Call it immature, but I love games- inside games, outside games, Anything with a little competition and I’m there.

One of my 12-year-old brother’s Christmas gifts was a card game called “Munchkin.” The game’s tagline is “Kill The Monsters. Steal The Treasure. Stab Your Buddy.” You can try it out at Munchkin’s website before buying.

This is Dungeons and Dragons for the rest of us: no role-playing, games that only last about an hour and rules that you can understand the first time through (ages 10 and up).

Players (3-6) receive cards designating class (warriors, wizards, thieves or clerics) and race (humans, elves, dwarves or halflings). Each category has different abilities and weaknesses. Class and race changes throughout the game, so don’t get too attached to your super awesome powers.

Players are also dealt stuff: potions, curses, weapons, tools and wearable items like armor, headgear, shoes and kneepads. 

Though many of these items can be used by anyone (buckler of swashing, spiky knees, pretty balloons), the best items are more specific. “Staff of napalm” gives a +5 battle bonus but can only be used by wizards, “hammer of kneecapping” has a +4 bonus but only for dwarves, and “cheese grater of peace” with its +3 bonus is reserved for the cleric.

My favorite card is “pantyhose of great strength.” It only adds a +3 bonus, but the illustration reminds me of the theme song for “Robin Hood-Men in Tights,” which is fantastic.

The game’s object is to kill 10 monsters before the other players. Part of your job is to keep your friends from killing their monsters while getting their help in killing your own. Be diplomatic- save stabs in the back until the end.

The game’s illustrations and random cards are great, but perhaps the funniest part of Munchkin is its rules. A few holes and judgment calls are left to players. In the event of an argument, the owner of the game is given the final word. In our game, this meant lengthy discussions were ultimately decided by a 12-year-old.