How to Play Munchkin 4: The Need for Steed

1. Game Objective

This expansion set, Munchkin 4: The Need for Steed!, emphasizes two special types of cards: Hirelings and Steeds. It is designed to be used with the original Munchkin and, likely, one or more of the previous expansions. The overall objective of the Munchkin game is to be the first to reach Level 10 by defeating monsters and collecting treasures, but this manual does not detail the complete victory condition of the base game.

2. Setup

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

3. Gameplay Flow

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

4. Actions and How to Play

Hirelings

• Types of Hirelings: Hirelings, Sidekicks (from Star Munchkin and Super Munchkin), Mooks (from Munchkin Fu), and Minions (from Munchkin Bites!) are all treated the same for these rules.
• Where Found: In this set, Hirelings are found in the Door decks.
• Playing a Hireling: You may play a Hireling at any time, even in combat, as long as you only have one Hireling in play at a time.
• Drawing a Face-Up Hireling: If you draw a Hireling face-up, you may put it into your hand if you cannot (or do not want to) put it into play.
• Discarding a Hireling: You may discard a Hireling at any time.
• Hirelings as Items: A Hireling is not an Item unless it has a price. You may only trade Hirelings that have a value in Gold Pieces.
• Hireling Sacrifice: If you lose a fight, instead of rolling to Run Away, you may discard a Hireling and everything it is carrying. You automatically escape all monsters in the fight, even if the monster card says escape is impossible. If someone was helping you in the fight, YOU decide if that person also automatically escapes or must roll to escape.
• Hirelings That Increase Abilities: Some Hirelings give extra Hands or allow you to carry an extra Big or Complex Item. In this case, the Hireling has no Item; it just increases your own abilities. If something happens to the Hireling, your Items are unaffected.
• Hirelings That Carry Items: Other Hirelings, such as the Elf Hireling in this set, can specifically carry and use an Item themselves; in some cases, a Hireling can use an Item that you cannot use for yourself. The Items a Hireling carries count for you and are affected by Traps, Curses, and Bad Stuff as if you were carrying them.
  • If your Hireling sacrifices itself to save you, any Items it was carrying are lost.
  • If your Hireling is killed, you loot the body and get the Items.
  • If your Hireling is taken by a Trap/Curse, by Bad Stuff, or by a change of loyalty, the Items go with it!
• Hirelings and Monster Bonuses: If you have the Dwarf Hireling and face a monster that gets a bonus against Dwarves, it gets the bonus against you, unless you discard the Hireling. A monster that has a penalty against Dwarves has that penalty against any munchkin with a Dwarf Hireling. The same is true for any monster that has a bonus or penalty against any Race, Class, or Sex.
• Bad Stuff and Hirelings: Bad Stuff does not affect Hirelings unless it specifically mentions them. Ignore your Hireling's Race, Class, and Sex when determining what a monster does to you.
• Hireling Sex: A Hireling's sex does not matter, except with monster reactions or unless you want to give it an Item that is male-only or female-only. In that case, the Hireling is of the sex, if any, shown on its card. If you want to change a Hireling's sex, you need the Potion of Sex Change.
• Hirelings and Cheating: A Cheat! card can be used to give you an extra Hireling, or to allow a Hireling to carry an Item it normally couldn't. The Cheap Hireling cannot carry anything.

Steeds

• Where Found: Steeds are found in the Door deck.
• Steed Limit: No player may have more than one Steed, except by using a Cheat! card.
• Steeds as Items: Steeds are Items and follow normal Item rules. Anything that affects an Item can affect a Steed.
• Steeds and Big Items: Steeds carry themselves. A Steed is "Big," but it does not count against the number of Big Items you can carry (in fact, some allow you to carry more Big stuff). The "Big" designation on Steeds is to control which Traps and Curses affect them, and to keep Thieves from pocketing them and walking off.
• Items for Steeds: There are some Items that specifically enhance Steeds. Steeds cannot use Items unless the Item card specifically says so, and "item enhancers" do not affect Items that enhance Steeds.
• Steed Run Away Bonus/Penalty: If a Steed has a bonus or penalty to Run Away, this overrides the rider's bonus. An Elf normally has a bonus to Run Away, but he has a penalty if he is riding the Turtle! If your Steed gives you a penalty to Run Away, you may discard the Steed before rolling to run away. You do not suffer the penalty, but the card goes to the discard pile.
• Treating Steeds as Monsters: A player who draws a Steed face-up may choose to treat it as a monster. In this case, its Level is equal to twice the combat bonus at the top of the card, and defeating it is worth one Treasure and one Level. Monster Enhancers may be played on Steeds that are being fought as monsters, and have their normal effects. The Bad Stuff for any Steed attacked as a monster is "Lose a Level."

5. End of Game and Scoring

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

6. Tips for Winning

• Carefully consider when to play a Hireling, as you can only have one in play at a time. Playing it at the right moment can be crucial, especially for sacrifice in combat.
• Take advantage of your Hireling's sacrifice ability. If you are in a losing fight, discarding a Hireling to automatically escape can save your Level and Items, even from monsters with impossible escape.
• Be aware of Steeds' Run Away bonuses and penalties. If your Steed gives you a penalty to Run Away, you can discard it before rolling to avoid the penalty, but you will lose the card.