Munchkin - Madness

I didn't play it today, but one of my favorite game is Munchkin, by Steve Jackson Games. I have the Fu, Booty, and original sets by which to play it. (Aside: Do not buy the booty, it does not rock everywhere, the items are too specific and are ultimately frustrating, the classes almost irrelevant).

I mostly play the original set, with the Steed, Ranger, and Guild expansions. It is a card game of sorts in which there are two decks: Doors and Treasures. You start the game with 4 cards of each deck.
Doors have Monsters, classes, races, curses, steeds, hirelings, and a miscellany of other effects.
Races and classes modify your character's ability to progress in the quest to level 10.
Monsters are the primary means by which levels are gained, defeating them by adding your level number with the bonuses of items.
Treasures can grant your character items with combat bonuses to ease the transitions on the path to victory. A character can wear one set of headgear; footgear; armor, and use two hands.

The primary fun comes from the variations in the rules, as dictated by the script of the cards. For the winning level, you must defeat a monster, because some treasure cards grant an immediate level up. Alternatively, some items have a gold value printed along the bottom, selling a cumulative value of 1000 gold pieces is also acceptable for a level increase.

Each turn starts by the player flipping a door card face up. If it is a monster, the person must fight it. If it is not a monster card, the player has a choice between playing a monster card from their hand to fight, or accepting a face-down door to add to their hand. At the end of the chosen action, the player must reduce their hand to five cards: If there are other players with lower levels, the excess over five must be distributed to them as "charity." If the player is tied for or is the lowest level, the excess is discarded.

As aforementioned, the cards provide subversions and exceptions to these rules, or add additional abilities. Larger games are made more difficult, as the amount of cards available to undermine a player from successfully winning a combat for the last level will be numerous. Sometimes, a player can lose their vaulted position in the space of a turn. Or, a lowly player may ascend rapidly by using an overstocked "charity"-imbued hand from the beginning of a turn to play "Go Up level" cards and sell character-incompatible or redundant items.

Oh, and the item cards are irreverent and parody puns from dungeon-crawler games. It is a very enjoyable and competitive game.