Paupers’ Ladder and Finding a Great Story in the Mundane
Travel through forests, mountains, swamps, and more on a quest to learn a trio of virtues in Paupers’ Ladder.
This year of solo board gaming has been an interesting one for me. Some might call it slow: I think I’ve played maybe 6 different games since the start of the year! Yet Paupers’ Ladder is one of those examples that I’m simply loving. There is so much to see, and despite me not changing that much, the stories have been different for every character so far!
Game Overview
Game Name: Paupers’ Ladder
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Paul Stapleton
Artist: Paul Stapleton
Publisher: Bedsit Games
Solo Mode: Included in One Lonely Pauper
A single pauper explores the land, coming across things like monsters, hidden towns, special events, collectible ingredients, and so much more! The goal is to learn 3 of 5 virtues before time runs out, while limited health encourages the character and bird companion to be wary.
First Play
February 26, 2023
Complexity
2
Latest Play
August 22, 2025
Expansions
6
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
16
Play Time
45 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
38" x 26"
Low Score
N/A
The Greyhaven Killer
This adventure, I chose to play as Dezzi Blonth. He was the last character for the medium difficulty level, although I think it’s simple to just adjust the requirements for each.
As watchman, he was privy to his town’s quest, which involved a notorious murderer. Justice must be served!
The zombie in the nearby swamp was probably a victim, which led me to believe Dezzi would stumble across some type of magical, evil being behind the deaths.
His bird companion was the canary, the final bird from the base game I hadn’t used yet. A lovely little friend, though!
Cautious and Alive
Although stories remain the most important element, I’ve slowly picked up on some useful strategies. For instance, equipment absolutely should not be ignored. Ever!
Dezzi picked up plenty of useful items along the way. His inventory was limited to 5 objects, yet 3 of these gave him the ability to draw 2 region cards and choose one of them.
In this way, dangers could be avoided or encountered when the outcome deck was in good order.
But don’t think this selection made it easy! The canary actually got surrounded by enemies at one point. Dezzi!
Tons of Variety
Now, I’ll mention that the mine deck is larger than the other region decks. However, this is a comparison of the unused deck and the mine cards Dezzi saw along the way.
I focused heavily on the mines, while the other region decks may have used 10 cards at the most. Hopefully, this shows the variety between plays. Lots and lots to discover!
Granted, there are lots of duplicate cards, but there are a lot of unique cards in each region deck.
I may have seen most of the cards already, yet each play has a very different assortment, especially in the quests.
Who is Dezzi, Really?
I’m going to say it: This was probably my most boring play. Dezzi did well enough, but never really encountered anything memorable along the way. He just… Won.
But then, what if I told you this was the most interesting story of all? What?! Keep in mind that only 4 of roughly 40 quests are in play at the start. In random locations.
I never completed the search for the Greyhaven murderer. Conclusion? Dezzi WAS the Greyhaven murderer. Oh, no!
Rather ridiculous, but this made me crack up and just seemed absolutely accurate. See? Still a story there!
Flavor Text: How It May or May Not be Needed
One aspect that’s very limited in the game is the flavor text. The quests are typically the main source of lore, yet it remains short. I’m someone who often loves this aspect so I can weave a tale that feels like it takes place in the game world. Even a simple sentence on each card can be enough, as can some very detailed artwork.
It’s certainly welcome here, but for the length of play, I think flavor text might bog things down. The speed of moving through turns and coming up with little stories work together perfectly. To upset that balance would likely mean text-heavy cards and a move away from the fairly uncluttered card designs. Stories can come from anywhere!
This play featured practically nothing memorable from what happened. Dezzi completed the virtues, the outcome deck felt pretty well-balanced, and there weren’t any special story moments. Ah, but when I took into account that he was the Greyhaven murderer, it all made sense: His mundane activities needed to remain hidden so he could escape!
Session Overview
Play Number: 5
Expansion: One Lonely Pauper
Solo Mode: Included in One Lonely Pauper
Play Details: Medium Difficulty Level
Outcome: Win
Dezzi might be the pauper with the most interesting tale so far! Maybe he’s not actually a murderer after learning all of those virtues… But I like silly stories, and this fits the bill. The rest of the quests were close to being completed, but not quite. Ancient tunnels? The underground river didn’t cut it. I love this game, if that isn’t clear yet!
%
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)
- Even fairly simple or mundane plays have the potential for some very interesting storylines from the cards.
- Although there is very limited flavor text, the narrative isn’t difficult to come up with and flows naturally.
- The bird companion provides an additional way to explore Brighthelm and feels thematically relevant.
- Only a portion of the cards are used with each play, allowing for all sorts of variety for each pauper character.
- Virtues may be approached in different ways, and sometimes the choice evolves based on what happens.
- There aren’t too many rules to remember, so the focus of play is on story moments and making quick choices.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Completing quests can very much be a hit or miss based on the order of the cards in the various region decks.
- It can sometimes be easy to forget to use a item or completed recipe at the right time without obvious reminders.
- The pauper meeple and bird disc can feel a little disjointed from the general aesthetic of the artwork.
- There is limited variety in the bird companions and rarity items, with just 4 of each included with the base game.
Victory Conditions
Complete the Scenario Win Condition
- Overall Goal Progress 33%
Goals and Milestones
Complete the Garolium's Tournament scenario.
Win at least 1 game with each base game character. (2/8)
Continue the Conversation
What is the most interesting part of Paupers’ Ladder for you? Does it remind you of anything else, either related to board games or not? It seems similar to something in my random childhood memories, and hopefully I’ll figure that out soon enough! Yet it stands on its own as a fantastic solo experience with so many possible storylines. Very fun!
I’m really enjoying reading about your play-throughs of this. It’s not a game I’d heard of, but I’ve just ordered a copy along with the Moon Towers expansion. Can’t wait to dive into it – cheers.
Thanks so much, Greg! I’ll have a few posts about the expansion coming up soon. It’s a charming game world, and even playing nonstop as my only solo game, each play still feels different and engaging. The simple, light feel to it is also unique amongst the adventure games I’m used to… Very nice to have a game box that has tons in it without taking up an enormous amount of space. Hope you have a wonderful time when your copy arrives!