Define "munchkin"

[Desdichado]

So nobody really knows what munchkin means. However, I have seen it used most often in the situation mentioned by the second poster.

Sure, everyone knows what it means, it's just hard to articulate. A munchkin is not just a powergamer, a munchkin is a powergamer that annoys the other folks he's playing with. If he isn't really annoying anyone, he's not really a munchkin.

The derogatory use of the word on the Internet comes from using munchkin to refer to behavior or individuals that would annoy the person using the word if it took place at their table. There's really no call to use the word this way; since it's a moot point referring to a hypothetical situation that wouldn't likely happen, there's no reason to slap a label on it that has a negative connotation and is thereby insulting.

 

[DragonLancer]

Thats not munchkinism, IMO. It's just optimizing your character, except for the high-end stats, which should be whatever the rules tell, except assigned correctly. Every player I know would choose the better of two magic item, spells or feats when given a choice. Thats not munchkin. It's just min/maxing, or powergaming, if you will. (I play with a bunch of powergamers, but since they're all sticking to rules, and encourage curbing stupid rules, there's no munchkinism).

Optimising your character is fine, but it can go well beyond that, I have had experience with such a player, and thats when it becomes powergaming.

 

[diaglo]

Any munchkin worth his salt would KILL THE KING AND TAKE HIS STUFF!

exactly.

or wonder why the King is being the royal throne warmer for him.

just power his way to the throne at level 1.

 

[maddman75]

Here's how I define them.

A powergamer is interested in having a powerful character. They don't really care about role playing, and will gladly slap an odd template and three unrelated prestige classes if its a good mechanical combination. The game is much like a wargame to them, and they revel in optimizing thier character to give the group the best chance to overcome their obstacles. These folks and roleplayers don't get along so well. The powergamers get annoyed with the 'useless' characters that waste skill points in Profession, take spells other than the 'good ones', and so on. The roleplayers bristle at trying to craft a story next to the half troll/Fighter2/Barb4/Asskicker7 that uses two spiked chains and a ball of twine. D&D only works if everyone powergames or no one does.

A munchkin is a whole other animal. He's got the optimization desires of the powergamer, but rather than wanting to have a good character, he wants to have the *best* character. His measurement for success is not how well the group overcomes challenges, but how powerful his character is next to the group. CHeating is extremely common, as is begging the DM to allow odd and unbalanced things into the game for his character.

 

[Ourph]

The main difference between a munchkin and a powergamer is that powergamers don't need to be better than the other PCs. They just want to be the best at what they do. The uber-barbarian whirlwind death machine who doesn't get miffed when the wizard takes out baddies with his death ray as long as he gets a chance to hack on things too is a powergamer. If he saves at least one attack per round to disrupt the wizard's spells so the guy in the pointy hat doesn't "kill all of his targets" he's a munchkin.

Other examples:

-In a game using 40pt buy stat generation, the munchkin asks to use 50pts because his "character concept" just doesn't work unless he's "better than average".

-In a game with standard (non-LA) characters, the muchkin insists on playing a Troll Paladin.

-In a Forgotten Realms campaign, the munchkin's backstory includes encounters with Elminster, The Simbul, Khelben Blackstaff and Storm Silverhand, all of whom now "owe him a favor".

-In a Dragonlance campaign, the muchkin's last name is Majere.

-In a Star Wars game, the munchkin's last name is Skywalker.

-In a D20 Modern game, the muchkin's last name is Gates, Murdock or Heffner.