Renegade Game Studios Clank 0552RGS - The Deck Building Adventure Game, 60 x 80 cm

Product Information

Grab at least one artifact before booking it for the exit. Naturally, the most valuable artifacts are deeper down in the depths. Before you can get started with Clank! there's a bit of set-up that needs to happen. First, you have to choose which map you want to play - if it's your first time, you should use the more basic game - then you need to lay out all the necessary tiles. This means randomly placing one major secret on each of their spots spot and two minor secrets on each minor spot. You'll also need to choose and place out the artefact tokens (five for two players, six for three players or all of them for four players). Finally, place the Monkey Idols on their spaces and place all other tokens within easy reach of the board. You are getting so much in this expansion that the best way to describe it is like a party in a box. What else will the Expeditions series bring fans of Clank? We’ll have to wait and see. What’s coming in 2019? We may not know of any new Expeditions, but Renegade Game Studios and Dire Wolf Digital have given us a glimpse of what 2019 has in store: Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated. This new expansion will introduce “legacy-style gameplay” to the Clank! system as players progress from amateur dungeon explorers to the leaders of powerful corporations.

If you're not putting much Clank! in the bag, you're less likely to die a painful death. While it might seem unavoidable to play your basic Stumble cards or even Dungeon Row cards that generate Clank!, there are many ways to mitigate its impact. Cards that let you discard from your hand, like Sleight of Hand, are favourites of mind as this means you don't actually have to play the discarded cards. Some other effects in the game will allow you to trash your Stumbles, while other cards will give you negative Clank!, actually taking it away from the banner (but not the bag).

Expansions!

Before you start playing, you need to set-up the board. You can choose either the beginner’s dungeon or the more advanced dungeon on the flip side of the board. You then assign tokens representing artifacts, hidden secrets and a couple of other valuable items to their places, which are all clearly marked on the board and labelled in the rule book. The number of artifacts changes slightly with the number of players to keep the games competitive. In a 5 to 6 player game, some cards are added in with the expansion that give you rewards when something happens on another players turn. This system is fantastic and means you have to be engages at all times so you do not miss any extra things for yourself. I love this system and think it is super smart!

Some cards in the Dungeon Row and the Goblin in the reserve can't be bought. They must be defeated by paying the combat cost in their bottom right corner. When defeated, these monsters are discarded from the Dungeon Row and replaced at the end of the turn. They'll also give you some kind of bonus - often gold, which we'll get to later. The single Goblin is always available to be killed, and combat can be used to defeat the monsters that lurk in tunnels, shown by the monster symbol on the board, that will damage you if you can't beat them off. All players then add up points from their artifacts, items and dungeon cards. The player with the highest score wins! But if all players were killed without gaining points, everyone loses and Nictotraxian reigns smugly until your next game night. Clank! – The Verdict

The winner of the game will be the player with the most points from treasure and cards when all is said and done. The end of the game is triggered as one player leaves the dungeon (either through death or a successful escape). At this point there is a countdown of four turns, with any players left in the dungeon after this point instantly killed by the monster’s range.

Skill, represented by a number in a blue diamond, is the main currency in Clank! It’s used to buy cards from the Dungeon Row and the Reserve which have a cost in their top right corner. When you buy a card from the Dungeon Row, it is only replaced by a new one at the end of the turn. Any cards you buy go straight to your discard pile, though some cards have an ‘Acquire’ effect that activates immediately. There is a mechanical sub-theme in some of the new cards, as well. Several cards give powerful effects when discarded, which gives you some excellent options for resource-gathering and hand-filtering with base game cards and some new discard enablers. Cards that generate gold (the coins, notthe blue skill currency) are easy to undervalue because gold has limited use in the game. It’s also easy to underestimate the value of killing monsters that drop a lot of gold. However, having easy access to gold is a great way to gain some powerful items from the market and give yourself a little points boost at the end of the game. A new market item is available which is an ‘Invisibility Cloak’ which allows you to pass through tunnels whilst ignoring any monsters that are there. It is also worth five points at the end of the game. Party Invitation All of the cards, except monsters and starter cards, have a skill cost that you have to pay to acquire them, and many of these cards are also worth points at the end of the game.You’ll find in the box a double-sided board for different player counts, which is always a nice touch. Dire Wolf Digital has previously adapted board games including Root, Game of Thrones and Sagrada for PC and mobile, as well as handling the Pokémon TCG Online, but Clank! will be the studio’s first adaptation based on its own game.

The game art is also well done, and because it takes a more thievery approach to the dungeon delving fantasy adventure theme, it stands out. The graphic design is clear and engaging. Overall, it’s friendly and uncomplicated. After opening the box, players are immediately presented with an expansive space that includes cards, a main board, counters, wooden cubes, meeples and a nicely made velvet bag with dragon logo. The cards are of decent quality. The board is nicely constructed and lays flat with ease. The counters are a bit thin, but they’re enough to serve their purpose. The cubes are standard, but the meeples are very nicely designed adventurer shapes, which helps draw players into the theme. You’ll take all of the Clank tiles on the board and put them in the dragon bag. Shake that bad boy up and draw tiles equal to the number of tiles shown on the dragon rage section of the board. Each cube drawn is one damage against that player. Since the original game, Clank! has seen the release of numerous spin-offs and expansions, from the sci-fi Clank! In! Space to a pair of standalone legacy games set in the world of D&D actual play series Acquisitions Incorporated. If you die in the subterranean levels or without an artifact, you’re completely dead. You lose all your points. If you ‘die’ above ground, helpful villagers will save you! You’ll keep the points you’ve gained so far, but you won’t get the 20 point bonus given to any player who gets out unscathed.A large part of the enjoyment in a game like Clank! comes from discovering strategies and ideas for yourself, but there are a few things you can be aware of to make those first games go a bit more smoothly and gain an edge over the competition. Buy movement cards Skill, represented by a number in a blue diamond, is the main currency in Clank! It's used to buy cards from the Dungeon Row and the Reserve which have a cost in their top right corner. When you buy a card from the Dungeon Row, it is only replaced by a new one at the end of the turn. Any cards you buy go straight to your discard pile, though some cards have an 'Acquire' effect that activates immediately.