Tale as Old as Time: A Literal Meaning in Paper Tales
Hire intriguing characters to battle the defiant Lich King as time takes its toll with realistic aging in Paper Tales.
One of the hardest mechanics to bring to a solo game is card drafting. Yet time and time again, Paper Tales rises to the top as an excellent example! This charming art style features some interesting strategies, too, particularly with the way the Lich King must be approached. Alwasy the challenge, I gladly returned to this whimsical storybook world!
Game Overview
Game Name: Paper Tales
Publication Year: 2017
Designer: Masato Uesugi
Artist: Christine Alcouffe
Publisher: Catch Up Games
Solo Mode: Included in Paper Tales: Beyond the Gates
The Lich King is a powerful foe to face with many characters. A card draft creates choices, both in who to choose and who to give up. Buildings add bonuses, yet deciding how to use a character during their lifetime takes careful planning… Each tale is one filled with struggles!
First Play
December 23, 2019
Complexity
2
Latest Play
September 29, 2023
Expansions
1
Setup Time
Almost None
Lifetime Plays
20
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
50
Game Area
22" x 22"
Low Score
26
The Town Square
Most gameplay revolves around drafting characters to use for all sorts of bonuses, from resource production to special battle abilities. Yet there is more to this tale…
Each play begins with several set buildings and a few random ones. These have level 1 and level 2 options.
Coupled with the characters, there are a lot of decisions. Some buildings make more sense when paired correctly, while others might align with a specific strategy.
Buildings get more and more costly, although a single level 2 building allows for more characters to be hired!
Monkeying Around
Perhaps a downside to gameplay is how large the deck is, meaning that less than half of the cards are seen each play.
Finding synergies can be tricky, but I did it! The monkey granted me a coin for hiring it, which then allowed me to afford the miner and dragon. A-ha! A powerful duo.
Remember, only the characters in the front line can contribute to battles. Yet 9 total power was more than enough to put me off to a great start against the Lich King!
Alas, these characters weren’t going to stick around for long with the way the aging tokens simulated time.
An Age-Old Dilemma
That’s a trick of the eye: It’s a different young sorcerer who made it to the very end! But those aging tokens made for all sorts of tricky situations for all of my characters.
The young sorcerer paired nicely with the Relic of Light, which could never die. Move those aging tokens over!
As simple of a mechanic as this might seem, it feels very thematic and makes every card important. Even those without a cost take up precious space in the rows.
I had a decent enough showing with a few buildings, yet the Lich King defeated me by just enough. How rude!
Pure Gloating
Oh, how the Lich King was proud of himself! The neat panorama formed by his cards was a bit macabre, but he was just completely thrilled with his victory. Oh, stop!
Now, I played at a much higher difficulty level. I was out of practice, too! But I knew I wasn’t planning everything as well as I should have. There are certain keys to winning.
Most importantly, not every character helped me out. Sure, I had some bonuses, yet nothing stood out.
The miner and dragon duo was the best thing I pulled off, and that was during the first round. Must practice more!
The Fun of Trying, Trying, and Trying Again
At this point, I lose against the Lich King consistently. It’s not even close at this difficulty level! So… Why keep trying? I know I’ve won before, and this is a challenge that continues to provide some entertainment. I’m learning as I go. Most importantly, I’ve stepped outside my comfort zone to feel like I can’t win that easily. It will take some effort!
These sorts of challenges keep me coming back to a lot of solo games. I may not be good at winning… My winning ratio might be embarrassingly low. But it’s all about persevering. There’s still another difficulty level to go. Along the way, I keep finding new character combinations, or even units I’ve never played with before. Still so much to discover!
Session Overview
Play Number: 15 and 16
Expansion: Paper Tales: Beyond the Gates
Solo Mode: Included in Paper Tales: Beyond the Gates
Play Details: Level 3 Difficulty Level
Outcome: 39-47 and 38-51 (2 Losses)
Even a second play with an excellent blacksmith and many buildings wasn’t enough! I was far from my high score, and in no condition to go up against the Lich King. He could ride off into the moonlight again! Definitely need to play this one more often to nail down the strategies. It’s a wonderful experience, and I always enjoy playing!
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
10
Originality
Design & Theme
8
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- The artwork style is reminiscent of paper crafts and storybooks in a way that brings each tale to life.
- Card drafting is a mixture of choosing the best cards, and deciding which cards to give up to the solo opponent.
- Gameplay moves quickly with a clear sequence of play that feels intuitive and is easy to remember.
- Clear iconography makes it easy to see all abilities and bonuses at a glance, without the need to check the rules.
- Randomized setup provides some unpredictability around the Lich King each play, leading to some surprises.
- Winning battles forms a major component of gameplay, yet there are plenty of other ways to earn victory points.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Only a small portion of the deck is used with each play, which makes synergistic combinations rather difficult.
- Some Lich King cards feel more challenging than others in most situations, so each play may not feel balanced.
- Various parts of the rulebooks are a bit confusing or don’t include enough examples to clearly define the rules.
- Income can be very hard to generate if the right characters don’t come out early, leading to limited options.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 75%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game at the level 0 difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the level 1 difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the level 2 difficulty level.
Win at least 1 game at the level 3 difficulty level.
Continue the Conversation
Have you ever played Paper Tales? Do you have any other solo games that simulate aging or the passage of time? As quick as the rounds fly by, I still find myself trying out new options and figuring out how to best use different characters. So many to choose from! This one continues to stand the test of time… No aging tokens on this game yet!
There is supposed to be a new edition of this game coming, along with an expansion. Have you heard anything about it? I have had this game in my list of games to consider for so long !
It sounds like a new expansion and complete edition is in the works! French appears to be up first, while I haven’t seen anything solid about the English edition yet. But all good news since I’m hoping this makes it easier to pick up. It’s not a perfect game, yet it’s so quick and filled with lots of strategies. Hopefully, we’ll see some news about it coming up very soon!
I just preordered Paper Tales Complete editions, in french, with both expansions, the original and the new one. Yeeha !
Excited to hear it’s coming out in French! I hope you enjoy it. There’s a lot to love in the way they handled solo so well. And the Lich King is always a challenge, but play time is very quick. Awesome news!!!