September 17, 2015: Smash Up A La Munchkin!

Tried My Hand At Taking R'lyeh With Half-sized Royalty And Owned It! How? Smash Up: Munchkin, Of Course!

I got my hands on a copy of Smash Up: Munchkin and I was blown away! Alderac Entertainment Group's (AEG) Smash Up has been a staple of my personal game library ever since my friend forgot his copy at my old job. I picked it up, played it, and have seen the game only go up with every new expansion. When I heard we were being blessed with a mash up of two of my favorite games I knew I was in for a treat and I was not let down!

To start off, I've never seen a crossover that embodies both games so perfectly. Keeping the simple, yet exquisite game mechanics that make Smash Up while adding monsters, treasures, and plenty of back stabbing to Munchkin-ify the game! Monsters get added to bases as they're played, making bases more difficult to score, but each monster is worth treasure to add to your hand. (Don't forget to share when someone else helps you take down a monster!)

My partner and I broke out the game for a couple rounds and couldn't put it down. She started off as Halfling Clerics and I chose Dwarven Thieves. Next thing I know, she has these itty-bitty minions all over the place while playing from her discard pile while my hand was filled to breaking point with my treasures, her treasures, and I had my pick of the treasure discards. On the turn I scored a base for that glorious fifteenth point, she snuck in a couple guys to grab first place and the winning point from me! Back stabbing indeed!

My favorite game that night was definitely mixing in different sets. Three of us got down in a setting mashup that would've dizzied even the most seasoned travelers! Going from Lovecraftian horror-parks to ancient tombs to exotic dojos to a treehouse and beyond. We had Halfling Princesses, Innsmouth Warriors, and, of course, Mage Wizards. The rumble was mind blowing with tiny princesses squaring off against crazed warriors and no one could possibly keep up with the magic user who was constantly emptying and rebuilding their hand of actions! We all reached 15 points on the same turn but, in the end, no one could stand up to the sheer will-power of my pretty, pretty princesses with their tiny minions!

All in all, Smash Up: Munchkin stands well on its own and it blends beautifully with other expansions. The monster mechanic is a little jarring when mixed with non-Munchkin bases as they're generally harder to score. However, once others start playing out the treasures they claimed, you remember why that extra power is worth sacrificing!

-- Josh Surfus, SJ Games Store Support