Clank! Is Four Different Shopping Questions: Classic, Catacombs, Space or Legacy?

If you have opened the Clank! range at GameSummon and wondered why one name now covers a classic dungeon crawl, a modular catacomb adventure, a sci-fi heist and a campaign box, the confusion is reasonable. Clank! is no longer one obvious starting point. It is a family of deck-building adventure games that solve different table problems.

The easiest way to shop the range well is to ignore release order and buy for play style instead. Do you want the cleanest version of the original treasure-run tension, a more replayable modular dungeon, a louder sci-fi flavour, or a campaign that becomes its own long project? Once you split the range that way, the wider Board Games shelf and the live Clank! category both become much easier to use.

The quick answer

If you want the safest all-round first box, start with Clank! Catacombs. It is a full standalone game, not an add-on, and its tile-based dungeon gives you a fresh layout each time without making the rules feel alien to the rest of the series.

If you want the most straightforward expression of the original idea, buy Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure. It is still the cleanest route when your real question is, “What made Clank! popular in the first place?”

Go for Clank! In! Space! if theme matters a lot and your group would rather infiltrate a flagship than rob a fantasy dungeon. Pick Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated only when the same people genuinely want to commit to an unfolding campaign rather than a one-night test drive.

The Clank! starting points at a glance

The key is that these are not simple reskins. They all sit comfortably inside GameSummon’s board games and strategy games lanes, but they ask for different kinds of commitment from the table.

Choose classic Clank! for the purest push-your-luck dungeon run

Clank!: A Deck-Building Adventure is still the best buy when you want the range in its most direct form. GameSummon describes it around sneaking into an angry dragon’s lair, stealing artefacts and trying not to make enough noise to get punished for your greed. That is the core identity of Clank! in one sentence.

This matters because many shoppers are not actually looking for the “best” branch in the abstract. They are looking for the clearest expression of the series hook. If that is your situation, the original box keeps the pitch simple: map exploration, deck-building, rising tension, and a constant temptation to stay in the dungeon slightly too long.

It is also the easiest place to start if you already know you enjoy fantasy adventure board games and want room for straightforward follow-ups such as Sunken Treasures or Expeditions: Temple of the Ape Lords. Those make more sense once the base rhythm already lands well.

Choose Clank! Catacombs for the most replayable standalone box

Clank! Catacombs is the smartest starting point for many modern buyers because it solves the most common hesitation around the original: fear that the board will become too familiar too quickly. GameSummon’s product copy is unusually clear here. Catacombs is a standalone deck-building adventure where you build the dungeon as you explore it, with portals, wayshrines, prisoners and ghosts changing the texture of each run.

That is why Catacombs is such a strong recommendation for households that replay favourites heavily. You keep the same broad Clank! tension, but the act of revealing and connecting the dungeon gives each session more uncertainty. It feels less like memorising a known route and more like responding to what the table uncovers this time.

If your group tends to say, “We want one box that stays fresh for a while,” Catacombs is the best answer in the current range. It also gives you a sensible path into later add-ons such as Lairs & Lost Chambers or Underworld once you know the modular format is the branch you want more of.

Choose Clank! In! Space! for a sharper thematic twist

Clank! In! Space! is the right branch when the deciding factor is not replayability or campaign structure, but flavour. GameSummon frames it as a sci-fi twist where you sneak aboard Lord Eradikus’s flagship instead of diving into a dragon’s keep. The official product materials also present it as a standalone box with a modular board, which tells you this is a full alternative route rather than a novelty spin-off.

For the right group, that thematic shift is enough to matter. Some tables simply respond better to spaceship corridors, security pressure and a more exaggerated science-fiction tone than to treasure-hunting fantasy. If that sounds like your group, In! Space! is easier to get excited about from the first teach.

It is not automatically the default first buy, because shoppers who mainly want “the Clank! everyone talks about” are often better served by the original or Catacombs. But if your shelf already leans towards punchier strategy games with stronger theme dressing, In! Space! can be the better fit from day one.

Choose Clank! Legacy if your group wants a campaign, not a sampler

Clank! Legacy: Acquisitions Incorporated should be treated as its own buying question. GameSummon describes it as a legacy game where your group works with and against one another through a 10+ game campaign, permanently changing the game as choices and outcomes stack up over time. That is not a light commitment.

For the right group, that commitment is exactly the appeal. If the same players meet regularly and actively want an unfolding project rather than a reset-every-night board game, Legacy can be the most memorable route in the whole range. It gives you continuity, table jokes, and a sense that the box becomes yours rather than staying a fixed puzzle.

For everyone else, it is wiser as a later purchase. Legacy is a poor “sample” of Clank! because its real value comes from momentum and repeat attendance. If your group is inconsistent, or you are still deciding whether you even like the core push-your-luck rhythm, a standalone branch is the better first spend.

What makes sense as a second purchase

After classic Clank!: look at expansions that add variety without forcing you to change systems entirely. Sunken Treasures and Temple of the Ape Lords make sense once the original board and market rhythm already feel familiar.

After Catacombs: stay in the modular lane. Lairs & Lost Chambers and Underworld are the natural follow-ons if what you loved was the sense of discovery rather than the idea of moving to a different branch altogether.

After In! Space!: only branch outward if the sci-fi skin is still the main attraction. If what you actually discovered is that you enjoy the Clank! risk-reward loop in any setting, you may be happier jumping sideways to Catacombs than chasing the same tone exclusively.

After Legacy: think about whether you want another campaign-style commitment or a more replayable evergreen box. Many groups are better served by owning one campaign experience and one flexible standalone experience than by trying to make every purchase equally large.

Buying mistakes that make the range feel more confusing than it is

Assuming every box is just the same game with different art. It is not. The original, Catacombs, In! Space! and Legacy all answer different table needs.

Buying Legacy for an irregular group. A campaign box only shines if the same players are likely to return often enough for the long arc to matter.

Treating expansions as safer first buys than base boxes. Products like Adventuring Party, Sunken Treasures or Lairs & Lost Chambers are much easier to judge after you know which branch already fits your table.

Buying only by theme without checking commitment level. Theme helps, but the more important question is whether you want a repeatable one-box evergreen game or a longer campaign relationship with the same group.

FAQ

Which Clank! game is the best first buy for most people?

For most buyers, Clank! Catacombs is the best first buy because it is a full standalone box with a more replayable modular dungeon, while still preserving the core deck-building and escape tension that makes Clank! work.

Should I start with original Clank! or Catacombs?

Start with the original Clank! if you want the purest version of the series idea. Start with Catacombs if you expect to replay the game often and want the dungeon layout to feel less fixed.

Is Clank! In! Space! a good entry point?

Yes, but mainly for groups who know the sci-fi theme will help it hit the table more often. It is a standalone branch, not a required step before or after the fantasy boxes.

Who should actually buy Clank! Legacy first?

Buy Clank! Legacy first only if the same players want a campaign they can keep returning to. If your group is inconsistent, a standalone Clank! box is the safer starting point.