Paupers’ Ladder: The Pumpkin Princess and the Dismal Egg
Travel across Brighthelm on an unforgettable adventure as a Bodach with a trusted bird companion in Paupers’ Ladder.
Time to enjoy one of my favorites: Paupers’ Ladder! I’ve dabbled in most of the content over the years, finding some of my favorite elements along the way. This is a relatively short and compact experience for a grand sort of adventure! To get into the autumn mood with a dash of Halloween flair, I brought out a Bodach I had never played before. To the skies and roads!
Game Overview
Game Name: Paupers’ Ladder
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Paul Stapleton
Artist: Paul Stapleton
Publisher: Bedsit Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Second Edition)
Adventures span the island of Brighthelm, full of cities and wilderness to explore. There are recipes to learn, hazards to deal with, quests to undertake, coins to spend, and a bird companion to add more options. Expansions offer new content, and something unique almost always comes up!
First Play
February 26, 2023
Complexity
2
Latest Play
October 5, 2026
Expansions
7
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
19
Play Time
50 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
38" x 26"
Low Score
N/A
Across Brighthelm
Setup takes a little bit of work with the number of different card decks and my desire to keep them neatly aligned… But what an area! It looks like a lot, yet it’s pretty contained.
To get into the Halloween mood, I chose to play with one of the Bodachs. Princess Pepo, actually. I’ll get to her shortly.
I always include This Cobbled Isle, yet I decided to move back over to The Moon Towers for the first time in ages.
The included content typically isn’t mixed together, which might sound limiting, yet it offers up more focused stories and mechanics… And more of them, for lots of variety!
Ladder to Medley
Hurray for this connected scene on the boxes! I kept them propped up in front of me to add to the atmosphere.
My previous collection had some extreme lid lift with the original box, so this helped me out tremendously! Actually, saving about half an inch of shelf space was amazing.
But back to the solo game itself! This is all about setting out on an adventure, often to learn 3 of 5 possible virtues.
As a Bodach, these virtues were powers, and there was a tinge of evilness to my character. Yet we all know me: This was going to be comedic evil I could laugh in the face of.
Princess Pepo
And oh, what a face it was. Ha ha! Princess Pepo was a cursed fruit-type person. Or vegetable?! The definitive answer seems to point to fruit. A valuable lesson.
Naturally, the naming convention was suspect. Pepo had self-appointed herself as royalty. According to the legend, she tormented the inhabitants of Blacksand with her claims.
Can you imagine? A seemingly confused, costumed person waltzes over and starts spewing nonsense about royalty.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted Princess Pepo to succeed. At least her vulture sidekick seemed quite fitting. Ha ha!
A Snabbet and An Egg
Things got off to a slow sort of start, which I rather enjoyed. The map fills up with more cards and it’s possible to trace the safe travel routes and the… Not-so-safe avenues.
At one point, Pepo had to travel through the mountains guarded by this terrible Snabbet . A level 7 hazard value is one of the higher ones, and this would be a disaster!
Luckily, that hollow pumpkin head was good for many tasks, like storing eggs. The dismal kind: Not the good kind.
Ha ha! This was a cool moment that seemed to cover the Snabbet in some gooey egg innards. Dismal, indeed!
Appreciating the Humorous Moments
More than most of my adventure-themed solo games, I find this one lends itself to comedy and humor. And not in an obvious, over-the-top way: Just subtle card combinations that always make me laugh! Character biographies released in rulebooks or coloring books are also a delight to read. Maybe one day, I’ll chase down all of those achievements.
While combat is an important part of gameplay, I love how this isn’t a game purely about smashing every hazard out there. Some have clever solutions to get by, others block regions indefinitely, and others seem linked to other cards on the map. So much fun weaving these stories! My characters aren’t always successful, yet they always end up with little stories to tell.
Pest Racing Problems
Pepo’s vulture didn’t fare too well, though. I chose the hard difficulty level, which I’ve found is excellent for my preferred challenge. But health is often very limited.
There was a time when cities could not be entered, and this vulture was down to her final health. What to do?! Well, there was only one safe place to go in the swamps.
It was at this time that the unnamed vulture took up a life of gambling on pest racing. Constantly. Consistently. Endlessly.
I thought Pepo was going to run out of coins! But I guess vultures have a talent for picking the winners. Go, vulture!
Purchasing the Throne
Up until the end, I only referred to this fruit person as Pepo. She had to earn that royal title! Fittingly, the very last power came at the very last moment, and it was for wealth.
Effectively, Pepo bought herself a throne and the right to be called Princess Pepo. That did not stop her from being insufferable with her stories, though. They got worse.
Townsfolk were pelted with dismal eggs. Her vulture started a side business as a questionable pest racing enthusiast.
But luckily, Princess Pepo’s reign of pumpkin-related shenanigans only happened on Halloween henceforth!
Session Overview
Play Number: 19
Main Expansion 1: The Bodachs of Brighthelm
Main Expansion 2: The Moon Towers
Main Expansion 3: This Cobbled Isle
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Second Edition)
Play Details: Hard Difficulty Level
Outcome: Win
I wonder if Princess Pepo’s showdown with a Scarecrow was more about hurling fruit or hay at one another. Ha! This was another excellent adventure to go on that came down to the very end. Fun times with another type of character, too!
%
10 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
9
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each play offers up a unique and compelling adventure, all in the span of around an hour or less most of the time.
- The artwork is charming and brings the world to life in a somewhat familiar fantasy setting with its own twists.
- Many possibilities are open in terms of what virtues to pursue and what to accomplish during a turn.
- Adjusting the difficulty level happens during setup and is easy, providing as much of a challenge as desired.
- A character starts off with practically nothing and slowly gains abilities, offering up a fun arc to follow during play.
- Expansions are not necessary, yet provide plenty of new cards and different kinds of stories to get immersed in.
– Cons (Negatives)
- The Cutty Wren tends to be forgotten at times and feels like a more situational module than one that’s always used.
- Lots of card decks are needed, making setup a little long for the experience, though it doesn’t drag on too much.
- Keeping track of different sequences and bonuses can take a bit of effort towards the end when multiple things apply.
- Early turns can feel a little devoid of action, though the benefit is being able to prioritize the regions to travel to.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Scenario Win Condition
- Overall Goal Progress 50%
Goals and Milestones
Complete the Garolium's Tournament scenario.
Complete the Saltash Necromacner scenario.
Continue the Conversation
What do you enjoy the most about Paupers’ Ladder? Is there an expansion or combination you like to use when you play? This was a wonderful chance to look at the other content I haven’t seen in years and remember why I love this one so much. Just so many adventures packed into about an hour of play! Congratulations to Pepo… May she chill out now! Ha!
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