Clank Dungeon Calculator
Total artifact value, deck points, secrets, market items, clank cubes, dragon risk, depth, and escape bonus in one dungeon score sheet.
| Score Source | Typical Range | Calculator Input | Formula Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artifact / relic | 5 to 30 points | Artifact Value | Added directly to base score |
| Deck cards | 0 to 60+ points | Deck Victory Points | Printed VP total from acquired cards |
| Secret tokens | 0 to 25+ points | Secret Token Points | Monkey idols, tomes, and bonus tokens |
| Market items | 5 to 25+ points | Market Item Points | Crowns, backpack, key, and chalice value |
| Companion sets | 0 to 40+ points | Companion Bonus Points | Module, faction, or card-set scoring |
| Depth State | Escape Meaning | Bonus Model | Calculator Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Above Ground / Shop Ring | Safe if knocked out | 0 points | Low artifact value but strong survival |
| Upper Dungeon | Recoverable route | 0 points | Usually a tempo checkpoint |
| Lower Dungeon | Artifact committed | 0 points | Escape turns matter more than extra buys |
| Deep Artifact Zone | High-risk scoring | 0 points | Can be zeroed by knockout before exit |
| Escaped With Mastery Token | Confirmed finish | 20 points | Mastery is added after base score |
| Bag Situation | Your Cubes | Total Bag | Single-Attack Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiet early route | 3 cubes | 30 cubes | About 34% at 4 draws |
| Normal midgame | 7 cubes | 32 cubes | About 64% at 4 draws |
| Noisy market turn | 11 cubes | 34 cubes | About 78% at 4 draws |
| Late dragon pressure | 14 cubes | 30 cubes | About 92% at 5 draws |
| Route Type | Best Input Focus | Risk Watch | Score Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint artifact | Artifact, turns to exit | Low bag count | Score may trail deck builders |
| Market plan | Market and secrets | Clank from shopping turns | Check item VP before diving |
| Deep relic run | Artifact and depth | Expected wounds before exit | Needs strong escape buffer |
| Mastery finish | Escaped status | Late dragon attacks | Mastery token adds 20 points |
Clank is a game about balancing the desire for artifact with the need to avoid the dragon. Each player desire to collect artifacts from the bottom of the map. However, the more cubes that a player places in the dragon bag, the more higher the chance that the dragon will wake up and punish all players at the table.
Thus, players must balance between the desire to score and the need for survival. Each game are different due to the changing nature of the tension between scoring and survival. New players often focus on the artifact that is desired because of it’s printed value for points.
How to Balance Artifacts and Dragon Risk
New players may believe that the highest value for the artifact is the best for each player, but the total score for each player come from a variety of sources. The points can be earned from the deck cards, the secret tokens, and the market items. A calculator can help a player determine how many points can be earned from each of these sources so that the player can determine if the pursuit of the artifact is more beneficial then focusing on the market to earn points.
The dragon bag is one of the components of the game. The dragon bag dictates the risk that each player will face in the game. The more cubes that each player places in the bag indicates the risk that each player will face.
However, the higher the total number of cubes in the bag indicates the risk for the entire game; the fewer the cubes in the bag, the more higher the risk for each individual cube. Additionally, the deeper that each player moves into the map, the more attacks that will come when the player attempts to leave the map. Thus, the more attacks, the least mistakes that a player can make after the dragon begins to draw cubes from the bag.
The status of the players escape is another important component of Clank. The artifact that a player obtains has no value if the player is knocked out before they can reach the surface of the map. A twenty-five point artifact is value zero if the player does not reach the surface.
A calculator can indicate how many wounds will be recieved before the game is over; this can help the player to decide if their plan of movement will allow them to escape the map in time for the game to end. Many players will find that a modest artifact that can be obtained without risk is more valuable than a high point artifact that cant be extracted from the map. Each of the market items and the secret tokens is important items in Clank.
However, many players treat these items as secondary to the focus that they should place on the artifact that they are seeking. Market items, such as backpack or keys, will shorten the player’s path to the exit of the map. Thus, the dragon will make fewer attacks for the player.
Additionally, secret tokens can be earned as a reward for the exploration of each of the loop of the map. Thus, these tokens provide the player with points without increasing the risk of the player getting attacked by the dragon. A calculator can help a player determine how many points can be earned from each of these items.
A common mistake is to play parts of the game in isolation from the rest of the game. For instance, a player can become focused on a single item of the deck while ignoring the clank count for the player. Another example is of ignoring the mastery token while establishing a path for their route that will use up the health for the player.
While the calculator can help to avoid these mistake, they cannot prevent the player from committing them. The skill for the game is to read the pressure of the game instead of simply counting the points that can be earned by each player. For instance, if the number of wounds that each player will take exceeds the health that each player has remaining, then the smart player will elect to stop adding to the dragon bag and begin to move to the exit of the map.
Thus, the calculator will allow each player to read the pressure of the game and to make a better decision about the game instead of making a decision based off hope that the dragon will remain quiet throughout the game.
