Munchkin has been around for a long time now, but it’s still a mainstay of our game nights. Imagine playing a game of D&D where everyone only cares about maxing out their characters and you will have some idea of how to play. The goal is to level up to level 10 by defeating monsters and collecting loot. You do this by using your loot to make your character as powerful as possible, or by asking others to help. They won’t always help, but that’s part of the fun.
Because Munchkin is such a beloved game, there’s a huge number of add-ons that take the game from a 30-45 minute game all the way up to several hours of monster-killing fun, and all of it is played only with cards. It’s truly a great time had by all.
Star Realms is a two-player deck-building game where you spend points to buy spaceships. You then use those ships to damage your opponent. The first one to reach zero hit points loses. It’s a simple idea, but with a huge array of different cards and expansions that add missions, bases and factions, the game can become complex very quickly.
My daughter and I love Star Realms and we play it often; even more now it’s available not only in physical form but on your phone as well.
Dragonwood could almost be played with a standard deck of cards if it weren’t for the addition of the monster cards and a few dice. On the surface, it is a simple matching game where you collect runs of numbers or sets of colors or numbers. When you collect a set you can use those sets to roll dice to help you defeat the monsters. Collect monster cards and you win the game.
My family and I enjoy Dragonwood as it allows even our younger players to feel accomplished. It uses color and number sequencing, which is great for younger players, and the artwork and rolling mechanic make it a little more enjoyable for the adults than most slow, traditional card games.
If you’ve played Rook, euchre or other trick-taking, partner card games, Tichu will be easy to pick up. The cards are fairly traditional (2 through Ace), with the addition of four unique cards: the mahjong, the dog, the phoenix and the dragon. Besides these cards, what makes Tichu unique is its blend of card-playing (in addition to single cards, players can play full houses, straights and other combinations) and strategy (before rounds, players must trade cards with partners and opponents).
Tichu has simple mechanics, but a few smart subversions of traditional trick-taking rules turn this great card game into one of the most enjoyable classic-style card games around.
Something Wild! is a surprisingly complex game masquerading as a simple one. The premise is quite old-fashioned: Like rummy, you have to collect runs or sets of three cards. Something Wild! adds a nice layer of complexity by introducing power cards that you can play once you’ve won them, and if you have the little figurine in your possession. The power cards help you change the rules to be able to make more sets or runs.
Because Funko has licenses with hundreds of companies, there are tons of different Something Wild! packs, all of them cheap and all of them can be combined to make the game even bigger. It’s a lot of fun, and quick enough to make it the perfect first game at game night.