Clank in Space Board Game Review

Clank in Space is a deck builder that pits you against your friends to see who can claim the most points by looting the ship and escaping alive. Being too greedy is a fast way to have Patrick Stewart wipe his tears on your red-shirted corpse. At the same time, playing it too cautiously will make your pitiful score the laughing stock of The Galactic Lords Of Artifact Thievery, or "GLOAT" for short.

***Gideon's Bias***

Review Copy Used: No
Number of Plays: 10+
Player Counts Played: 2 & 4
Fan of Genre: Yes
Fan of Weight: Yes
Gaming Groups Thoughts: Loved it

***Clank In Space Information***

Publisher: Dire Wolf
Designer: Paul Dennen
Player Count: 2 to 4
Genre: Deck Building
Weight: Medium
Price: $65

***Pros***
Combining deck building and board movement is a great combo

Funny references on the cards are entertaining

Easy to learn but a lot of depth

A deck builder where having a thin deck isn't always the best strategy

A great game of push your luck mixed with chicken

The cohesive design makes for a solid game

Great optional app for solo play

***Cons***

Theme and mechanisms don't always line up

The game can sometimes feel too fast when playing at two players

***Links***

***Time Stamps***

00:00 Overview
02:04 Presentation
03:53 Card clanking
05:52 Prepare to be boarded
07:35 Interaction by proxy
09:25 Clanking it together
11:00 Clunk
13:10 Verdict

#boardgames #clank #Gideonsgaming

[namelessfire]

Another fair and thoughtful review.

I'm a huge fan of deck builders, and Clank is no exception. Theme is a bit of a nebulous concept, which is different for every player. For me, a game is thematic if playing the game feels like what the game is telling me I'm doing. For instance, in Nemesis, it feels like I'm a crew member in space with aliens and "teammates" who may or may not want me dead. For me Clank is both thematic and not thematic at the same time.

Does it feel like I'm recruiting allies to help me sneak through a ship? No.
Does it feel like I'm sneaking through a ship and trying to push the limits of my greed? Yes.

For the most part, I do think the cards mechanically make sense -- with notable exceptions such as the Monkeybot. One thing is for sure though, Paul Dennen is a master of making tight, fun games with a deceptive amount of depth.

Later on, if you feel inclined, the expansions are very much worthwhile. Apocalypse in particular adds simple mechanics and added variety with minimal rules overhead. And after Clank in Space is well loved, if you have a dedicated group of four, Clank Legacy is -- for my money -- the best legacy game on the market.