Lynnvander Studios and Steve Jackson Games have announced Munchkin 5.5E RPG, an officially licensed tabletop roleplaying game adapting the satirical card game into a 5.5E-compatible ruleset. The crowdfunding campaign launches on BackerKit, introducing two core hardcovers: Munchkin 5.5E Ye Olde Rulebook and a standalone adventure titled The Deadliest Dungeon.
The project translates more than two decades of competitive, zero-sum card play into a roleplaying game framework. Rather than acting as heroic adventurers, players manage greedy characters incentivised to hoard loot, trigger deadly traps, and sabotage their fellow party members to secure treasure.
The ruleset introduces four playable species, including Mimics, alongside parody subclasses such as the Oath of the Killjoy Paladin and the College of Nihilism Bard. Mechanical additions include a “Cheeky Cheating” system that integrates rule-bending directly into the game, a “Pun-spiration” mechanic, and official 5.5E stat blocks for classic Munchkin monsters.
Beyond character options, the books include cursed items, spells, and custom traps. The crowdfunding campaign also features physical accessories, including the Deck of Ridiculous Things, an Iron Meowden dice jail, and a promotional Munchkin 5.5e D2 silver coin for early backers.
Long-time Munchkin and Dork Tower cartoonist John Kovalic confirmed his visual involvement with the project, illustrating the covers for both Ye Olde Rulebook and The Deadliest Dungeon.
Tommy Gofton, Lead Designer at Lynnvander Studios, said in a statement:
We want to give you every humorous absurdity you’ve ever experienced during a game, a reason to play it over and over again. Not only will the mechanics reflect the humor of Munchkin, we’re designing it in a way that it is not only for Munchkin themes in a vacuum but can be ported into any other campaign setting.”
The adaptation marks a full-circle return for the franchise. Steve Jackson created the original Munchkin card game in 2001 as a direct parody of power-gaming tropes in Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition. Steve Jackson Games later released a dedicated d20 System line in 2003, including the Munchkin Player’s Handbook and Munchkin Monster Manual. This new partnership with Ontario-based Lynnvander Studios updates that parody framework to match Wizards of the Coast’s revised 2024 core rules.
The announcement focuses entirely on physical book production and merchandise, with no confirmation yet regarding virtual tabletop integration on platforms such as Roll20 or Foundry VTT.
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