is another difference from the card game in that ties allow the player to defeat the monster.
One of the things I liked about Munchkin Treasure Hunt is the opportunity it offers to help reinforce basic math facts. For example, the witch has a combat value of 5 plus whatever modifier the monster card provides. Say it’s +3. 5+3=8 and having the kid work that out is, dare I say it, educational? Did Steve Jackson Games accidentally stumble on an educational game? These little basic math facts happen EVERY SINGLE TURN.
While the game is fun (and kind of educational) there are a couple of things holding it back from being an absolutely great game. First is the cards. I understand the sizing of the cards, that’s not my problem. The font used isn’t great, and having the stuff in bold isn’t helping. Particularly the +3 and +5 wind up looking far too similar. Pre-readers (though this game is designed for ages 6 and up) can join in the fun as long as they can keep track of the numbers, but it can be difficult the way they are presented (I had to take off my glasses, bring up the card closer and squint a few times to tell if it were a +3 or +5 sometimes).
The second problem, and this is less of one, is the board. There are only 5 spaces in between each monster and two of those are “roll again” and a third is a monster portal which has the player jumping to that monster to do battle. I know this was done to keep the pace of the game high, but we started playing without using the “roll again” spaces.
One of the nice things about the game is that it comes with a couple of blank treasure and monster cards so players can come up with their own bonuses. If you order something directly from Steve Jackson Games (other than Munchkin Treasure Hunt, which is only available at Toys R Us) you might be able to pick up some cool swag, such as the Bookmark Of Ultimate Magic or a monster card that gives a particularly nasty bonus to monsters. And if you’re familiar to playing the Munchkin card game you’ll know just how valuable the bookmark can be.
Munchkin Treasure Hunt isn’t a perfect game, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun. And that’s the main thing to consider.