Steve Jackson Games has finally given Munchkin a d20, and it took a Critical Role tie-in to do it. Munchkin Vox Machina is on retail shelves now, and it's the first time the franchise's signature dice has expanded past the trusty d6.
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Find events near youFor the uninitiated, Munchkin is a backstabby card game where 3-6 players race to hit level 10 by kicking down doors, fighting monsters, looting treasure and shamelessly betraying each other along the way. The Vox Machina edition runs on Munchkin First Edition rules, so anyone who's played the original picks it up in seconds. Many cards now call for d20 rolls instead of d6, a direct nod to the high-stakes natural-twenty moments that made Critical Role's first campaign worth four hours of your evening.
If you've watched the show you'll spot familiar faces straight away. Vex'ahlia, Pike Trickfoot and the rest of the party get character cards and standies, while Thordak, the Briarwoods, King Murghol and the Whispered One (Critical Role's name for Vecna, since the Vecna trademark belongs to Wizards of the Coast) show up as villains. Developer Will Schoonover threads in cinematic moments and infamous quotes, including a "Door of Evil" that fans of Vax'ildan will recognise immediately. There's also a new Roles and Drives system layered in, with motivations like Courage or Self-Discovery that tweak how each character plays.
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Start organising for freeInside the $39.95 box (around £35 at UK retailers) you get 172 Door and Treasure cards, seven Hero character cards with plastic-stand standies, a deluxe gameboard, a d6 and a d20. Three to six players, ages 10 and up, 60 to 120 minutes. Proper game night length.
It's a sensible window for a release. Critical Role's Daggerheart is celebrating its first birthday this month and The Legend of Vox Machina returns to Prime Video on 3 June with the Whispered One looming over Exandria. If your friends are deep in the Exandria fandom but light on board games, this is a soft on-ramp. Round them up at the next game night and watch them backstab you for a +5 sword.
Sources: Steve Jackson Games | ICv2 | TechRaptor
