Understand the positive and negative aspects of the Paper Tales solo mode with a detailed review of the entire game.

Most of my session reports are mini-reviews in and of themselves. Since a full review can be a valuable piece of information about every board game, I finally decided to dive in and properly look at Paper Tales and Paper Tales: Beyond the Gates! Learn more about the solo experience, from the positive aspects to the elements that could be better.

The Overall Objective and Paths to Victory

Victory points are the name of the game! The goal is to earn more than the Lich King in order to secure the win. He has many ways to pull ahead, though, and giving him starting bonuses can create tricky situations. This is a nice element, though, because it allows the solo experience to be rather easy, diabolically hard, or anywhere in between.

The ways to earn victory points are many, and each play is unique. Some of these methods include the following:

• Buildings: Every building provides victory points, but may feature bonuses that trigger during round phases.
• Units: There is a multitude of units with inherent bonuses, as well as ways to synergize with other units.
• Wars: A pair of battles occur during every round to offer up ways to defeat the Lich King’s dual armies.

Perhaps the best element of gameplay is that one way of scoring victory points never leads to a guaranteed win. Sometimes the available units present unique situations. Buildings might be worthwhile, while a strong front line will be the best choice at other times. Unless I’m very much mistaken, this is not an easy solo mode to master!

Relevant Component Information

There are a few sources of information to find the exact component counts. I like to take a look at the elements that actually make a difference. So resource tokens, coins, and the like aren’t listed in this section. They’re there… Just not particularly pertinent to how the game plays! In particular, variety is rather important to keep this game fresh.

A randomized setup process creates a rather unique experience with the following elements:

• 7 Random Buildings: The basic 4 buildings are used with every play, but 3 of 7 special buildings are also available.
• 4 Lich King Bonuses: The solo opponent’s difficulty level can be changed by using 0-4 random bonuses.
• 20 Unique Chapters: The 5 chapters feature 4 possible cards each, and most of these are unknown until flipped.
• 101 Unit Cards: There are typically around 50 units seen during each play, which is only half of those included.

Clearly, there are a lot of possibilities! The different combinations help add variety and randomness, particularly in regards to the buildings and units. There is a very low chance of encountering the exact same set of components with multiple plays. At the same time, this can also make it a little tricky to figure out the best strategies to master gameplay.

My Rating of Paper Tales

A working solo card draft is one of the main elements that stands out about Paper Tales. Every choice has a consequence. Whether that involves planning for future bonuses or blocking the Lich King from picking up valuable victory points, each round features thoughtful decisions. At the same time, the different phases are easy to follow.

There are beautiful illustrations to enjoy, interesting unit combinations, and deep decisions for a seemingly simple solo game. The Lich King also makes a formidable opponent who always makes me carefully consider every move.

Reusability

Achievement & Enjoyment

7

Variability

Distinctness & Randomness

7

+ Pros (Positives)

• The iconography is clearly explained on the summary cards and easy to locate on all of the components.
• Setup is a quick process that mostly involves shuffling a few different decks of cards and then starting play.
• A solo card draft is difficult to pull off, yet this one presents challenging decisions with every set of cards.
• The sequence of play is straightforward and makes sense so that there are minimal rules questions.
• The artwork is unique and beautiful in a way that fits the theme and creates a memorable appearance.
• All of the components take up a bit of space, but the overall required table space is very reasonable.
• Resources are always scarce so that strategies must be carefully considered in order to best utilize them.
• There are practically countless combinations of the units so that every play is almost guaranteed to be unique.
• Variability is high due to the random setup process, especially in regards to the Lich King’s bonuses and cards.
• The aging mechanism and placement of the units are different elements that make gameplay stand out.

– Cons (Negatives)

• The purchase price for the base game is a little high and coupled with the expansion, the solo game is pricey.
• The card quality is a little underwhelming in terms of the cardstock, card back design, and lack of a linen finish.
• Sometimes the high variability can make it difficult to work out a coherent strategy from round to round.
• There are a few dominant strategies with units that are a little overpowered in certain rare situations.

Continue the Conversation

What do you like and dislike about Paper Tales and Paper Tales: Beyond the Gates? Are there any questions you have about gameplay or strategy? The game occupies an interesting crossroads between short play time and engaging gameplay. My scores against the Lich King are usually pretty close, and I thoroughly enjoy the multitude of choices!