Munchkin Apocalypse Rules
Munchkin Apocalypse Rules
Three to six can play. You will need 10 tokens (coins, poker chips,
whatever – or any gadget that counts to 10) for each player. STARTING AND FINISHING THE GAME
Divide the cards into the Door deck, the Treasure deck, and the Seal Decide who goes first by any means you can all agree on.
deck. Shuffle all three decks. Deal four Door cards and four Treasure Play proceeds in turns, each with several phases (see p. 2). When
cards to each player. the first player finishes his turn, the player to his left takes a turn, and
so on.
CARD MANAGEMENT
Keep separate face-up discard piles for the Door and Treasures
decks. (The Seals are never discarded; see p. 3.) You may not look CONFLICTS BETWEEN
through the discards unless you play a card that allows you to!
When a deck runs out, reshuffle its discards. If a deck runs out CARDS AND RULES
and there are no discards, nobody can draw any of that kind of card! This rulesheet gives the general rules. Cards may add special
In Play: These are the cards on the rules, so in most cases when the rulesheet disagrees with a
table in front of you, showing your card, follow the card. However, ignore any card effect that
Class (if any) and the Items you are might seem to contradict one of the rules listed below unless
carrying. Disasters with ongoing effects the card explicitly says it supersedes that rule!
and some other cards also stay on the
table after you play them. 1. Nothing can reduce a player below Level 1, although card
Your Hand: Cards in your hand effects might reduce a player’s or a monster’s combat strength
are not in play. They don’t help (p. 2) below 1.
you, but they can’t be taken away ex- 2. You go up a level after combat only if you kill a monster.
cept by cards that specifically affect 3. You cannot collect rewards for defeating a monster (e.g.,
“your hand.” At the end of your turn, Treasure, levels) in the middle of a combat. You must finish
you may have no more than five the fight before gaining any rewards.
cards in your hand. 4. You must kill a monster to reach Level 10.
When Cards Can Be Played:
Each type of card can be played at Any other disputes should be settled by loud arguments,
a specified time (see p. 5). with the owner of the game having the last word. You
could also read the Munchkin FAQ and errata pages at
Cards in play may not be
www.worldofmunchkin.com, or start a discussion at
returned to your hand – they
forums.sjgames.com/munchkin . . . unless it’s more fun
must be discarded or traded
to argue.
if you want to get rid of them.
The first player to reach 10th level One-shot items – those that say “Usable once only” – may be
wins . . . but you must reach 10th level played directly from your hand during combat.
by killing a monster, unless a You can also use one-shot items that you al-
card specifically allows you to ready had in play. Discard these cards
win another way. after the combat, whether you win or lose.
Some Door cards may also be played
TURN PHASES into a combat, such as monster enhancers
(see p. 5).
At the start of your turn, you While you are in combat, you cannot sell,
may play cards, switch Items from steal, equip, unequip, or trade items, or play
“in use” to “carried” or vice versa, items (except for one-shots) from your hand.
trade Items with other players, and Once you expose a monster card, you must
sell Items for levels. When your resolve the fight with your equipment as
cards are arranged the way it stands, plus any one-shot items you
you want, go to phase 1. choose to play.
Discard the monster card, including
(1) Kick Open The Door:
any enhancers and one-shot items
Draw one card from the Door deck
played, and draw treasure (see p. 3). But
and turn it face up.
note: someone may play a hostile card
If it’s a monster, you must fight it. See Combat. on you, or use a special power, just as
Resolve the combat completely before you go on. If you kill it, you think you have won. When you kill a
go up a level (or two, for some especially nasty monsters!) and monster, you must wait a reasonable time,
take the appropriate number of Treasures. defined as about 2.6 seconds, for anyone else to speak up. After that,
If the card is a Disaster – see Disasters, p. 5 – it applies to you im- you have really killed the monster, and you really get the level(s) and
mediately (if it can) and is discarded, unless it has a continuing effect. treasure, though they can still whine and argue.
If you draw any other card, you may either put it in your hand or
play it immediately. Fighting Multiple Monsters
(2) Look For Trouble: If you did NOT draw a monster when you Some cards (notably Wandering Monster) allow your rivals to
first opened the door, you now have the option of playing a monster send other monsters to join the fight. You must defeat their
(if you have one) from your hand and fighting it, just as if you had combined combat strengths. Any special abilities, such as forcing
found it when you kicked open the door. Don’t play a monster you you to fight with your Level only, apply to the entire fight. If you
can’t handle unless you’re sure you can count on getting help! have the right cards, you can remove one monster from the combat
and fight the other(s) normally, but you cannot choose to fight one
(3) Loot The Room: If you did not find a monster by kicking and run from the other(s). If you remove one monster but then run
open the door and you did not Look For Trouble, you loot the room from the other(s), you don’t get any Treasure!
. . . draw a second card from the Door deck, face down, and place it
in your hand. Asking For Help
If you met a monster but ran away, you don’t get to loot the room. If you cannot win a combat on your own, you may ask any other
player to help you. If he refuses, you may ask another player, and so
(4) Charity: If you have more than five cards in your hand, you on, until they all turn you down or someone helps. Only one player
must play enough of them to get down to five, or give the excess to the can help you, adding his combat strength to yours. Anyone can play
player with the lowest Level. If players are tied for lowest, divide the cards to affect your combat, however!
cards as evenly as possible, but it’s up to you who gets the bigger You can bribe someone to help. In fact, you’ll probably have to.
set(s) of leftovers. If YOU are the lowest or tied for You may offer your helper any Item(s) you are currently carrying, or
lowest, just discard the excess. any number of the Treasure cards the monster has. If you offer
him part of the monster’s treasure, you must agree whether he
It is now the next player’s turn. picks first, or you pick first, or whatever.
COMBAT
To fight a monster, compare its combat
strength to yours. Combat strength is the total of
INTERFERING WITH COMBAT
You can interfere with others’ combats in several ways:
Level plus all modifiers – positive or negative –
Use a one-shot item. You could help another player
given by items and other cards (including open
by playing a one-shot against his foe. Of course, you can
Seals – see p. 3). If the monster’s combat
“accidentally” hit your friend with the Item, and it will count
strength is equal to yours, or greater, you lose the
against him.
combat and must Run Away – see below. If your combat strength to-
tals more than the monster’s, you kill it and go up a level (two Play a card to modify a monster. These cards (usually) make
levels for some big monsters). You’ll also get the number of a monster stronger . . . and give it more treasure. You can play
Treasures shown on its card. these either during your own combats or during someone
else’s combat.
Sometimes a card will let you get rid of the monster without
killing it. This is still “winning,” but you don’t get a level. Sometimes, Play a Wandering Monster along with a monster from your
depending on the card, you might not get the treasure, either. hand to join any combat, or add Undead or Sharks to
monsters of the same type already in the fight (see p. 5).
Some monster cards have special powers that affect combat – a
bonus against one sex or Class, for instance. Be sure to check these. Hit them with a Disaster, if you have a Disaster card.
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The special abilities or vulnerabilities of the monster also apply to
your helper, and vice versa. For instance, if you are facing Tiamutt
Treasure
and a Kid helps you, the monster’s combat strength is reduced by 4 When you defeat a monster, either by killing it or using a card to
(unless you are also a Kid). But if you are facing the Liver Casserole eliminate it, you get its Treasure. Each monster has a Treasure
and an Kid helps you, the monster’s combat strength is increased by number on the bottom of its card. Draw that many treasures. Draw
4 (unless you, too, are an Kid and the monster’s combat strength has face-down if you killed the monster alone. Draw face-up, so the
already been increased). whole party can see what you got, if someone helped you.
If someone successfully helps you, the monster is slain. Discard it, Treasure cards can be played as soon as you get them. Item cards
draw treasure (see below), and follow any special instructions on the can be placed in front of you. Go Up a Level cards can be used
monster card. You go up a level for each slain monster. Your helper instantly. You may play a Go Up a Level card on any player at any
does not go up levels. You draw the Treasure cards, even if it was time.
your helper’s special ability that defeated the monster.
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You gain a level when you kill a monster, or when a card says that
EXAMPLE OF COMBAT, you do. You can also sell items to buy levels (see below).
You lose a level when a card says you do. Your Level can never
WITH NUMBERS AND EVERYTHING go below 1. However, your combat strength can be negative, if
you get hit by a Disaster, are backstabbed, or suffer some other
Molly is a 5th-Level Militia with a Tire Iron. It normally kind of penalty.
gives her a +2 combat bonus, but she is using her Militia
ability to use it two-handed for an extra +3. Her combat Class: Characters may be Bloggers, Kids, Militia, or Scientists. If
strength is 10. Currently, there are three Seals in play, and you have no Class card in front of you, you have no class. It’s OK, the
the one on top is Beer Shortage. world is ending anyway.
She kicks open the door and finds the Level 10 Fire Each Class has special abilities, shown on the cards. You gain the
Ants. They get +3 for the number of Seals in play and abilities of a Class the moment you play its card in front of you, and
another +3 from the Seal because Molly is the only lose them as soon as you discard that card. Some
Militia. She’s losing, 16 to 10. Class abilities are powered by discards. You may
Molly: OUCH! I should have known there would be ants at discard any card, in play or in your hand, to power
the end of the world. I’m going to even the odds a bit . . . a special ability, unless the ability says otherwise.
See the Class cards for when abilities can be used.
Molly plays Disaster! Zoo Breakout on herself, mean-
ing she has to Open a Seal. She places Peanut Butter You can discard a Class card at any time, even in
Shortage overlapping Beer Shortage – lucky for her, there combat: “I don’t wanna be a Scientist anymore.”
are no Kids in the game right now. The Fire Ants no longer When you discard a Class card, you become
get the +3 bonus for Molly’s Militia class, but they raise classless until you play another Class card.
their Seal bonus to +4. You may not belong to more than one class at once
Nick: Hey, I get a card! (Nick is a Blogger, so he draws a face- unless you play the Super Munchkin card. You may
down Door whenever a Seal is opened. He chooses not to show not have two copies of the same Class card in play.
his Door at this time.)
Molly: Nifty. I’m still losing, 14 to 10, but I have a well-
stocked survival shelter. Here, ants, have some Dehydrated
Water.
Nick: You’re going to help the Fire Ants?
LEVEL COUNTERS: IT’S NOT CHEATING,
Molly: You’re funny, Nick. +5 to myself, and now I’m win-
ning, 15 to 14. Anyone feel like making things worse?
IT’S USING THE RULES!
If you have an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Android
Molly waits a bit, then declares victory! She goes up a phone, you’ll like our Level Counter smartphone app. Just
level and draws three Treasures. And the game goes on . . . search for “Munchkin level counter” or click the link at
levelcounter.sjgames.com. Even better, it gives you
personal in-game advantages to make your friends jealous
. . . which is what being a munchkin is all about!
CHARACTER STATS
Each character is basically a collection of weapons, armor,
and items, with two stats: Level and Class. For instance, you ITEMS
might describe your character as “an 8th-level Blogger with Each Item card has a name, a power, a size, and a value in Gold
Photofloods, A Drone of Your Own, and a 15-Year Supply of Pieces.
Beer and Toilet Paper.” An Item card in your hand does not count until you play it; at
Your character’s sex starts off the same as your own. that point, it is “carried.” You may carry any number of small Items,
Level: This is a measure of how generally buff and studly you are. but only one Big one. (Any item not marked Big is considered
When the rules or cards refer to your Level, capitalized, they mean Small.) You may not simply discard one Big item to play another;
this number. you must sell it, trade it, lose it to a Disaster or Bad Stuff, or discard
it to power a Class ability.
If something lets you have more than one Big item (for instance,
the Cheat! card) and you lose that ability, you must either correct the
problem immediately or get rid of all but one Big item. If it’s your turn
and you’re not in combat, you can sell the excess Big items (as long as
you have at least 1,000 Gold Pieces of Items to sell). Otherwise, you
must give them to the lowest-Level player(s) who can carry them! If
any Big items are still left over, discard them.
Anyone can carry any item, but some items have use restrictions:
for instance, the Double-Barreled Slingshot can only be wielded
by a Kid. Its bonus only counts for someone who is, at the moment,
a Kid.
Likewise, you may also use only one Headgear, one suit of Armor,
one pair of Footgear, and two “1 Hand” items (or one “2 Hands”
item) . . . unless you have a card that lets you ignore these limits. If
you are carrying two Headgear cards, for instance, only one of them
can help you.
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You should indicate items that can’t help you, or extras not being All enhancers on a single monster add
worn, by turning the cards sideways. You may NOT change your together. If there are multiple monsters
used and carried items during a combat or while running away. You in a combat, the person who plays
cannot discard Item cards “just because.” You may sell items for a each enhancer must choose which
level, or give an item to another player who wants it. You may dis- monster it applies to.
card to power certain Class abilities. And a Disaster may force you
to get rid of something! Items – Playing Them
Trading: You may trade Items (but not other cards) with other Any Item card may be played to
players. You may only trade Items from the table – not from your the table as soon as you get it, or at
hand. You may trade at any time except when you’re in combat – in any time on your own turn other
fact, the best time to trade is when it’s not your turn. Any Item you than in combat (unless the card
receive in a trade must go into play; you can’t sell it until it’s your itself says otherwise).
turn.
You may also give Items away without a trade, to bribe other Items – Using Them
players – “I’ll give you my Survival Tool if you won’t help Bob fight Any one-shot Item can by played during any combat, whether
Great Cthulhu!” you have it in your hand or on the table. (Some one-shot Items
You may show your hand to others. Like we could stop you. may also be used outside of combat.)
Selling Items for Levels: During your turn, you may discard Other Items stay on the table in front of you once they are
items worth at least 1,000 Gold Pieces and immediately go up one played. You may keep Items in front of you that you cannot cur-
level. If you discard (for instance) 1,100 Gold Pieces worth, you rently use (because of your Class, or because you’re already using
don’t get change. But if you can manage 2,000 worth, you can go other Items of that type). Turn these Items sideways. These Items
up two levels at once, and so on. You may sell items from your are “carried” but not “in use.” Exception: You may have only one
hand as well as those you are carrying. You may not sell items to Big item in play at a time unless you have a card that will let you
go to Level 10. use more.
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Classes
Class cards may be played to the table as soon as they are
acquired, or at any time during your own turn. The same is true for
SUPER-SIZED MUNCHKIN
Super Munchkin, but you must already have a Class to play Super Studies have shown that 8.4 out of 9.7 Munchkin players
Munchkin. just can’t get enough of the game. Here are some ideas to take
your Munchkin games to new heights – or lows:
Combining Munchkin Apocalypse Combining different Munchkin sets. You can mix two (or
more) base sets and expansions together for a genre-crossing
With Other Munchkin Games mega-Munchkin adventure! Space plus Old West? Kung fu
Some of you may want to add a little end-of-the-world action to vampires? No problem!
your other Munchkin sets. Here are a few tips to make those Expansions. These add still more monsters to kill, new
combinations as fun as they can be: Treasure to loot, and sometimes entirely new kinds of cards.
• Disasters are the same as Curses and Traps. Anything that Ask for all the Munchkin sets and expansions at your local
affects one affects the other two as well. (Yes, this makes Militia an game or comic store – find it using our Store Finder,
awesome Class in a crossover game!) gamerfinder.sjgames.com – but if you don’t have a local
store, we’ll be happy to sell them directly to you at
• Seals will not open as quickly in a blended set. If you still want www.warehouse23.com.
the feeling of impending Armageddon, each player rolls a die at the
Turn it up to EPIC! Playing to Level 10 just isn’t enough for
start of his turn and opens a Seal on a result of 1.
some people. To satisfy their insane cravings, we’ve created
• There are some monsters in other sets that really should be con- Epic Munchkin, a new set of rules that gives all your
sidered Sharks. (They’re labeled in Munchkin Booty and subsequent Munchkin sets that high-octane boost you need to make it up
sets, but not in earlier games.) We’ve posted a canonical list of to Level 20! Look for it on our online PDF store,
Sharks on our website; go to www.worldofmunchkin.com/sharks. e23.sjgames.com – it’s completely, absolutely FREE!
• Similarly, we have not labeled every Item Enhancer as an Item All of the above!!!
Enhancer in past games. (This is important for the Improvised
Weapon, among other reasons.) They all have pretty much the same
rule text, though, so if it attaches to an Item and makes it better, it’s FASTER PLAY RULES
an Item Enhancer. We’ll be sure to start adding that text in future For a faster game, you can add a “phase 0” called Listen At
printings. The Door. At the start of your turn, draw a face-down Door
card, which you may play or not. Then arrange cards and Kick
Open The Door normally. If you Loot The Room, draw a face-
MORE MUNCHKIN ! down Treasure, not a Door.
You can also allow shared victories – if a player reaches
Visit www.worldofmunchkin.com for news, errata, Level 10 in a fight where he had a helper, the helper also wins
updates, Q&A, and much more. To discuss Munchkin the game, no matter what Level he is.
with our staff and your fellow munchkins, visit
our forums at forums.sjgames.com. Check out
www.worldofmunchkin.com/resources.html for refer-
ence cards, play mats, and dozens of links.
Other ways to connect to the Munchkin social network:
Twitter. Our Twitter feed often has Munchkin news (or
bonus rules!): twitter.com/SJGames.
Facebook. Connect with other fans on our pages for
Munchkin (www.facebook.com/sjgames.munchkin) and
Steve Jackson Games (www.facebook.com/sjgames).
apocalypse.worldofmunchkin.com
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