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Classic Munchkin is a much better game than Munchkin Cthulhu.

It’s weird, in a way. You’d almost always expect the first entry in a series to be the most simple, and have only the most basic of mechanics that sequels and spinoffs would build on. This just isn’t the case with Munchkin. Munchkin Cthulhu is a vastly simpler game, and a much better introduction into how the game plays than the original. However, the much wider set of mechanics in the original really make it a much more fun game, in my opinion. There is so much more you can do, and many more Options, Options, Options that you have on each turn. There’s much more interaction. That’s a good thing.

The races and classes do much, much more in this game. Basically, each class has actual abilities, powered by card discards (which gives you an actual reason not to put items out in front of you, as you may need them to power these abilities). These range from getting free run-aways, resurrecting a recently-killed easy fight so you can level up easier, or just winning on ties. The classes in Cthulhu are much more static bonuses: useful, but you certainly feel like you’re playing less of a role and more donning a title to equip certain items. The races fill the static bonuses in classic Munchkin, but even they are much more varied, from the Halfling’s ability to sell items at double the cost to the Elf’s huge, game-changing ability to level up when helping someone fight a monster. These cards really make the game much more dynamic. You have to pay much more attention to what people are equipping and using.

Additionally, I think the fantasy, DnD theme is just a much better fit for the game mechanics. You don’t grind and find loot when you play Call of Cthulhu. It’s not a loot game. As such, it is hard to come up with classes and loot that makes sense. In classic Munchkin, they have so, so much to draw upon that they can have the bigger variety of mechanics and items with no problem. They don’t have depend on making 10 separate Necronomicon jokes to have enough weapons (although most of them are fairly entertaining, I will admit). They even add in things such as damage types and monster keywords to mix things up. Clerics are good against undead, of course. Killing certain monsters with a weapon that deals fire damage makes things easier. There’s simply more variety.

Although I’d like to mix the two decks together sometime, I really feel like classic Munchkin is completely the way to go, unless you are just completely obsessed with the Mythos and hate fantasy. It’s clear this is where all their initial genus went. It’s deeper, but not so deep as to be intimidating. It’s just more fun.

(Side Note: Spell check wants to change Munchkin to Munch-kin, and Necronomicon to Noneconomic. Crazy, silly spell check.)