Game Overview

Game Name: Paupers’ Ladder
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Paul Stapleton
Artist: Paul Stapleton
Publisher: Bedsit Games
Solo Mode: Included in The Moon Towers

The goal is to learn a trio of virtues by exploring the world as a pauper, paired up with a magical bird. I can never explain how much is possible with the sheer number of cards that adds so much variety without feeling like too much. Brighthelm is all about quick, exciting adventures!

Enjoying Everything

Recently, I completed my collection with some of the latest expansions. Time to try to play with almost every possible piece of content! Such an excellent system.

I decided to deal with some substantial lid lift by using the expansion box to hold the cards. Very nice! Not the best solution for everyone, but this is what I wanted to do.

Note, too, that each adventure usually uses the cards on the left or right, without mixing them. Plenty of variety!

With new elements to incorporate, I was simply excited to get back into Brighthelm and discover all the charm again.

Meet Raggy

One of the expansions introduces Bodachs, who are a little different and Halloween-related. I was a little late, but Raggy Nebbitson the zombie shepherd looked perfect!

He could turn undead hazards into familiars, which fit right in with his shepherding. I imagined he was herding the zombies, rather than being a zombie himself.

Bo became his starting bird, and rotten food looked like it would be a handy item. Very thematic. Ha ha!

I also used talents and curses to make sure Raggy was as unique as could be. He even had a personal goal to achieve!

The Brightest Sights

So cool! Although this might look like a lot, I didn’t need to stretch that far. All of those card decks are there for variety, rather than adding on tons of little rules.

I decided to really take my time with this play and get into character a bit, which is why this post is so lengthy!

The important things to note are just how varied each play can be. At the absolute most, I probably got through half of a single deck, and barely touched others. So, so good.

This solo mode uses a time track and health so that it isn’t a free-for-all of endless turns… Raggy needed to move!

Bluevale Gossip King

Raggy was in charge of herding the zombies that wandered into Bluevale from the surrounding mountains. No matter what, they found their way into town.

He was known for being the local storyteller, often believing he could interpret all of the humanoid groans and grunts. Could he? Probably not, but the stories!

Lately, though, the townsfolk were ready to bid Raggy farewell… His stories had turned into the worst gossip.

The latest zombie skeleton was actually responsible for stealing Ian’s apples, like 17 years ago… No one cared!

A Tale of Grand Luck

With the Garolium tournament in full swing, Raggy took the social cues and set up a field of zombies. No matter: They couldn’t figure out the gate or a single wooden slat!

Bo, a very pleasant bowerbird, made a decent partner. Never had the shepherd encountered such a useful friend, though maybe that had to do with Bo being alive.

On the far northern shores of Brighthelm, Bo actually managed to defeat a sea beast with practically no effort!

Raggy was on a mission of his own, particularly to get himself into the coveted necromancer club.

Necromancing Stories

Let’s just say that the necromancer club was just a thing in Raggy’s mind. He figured he would open up a new chapter as soon as he became an adept. And he was on his way!

In a rather murky part of the swamp, he spotted a fairly decayed skeleton zombie. A-ha! It was his chance to shine, and in no time, he had a loyal familiar on his side.

Raggy immediately regretted this decision, as he was used to herding zombies, not having them follow him.

The shambling was unnerving. As was the smell, but that wasn’t odd. Although the flag was soaked in the unknown.

Dust to Undead Dust

Raggy wrinkled his nose, or whatever was left of it, at every turn. In a rather fitting turn of events though, he managed to stumble through the swamp with no issues.

But never underestimate the dangers of the Brighthelm swamps. He waltzed along merrily, then decided to pause to see how far ahead the skeleton might wander.

The sound was deafening as a hidden wire trap went off. Only a bit of dust was left as the skeleton disintegrated.

With a minor shrug, Raggy gingerly stepped around the remnants, wondering if necromancy was all that good.

Sailing to New Lands

Entirely done with the swamps and all of that nonsense, Raggy traveled north to Lilacsville. Everything smelled much better, and there were no zombies to be found.

Better yet, he discovered the Cutty Stark in the harbor. This unusual ship sailed all across Brighthelm, and climbing aboard wasn’t all that easy to do. Raggy had done it!

His store of gems was fairly modest, yet he still found a wonderful field guide to help him complete some recipes.

The sea air restored him, and he made lofty plans to continue exploring. Minus the skeleton, thank goodness!

Cooking Up Abilities

While Bo picked up ingredients of all sorts, Raggy himself tried his best to complete various recipes. New abilities popped up, and most felt pretty zombie-like!

It was with a great flourish that Raggy learned his fifth recipe, thereby bestowing himself with quackery. Don’t worry: That was a very good thing for this Bodach.

Effectively, he was prepared to collect more gems and be prepared to explore the remaining regions. Go, Raggy!

Of course, good luck meant the time track was progressing very slowly. Quite the luxury for a zombie shepherd.

Rotten to the Core

I was wrong when I said Raggy shed the awful stench of the undead… That rotten food he started with was still with him, and it was probably coming back to life.

Fortunately, a chance encounter with a hill giant proved to be just the right thing. Raggy was about to be hit over the head with a nasty branch when he offered up the feast.

Well, it was much like a Thanksgiving meal that hadn’t been properly cooked. The hill giant was… Also cooked!

It was a great triumph over a powerful foe, but I didn’t know if Raggy could recover his sense of smell ever again.

The Worst Curator

Suitably happy with the way life was going, Raggy set out to actually pay attention to some of the requests from around the different cities. Blacksand sounded perfect!

With a trophy room brimming with hazards, it was easy enough to locate a couple of vermin. I mean, one of them was even labeled a pest! Definitely fit the bill.

A museum curator wanted to put these on display, and it was an exciting moment when payment was offered…

Raggy was summarily dismissed with a pair of identical firefly lamps. Goodness, Blacksand. Thanks for nothing?

Lighting the Way

Ah, but Raggy was not paying attention to the vast swamps to the east of Blacksand. That curator was onto something… You needed to be careful out there!

The firefly lamp came in handy as Raggy held it up down a split in the path. He could either fall face-first into a trap, or choose to pick up the shiny hidden stash.

He learned an important lesson that day: Never question the wisdom of the residents in an unknown city.

That, and the fact that firefly lamps smell immensely more pleasant than rotten food. Don’t pack the latter!

A Logical Assassin

Out there in the swamp, Raggy also found his way to a very unusual guild… Assassins. He wasn’t so sure how to feel about this group, as they were generally pretty dangerous.

Thinking on it, he also wondered if they were responsible for the steady stream of skeleton zombies in Bluevale.

He was ready to hightail it out of there, but then he remembered the woes of Bo, his bird, in the mountains.

In a most logical move, Raggy hired the assassins to go after the only target he could think of… An eagle. And so the mountain pass was cleared in the oddest of ways!

Let Me Magic That…

Finished with the nonsense of the eastern swamps, Raggy headed back to Blacksand for a more civilized outing. The sewer outlet did not bode well for his recovering nose…

So he traveled down the city streets to see what he might discover. A magician cried out in a rather hoarse voice, so desperate was he to try out his transforming spell.

Luckily, the extra firefly lamp was a prime target! With a fizzle, electric spark, and spin, it was soon modified.

The poor magician was literally a jumbled mess, likely upside down, but his joy over the success was immense.

Returning Heirlooms

Raggy attempted a conversation with the rather confused and discombobulated magician. Far off in the mountains, his family lost a set of gems eons ago. Or was it pegs?

No matter: This Bodach was on the case! With a trusty unlock recipe, a strongbox was located where the eagle used to roost. Well, thank goodness for assassins. Maybe.

Back to Blacksand Raggy returned, where the magician was still completely confused and transformed.

Yet the return of the gems managed to work another spell on him, and he was most grateful for Raggy’s work!

Finding the Real Rats

For context, my preorder of the latest expansion included an original piece of artwork, which happened to be rats.

Bo was quite busy on the other side of Brighthelm, regularly sending information and treasures to Raggy.

But when a bird encounters a city, that bird is going to explore. Unfortunately for Bo, he discovered a pair of most unpleasant rats infesting the alley near the Dubious Inn.

It was hardly a match, although I think everyone was happy to see the rats appeared larger than they were. The inn was safe. Bo was safe. Raggy was… Necromancing?

A Shift in Attitude

During this entire journey, Raggy was quite excited to land himself as a necromancer adept and open a club chapter.

Alas, being a zombie shepherd meant that the undead were a bit averse to him. There was no way he would become the necromancer he dreamed of. Poor Raggy.

When he went home to regroup, he discovered something better than an official club… A secret society! Granted, this was a group of thieves he often never crossed paths with.

Still, their idea of taking from the rich and giving to the poor sounded like just the ticket for his victory!

Taking a Step Back

And with that, Raggy Nebbitson learned his third virtue to win! There were many ingredients still strewn across Brighthelm, which were at least worth plenty of gems.

It was also nice to see him finish the adventure back in his hometown. A gossip was still the main attraction, but I’m fairly certain someone else stepped up to the plate. Ha!

I took my time with this play, and although it definitely took much longer than usual, I loved every single turn.

The good luck at the start actually made it last longer, as I didn’t feel the need to rush the end. Raggy had a story!

Switching Talents

Raggy ended up with another zombie in tow as his familiar, although I never could find an undead hazard strong enough to complete his personal quest. Next time!

I also swapped out his talent each time he learned a virtue, which was a lot of fun. Even though it had no gameplay effect, he turned into a blagger in the end. Very fitting!

This is a game all about just enjoying the adventure, and this one took some interesting twists and turns.

Playing with more expansion content only made it even better. Such a wonderful experience with each play!

Toil and Trouble

I decided to run through a typical play just to make sure the total time remained pretty reasonable, and it did!

Gaudilus Screp definitely embodied toil and trouble… I couldn’t complete her personal quest in the solo mode, but it was still nice to have for some personality!

Lilacsville and Blacksand started with work that would normally cost a turn, but as a toiler, Gaudilus was awesome in terms of collecting gems and equipment.

Things progressed quickly at the start, but I was still in the story during every turn. No boring moments here!

Session Overview

Play Number: 11 & 12
Expansion 1: Bodachs of Brighthelm
Expansion 2: The Moon Towers
Expansion 3: This Cobbled Isle
Solo Mode: Included in The Moon Towers
Play Details: Medium Difficulty Level
Outcome: 2 Wins

Success! I moved through this play a lot quicker and didn’t want to make this post any longer, yet it was still filled with all sorts of memorable moments. Absolutely love this game, particularly with all of the expansion content!

Affordability

Price & Value

8

Functionality

Challenges & Mechanics

10

Originality

Design & Theme

7

Quality

Components & Rules

9