How do you spot a munchkin? (share skills!)

[Liquidlizard]

Hi!

I'm new here, but I've been GMing for some years already. However I decided to join internet community just now to learn new insights and ideas.

My first question is such - how do you spot a munchkin?

Let's presume that sometimes they can be useful and are necessary to balance systems (if you're creating your own RPG systems as I do), but overall minmaxers and munchkins can be annoying if you're trying to run a more role playing game, than just hack-and-slash.

So what are your tips how to spot them and how to deal with them? I believe here have to lots of experience gamemasters that can share their stories.

I know you could spot them easily in a situation like this. But I'm sure there are way more interesting situations and observations to be made.

 

[gizmo33]

So what are your tips how to spot them and how to deal with them?

So you, as the DM, want a player to take an interest in some part of the game and they're not doing that. You want them to pay attention to the NPCs motivations, and think of clever ways of roleplaying their character, for example. And the player would rather look for a more powerful magic axe.

The way I see it - figure out whether you want to DM an adventure of the "brave the temple of horrors and retrieve the magic axe" style, or whether you want to do something else. Don't "deal with" the player, "deal with" the situation. Tell the player what you're about gaming wise, and decide what kind of gaming style you can tolerate and persue that but I suggest losing the whole "munchkin" attitude (it's too 1990 anyway) because IMO it's not constructive. You shouldn't have to run a game that doesn't interest you, but you also shouldn't expect to inflict your style of gaming on someone that isn't interested.

How to handle conflicting interests is a topic that goes well beyond RPGs. It's social skills 101 and involves "communication" and all of that sort of cliche stuff.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Experienced players will come to the table with pre-conceived notions of what the game is about. Its the job of the GM at character creation to either confirm or dismiss these notions with regard to the proposed game.

Many expectations come from the game system itself. Does the game reward hitting things with an axe a great deal more than roleplaying a character? If the answer is yes, then the player might not be such a munchkin after all. The player is just trying to create a character with a greater chance at success.

Provide a game that rewards the kind of play you would like to see and communicate this openly to the players. Those that decide to play should know what to expect.

 

[dnddays]

Good to know there will always be an abundance of people keeping the n-word of gaming alive.

 

[Kask]

My first question is such - how do you spot a munchkin?

The 1st tell tale is if the, new to your game, player refers to his character as a "build". While not 100% accurate at all, I've found it to be a starting point that indicates what the player's attitude to the game is. YMMV

 

[Liquidlizard]

As I begun discussing this problem in another forum, I realized that I'm somewhat unfair with munchkins and that some people understand this notion differently.
If I may ask, what stands behind your concept of "munchkin"?


Is it a minmaxer?
Is it a person who want just to "outplay others"?
Is it a person who takes no interest in game world?

...

 

[Greg K]

If I may ask, what stands behind your concept of "munchkin"?
...

a) a cheater;
b) someone that breaks the spirit of the rules/exploits loopholes to make (or an attempt to make) their character powerful. Note: if the entire group plays this way and they are having fun, that's a good thing, but they are still munchkins.
c) a little kid, but that has nothing to do with his discussion

I consider optimizer, mini-maxer, power gamer, and butt-kicker all independent of munchkinism and of each other.

 

[Lord Xtheth]

How I spot my Munchkins?

I look at the people I DM for...
There they are!

 

[Kask]

a) a cheater;
b) someone that breaks the spirit of the rules/exploits loopholes to make (or an attempt to make) their character powerful. Note: if the entire group plays this way and they are having fun, that's a good thing, but they are still munchkins.
c) a little kid, but that has nothing to do with his discussion

I consider optimizer, mini-maxer, power gamer, and butt-kicker all independent of munchkinism and of each other.

Well said.

 

[NewJeffCT]

a) a cheater;
b) someone that breaks the spirit of the rules/exploits loopholes to make (or an attempt to make) their character powerful. Note: if the entire group plays this way and they are having fun, that's a good thing, but they are still munchkins.
c) a little kid, but that has nothing to do with his discussion

I consider optimizer, mini-maxer, power gamer, and butt-kicker all independent of munchkinism and of each other.

I had always considered a munchkin as somebody who wants to be the best player in the group, get the best treasure and best magic items (without having to work for it in game) and generally be the center of attention while taking little interest in the actual storyline in the game, using metagame knowledge and also not caring about any widow/orphan type NPCs:

Example:
The town where you were born & raised - and have never left - is about to be attacked by a horde or rampaging orcs.

Good PC: "We must intercept the orc invaders to give the townsfolk time to make good their escape! Otherwise, it will mean certain death for our friends and families."

Munchkin PC: "I wanna go to a bigger town so I can get more magic items...this place is too small to have anything good."