History TabletopGame / Munchkin

Creator/SteveJacksonGames also published three RPG books based on the core game and one based on ''Star Munchkin'' using UsefulNotes/D20System. A supplement based on the game was also published for ''TabletopGame/{{Toon}}''.

** One particular encounter in ''Star Munchkin'' is an ''TabletopGame/{{OGRE}}'' cybertank.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: ''Munchkin Cthulhu'', ''Star Munchkin'', and ''Munchkin Apocalypse'' all have the trope namer as a level-20 monster.

* SheIsTheKing: "Princess" is an available role in Grimm Tidings, which can be taken by male players, but ''doesn't'' actually change your in-game sex.

* ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: A monster from ''Star Munchkin''. It [[ExactWords doesn't mind women]], who gain a level if they ''don't'' fight it.

* BladeOnAStick: The Swiss Army Polearm.

* BribingYourWayToVictory:

** There was one special release of a cookie which, upon eating it, would resurrect your character and undo a death. Everything that the studio has created has a bonus when Munchkin is played.

* {{Munchkin}}: [[TitleDrop *ahem*]]

* TooAwesomeToUse: The Annihilation card permanently removes one card from the game. Try to find the perfect card to use it on.

Creator/{{CMON}} funded a separate tabletop game called ''TabletopGame/MunchkinDungeon'' through Website/{{Kickstarter}}.

* GagBoobs: To the point of parody, a lot of the female Munchkins in the art sport huge bosoms. Lampshaded in game with cards like “Cleavage Stun”.

* HouseRules: Inevitable, considering that "Argue about the rules" is actually in the rules. It is stated in the rules that if any player, at any time, has any questions or disagrees regarding the rules, the game stops until everyone has come to an agreement. The DM, AKA the one who owns the cards, has the final word in any discussion.

* PlayerElimination: Generally, players aren't eliminated. If their "character" dies, they simply discard their hand and draw a new one. However, due to LoopholeAbuse that dying does not reset a player's level[[note]]allowing a player with a weak hand or character to essentially get a new, stronger one for free and win the game[[/note]], there are HouseRules to permanently eliminate a player if they die.

* CardboardPrison

* MartialArtsHeadband: The badass Bandanna.

** Things like Accents and Nationalities (the former are from Munchkin Booty, the latter from Munchkin Impossible, and if you're playing both you ''can'' have one of each, because they're considered different categories) only add to this. Especially because there's both a British Accent and a British Nationality, they have different powers, and you can be [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment British British.]] The one aversion is that "race" in Original means a species like Elf or Dwarf, while "race" in Conan means a human race like Cimmerian or Zamoran, but you ''cannot'' have both because Race is treated as one category. No Cimmerian Elves.

* BalefulPolymorph: The Pollymorph potion turns your opponent into a parrot. Nice when a "friend" sends a plutonium dragon after you. However, this allows the pollymorphed monster to fly away, denying you the chance of killing it, and thus of gaining a level.

* OurZombiesAreDifferent: ''Munchkin Zombies'' lets you play as an [[NuclearNasty atomic]], [[FrankensteinsMonster patchwork]], [[PlagueZombie plague]], or [[VoodooZombie voodoo]] zombie.

** The infamous "Bad Stuff" for Squidzilla (probably as a subtle reference to the above [[RulesLawyer Lawyering]]) reads ''"You are grabbed, slimed, crushed, and gobbled. You are dead, dead, dead. Any questions?"'' And ''then'' [[RhetoricalQuestionBlunder they had to clarify]] [[UpToEleven that you didn't die three times]] [[ExactWords because of that text.]]

* JokeNameTag: The Wild West variant of the game, "The Good, the Bad, and the Munchkin", has a card that functions as a Level +1 card and is called "Get a new Indian name". The card specifies that the new Indian name should be called out loud the instant the card is played, because otherwise the first name called becomes the player's new Indian name. The picture on the card illustrates the perils with a Dork Tower character wearing a "Hello, my name is" card that specifies his name as "Doofus".

** The description of the monster Filthy Geats reads [[Music/{{Wham}} "Filthy Geats ain't got no rhythm"]] and the Bad Stuff starts "Now you're never gonna dance again."

** The description of the monster Filthy Geats reads [[Music/GeorgeMichael "Filthy Geats ain't got no rhythm"]] and the Bad Stuff starts "Now you're never gonna dance again."

* ThatOneRule: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] in the rulebook. "Decide who goes first by rolling the dice and arguing about the results and the meaning of this sentence and whether the fact that a word seems to be missing any effect."

* VisualPun: Many. A card called "Steal a Level" depicts the theft of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tool-level.jpg the tool]], for example.

* IaijutsuPracticioner: The Samurai class has the "Fast Draw" ability, which adds a +2 bonus to each sword they have equipped.

[[quoteright:350:[[RecycledInSpace https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Munchkin_games_1343.jpg]]]]

* RecycledINSPACE: Basically all of the different variations are the same thing recycled in different settings. ''Star Munchkin'' spoofs it in its subtitle: "Kill the monsters. Steal the treasure. Stab your buddy... IN SPACE!".