Ames' syllabi

I believe that Munchkin is a fun game if all the pieces fall into place. It is a nice take on the turn-based card-drawing model. Unlike a game like FLUX, Munchkin encourages you to act out of turn, make informal deals, and make strategies on the flyby helping or hindering others.

There were many great interactions our group had while playing. After we overcame the learning curve, we opted to help each other if needed and build strength individually. This came crashing down when one person decided to curse another, which started pitting players against each other.

We were learning all of the time while playing. There were so many intricate conditions and terms to understand to play the game the way it was intended, which was a bit overwhelming. We had to take a while to understand how each turn worked.

The most frustrating moment was being targeted because I was getting close to winning.

My favorite part of playing was winning because I negotiated a deal to help fight a monster.

I wanted to carry more cards I believe that the hand limit, while nice in encouraging players to sell and donate, really hurt our ability to strategize for the long term.

I would tweak the rule book and simplify certain systems. It was quite the read.

I would play Munchkin again. While it is difficult to understand when starting, the liberties that Munchkin allows you to take makes the game much more dynamic.

While there was no set story in Munchkin, there was definitely an early-game, mid-game, and end-game. In the early-game, every player did not work together much, and it took a while to understand the mechanics. In the mid-game, there were more interactions between players, like team-ups and trades, with the inevitable betrayal. The end-game became a close race to the level 10, with players throwing anything they could to make another player lose their fight.

Was it fun? Meh

What were the player interactions? 

There wasn’t much player interaction, the only interaction was the passing of the card hands. Besides that you could affect other players but yourself, so there wasn’t much competitiveness or excitement. 

How long did it take to learn? 

Not too long, we only were confused about the different sushi combinations, but once we were familiar enough it was easy to play.

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played?

 I honestly wasn’t frustrated at all but if I had to choose something it would be only being able to play one card at a time besides using the chopshick cards. This game was simple enough where it is hard to choose something to be frustrated about.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? 

My favorite aspect was the point system and the visuals of the game. I like games where you have to get the highest score and keep track of points over time. As for visuals the cards and sushi characters were adorable and colorful, it was very appealing to look at. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? 

Not really, but again I would want to play more than one card when I couldn’t.

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be? 

I don’t know exactly what could be added without changing the whole game, but if I had a magic wand I would add better player interaction or card stealing aspects. I would do this to add some competitiveness between the players besides only the points being used as the competitive aspect. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

I probably would play again, but it wouldn’t be my first choice because I have a very competitive personality and this game wasn’t very competitive, but I enjoyed the simplicity of it. 

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

Setup: The set up of the game starts with a specific amount of cards each player has, and getting a feel for what combos and cards to first put down to start the game. There are no set characters, but the sushi characters are the points so the players begin to think of their next moves. The setup creates the foundation as players begin to think of what they might collect and how others might play.

Confrontation / Rising Action: The rising action of the game is when players draft and pass cards, balancing point gains with strategy. Collecting sushi sets, timing pudding (dessert) cards to prepare themselves for the end of the game. The rising action is driven by both opportunity and risk with every hand when the players are still creating their meals strategically. 

Resolution / Climax: At the end of the final round, all points are tallied (including the dessert cards that can swing the outcome). The climax arrives when it’s revealed who built the “best sushi meal” (highest score). This resolution provides closure, with all earlier decisions leading to who used their hands wisely, who took risks, and who ultimately won.

Was it fun? Yes!

What were the player interactions? Player interactions were similar to fluxx where you can affect other players hands, characters, and plays. It gives a sense of competitiveness because you start to target people by stopping their characters from becoming gloomy and dying, or taking people’s cards (of course when there is an action card that says so). So overall there is a lot of player interaction in Munchkin Gloom. 

How long did it take to learn? It took a whole “dummy hand” for us to learn, but during the second game we played it was a lot more enjoyable and it ran smoothly. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? The most frustrating part was figuring out what cards were. We struggled with this because they all look very similar, and at first without knowing or getting familiar with the cards we had to examine them extra hard to figure out what could be done with specific cards.

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played? My favorite aspects of the game were the visuals of the game and the self-worth/ point system. It was easy to keep track of the self-worth points and other symbols because the cards were clear, and I also enjoyed the medieval look of the characters and cards in general. As for the self-worth aspect of the game, it brought competitiveness out of everyone and forced us to change each other’s cards/ target each other. I also just thought it was a creative take on the game. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t? The only thing I wanted to do that I couldn’t was use my untimely death cards whenever I wanted rather than using it as your first play. We all kept forgetting that rule, but I do see the purpose of it so the players can’t give their own negative points and then untimely death all in one move. Without that rule the game wouldn’t be as interesting or long. 

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be? The only thing I would change would be the look of the cards. It was easy to take other players’ untimely death/ event cards because the other cards looked different. I felt this was annoying because of course other players would pick those cards over others. 

Is this a game you would play again? Yes _____ No ______ Why

Yes, because ultimately I enjoyed the second round of playing and it was fun targeting other players and it became competitive, which I enjoy because I am a very competitive person. Also, I thought it was a funny take on the game with being the most miserable person, having the most miserable characters, and then killing off all your players. I think it’s unique because it’s the opposite of the majority of games.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

Setup: This is when players establish their foundation and everyone chooses their party members and characters, learn their backstories, and receive the dealt cards. It introduces the world, the characters’ identities, and sets the tone for the game. The stakes and goals start to take shape here.

Confrontation / Rising Action:The main gameplay happens here. Players begin to manipulate the narrative by assigning negative self-worth to their own characters and positive self-worth to other players’ characters. Action cards and early “untimely death” plays introduce conflict, alliances, and rivalries. This is where strategy, tension, and drama build.

Resolution / Climax: The endgame arrives when only a few characters remain alive. This act is about timing and execution and choosing the right moment to play untimely death cards. The suspense increases as players attempt to plan their story outcomes, and the game resolves with final self-worth points and the narrative payoff of whose team is all dead first.

Bohnanza Madison Hurst

Was it fun? I thought this game was pretty fun at points. Though in some areas of the Bohnanza it was slow because you were waiting a long period of time for your turn. I did enjoy how it forced you to think about what cards you had to keep by adding limitations or getting rid of specific cards before you can use your own hand. 

This game was highly interactive, with players decisions directly affecting others. Trading cards often led to tough choices, especially when multiple players wanted the same card. Players competed to collect and harvest specific cards to get coins. 

How long did it take to learn? The game didn’t take long to learn because it would end after we went through the deck of cards three times. So, we had plenty of time to understand and fully play. I would say it took about 15 minutes to fully comprehend and begin playing competitively. The only confusing part in the beginning was understanding how you gained points/coins. 

What was the most frustrating moment or aspect of what you just played? The most frustrating part of the game was not being able to “steal” cards from your opponents after they planted the bean. For instance, Meredith and I had the same bean planted, and we couldn’t steal from each other after the bean was planted or placed down. 

What was your favorite moment or aspect of what you just played?- My favorite moment of Bohnanza was collecting the coins. It was fun being able to take 2-3 coins after gathering multiple cards of the same bean. 

Was there anything you wanted to do that you couldn’t?- After you were done with a card or didn’t have a use for it at that point in the game, you would discard it. But I really wanted to bring back that card later on in the game because it would’ve been beneficial. So, I just wish the discard pile was recycled faster. 

If you had a magic wand to wave, and you could change, add, or remove anything

from the experience, what would it be? I would probably change the pace of the game and just go through two decks of cards instead of three.

Yes, I’d play again because I enjoyed the challenge of making the most of my cards and the engaging trading aspect of the game. This kept the game interesting despite occasional slow turns.

Analyze the game using the 3 act structure.

The act of the game is when players start to learn what each card type is worth, and exploring the rhythm of planting the beans. At this point, trading cards are hearted, and players can be unaware of the meaning or unable to see the full effect of that trade. The second act is when the players are in the middle of the game. This is when competition kicks in and trading deals go wrong, or someone is on the wrong end of the deal. Moreover, we see players start to get a vast collection of cards, and are thinking about harvesting and collecting their coins. The third act is when the game is close to being complete, and every bean planted matters. Trades are extremely cutthroat or can lead a player to victory. The resolution happens in this act, and this is when all the coins are accounted for, and we see who the victor is.