by Warren White
Logan text me a picture earlier this week of some exciting things he picked up during one of his regular runs for Pop Vinyl and other collectibles. He hit it big at the B & N 75% off sale again. It's been awhile since we were able to snag any really good games at any of the B & N sales. Logan is for sure the best of us when it comes to hitting them though. He regularly stops by all the thrifts and any shops around that carry any kind of collectibles or things that interest us.
This time around, he was able to pilfer a copy of
Downforce and
Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure for a grand total of $20! That would probably be hard for any gamer to pass up.
The loot.I was really interested in trying out Clank! since I really enjoy deck builders (
Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game is probably my all time favorite BG). In checking the BGG forums for a good solo mode, I came across a mention of the
Renegade Game Studios Companion App. Normally I turn my nos up to apps in BG's but I decided to give this one a try for the solo mode. It's free, why not?
I really enjoyed how it worked. Choose your thief (green of course) and then it prompts you to remove a couple random artifacts from the board. Also, only use 1 minor secret per minor secret space on the board. In my case, the red cubes were used as "threat" and you start by adding 3 cubes to the Clank area. Easy setup.
After that, it's time to get started. It plays just like multiplayer but now you have "quests" that need to be completed within a certain number of rounds. Usually the quests involve clearing a certain card in the dungeon row. If you complete the quests, you may get a small reward (I have been prompted to remove Clank or got a couple gold) or if the quest is not completed, a minor negative effect takes place (add Clank or threat for example). Following each turn you hit the "next turn" button and you are told to remove 1 or 2 cards from the dungeon row. This simulates other players buying cards during the round and can prompt the dragon attack.
During my first play through, the little green thief got a little too greedy and was doomed to die at the bottom of the dungeon. That 25 point artifact was just too tempting. Rookie mistake I guess. I missed a couple rules as well, but it was a good learning game and I was excited to try again later. I pulled the ELP record "Pictures At An Exhibition", which has the track "The Old Castle" to listen to while I journeyed through the dungeon. No luck.
The Old CastleI was excited to play again later the same day. This time the little green thief made it out of the dungeon with 62 points of loot. My score was saved for posterity (and to try and beat) in the app. Dire Straits double LP "Alchemy" was the soundtrack to victory. Thanks Mr. Knopfler.
Clank! is super fun and I can definitely see it becoming one of my go to games. I can't wait to play with the boys and give it another solo run as well. It has all the deck building I love with some cool push your luck mechanics and cool board movement as well. I own all the Legendary expansions, Clank! may be my next obsession.
Also of note....
My dad, his wife and her mother came to visit from NC for the weekend. My brother Darren and his girlfriend Kimy were able to come down from DC to join us as well! We're always happy to spend time with Darren and Kimy. It's super rare for my dad, Darren and I to be together at the same time (jobs, families, geography) so it was a good birthday for him.
We were supposed to be at a beach house in NC for the weekend, but the hurricane damage repair was not done. Oh well. Still a good weekend to get together.
Autumn ordered a couple of the new
Timeline: Classic games as a birthday gift for dad. We played a couple years ago and he always talks about it when I call to talk to him. He's played his copy with his wife, mother in law and other friends and it was a big hit for him. He doesn't play other BG's but i guess the history and simplicity were a win for him.
Have a great week!!!
