Jan 12, 2026 | Sessions |

Capture the little moments that take an unexpected character on an adventure of a lifetime in Paupers’ Ladder.

With a neatly organized solo play space, I had the opportunity to choose my own sort of adventure, and I knew what called to me. It was Paupers’ Ladder! This bright and quirky world has lots of stories to tell, and with multiple scenarios across different difficulty levels, it can be as laidback or cutthroat as desired. This time, the undead would be unforgettable!

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)

Exploration is key for a character and bird. Cities exist at the edges, while the heart of the story takes place in untamed regions like forests and swamps. Rising to the level of a hero is far from easy, often requiring virtues and great battles. It all wraps up in a fairly short play time filled with memories!

First Play

February 26, 2023

Complexity

2

Latest Play

January 10, 2025

Expansions

6

Setup Time

10 Minutes

Lifetime Plays

18

Play Time

45 Minutes

High Score

N/A

Game Area

38″ x 26″

Low Score

N/A

A Look at an Almanac

Over the years, I’ve collected a fair number of extra materials for the game. Some of these are coloring books with additional lore about nearly every card. Very neat!

I kept this almanac close by to find little tidbits as I played. There are many accomplishments to check off over time, too, although I mostly prefer to do my own thing.

Not to be forgotten, of course, are the Calico Critters! I had an adorable family of deer play along, complete with a bird.

Maybe I’ll try my hand at coloring in these drawings one day, but for now, I enjoy flipping around to add to my story.

Alf and the Undead

The biggest change I made was to try out a new scenario, titled the Saltash Necromancer. Undead creatures filled the mines, along with most of the cities along the coastline.

With this focus on the mines and swamps, there was an unassuming gas miner who rose to the occasion.

Alf Blomwell ventured out of Bluevale, armed with little more than his hard hat, lamp, and bird companion, Bo.

Someone dressed up in what I can only describe as the best attempt at a gas miner’s uniform. Ha ha! And that fancy hat is definitely a hard hat. No one needs to question this!

Ignoring the Evidence

I used some of the expansion content, including landmarks for the cities. Bo flapped up to the old tower to survey the area. This gave Alf a good idea on where to go. But Bo?

He spotted some yeti claws glinting in the mountains to the northeast. This intrigued him and seemed like the safest path to take at such an early stage. But Bo was not wise.

Affronted by these claws and their very vague resemblance to his own talons, the agitated bird destroyed them…

Thus revealing an angry yeti, who promptly attacked with a fresh set of claws. Bo learned an important lesson that day!

Falling Off the Ladder

My decision to play at the very hard difficulty level was a conscious choice, as I wanted this to feel like a challenge. Suffice to say that Alf did not benefit from my leadership!

While he was preparing to enter a city to vanquish an undead foe, the beach drew him in. It was certainly quite picturesque, but I mean that it literally drew him in.

For there he was, a simple gas miner, when a sand trap sucked him in… And in no time, that was the end of Alf!

The blame was on Bo, who managed to squander away Alf’s coins in a forest gambling den. Oh, dear! And… Oh, deer? Ha!

Returning to the Joy of Solo Games

I took a few weeks off from solo games to take a step back. That time was devoted to cleaning and organizing most of my house. Not that it was in horrible shape or anything, but many games accumulated to a point that I felt like I was surrounded. It was overwhelming. Game shelves felt ominous.. So many boxes to open and organize. It wasn’t fun.

So I set to work and along the way, decided that I wanted to take things a little more slowly at my table. I probably won’t play board games every day. My critical reviews will still be around since I write whatever comes to mind, but the missing Calico Critters will no longer be so rare. They’re part of my joy! And that’s what I love sharing in most of what I write.

This was the perfect game to come back to because this session wasn’t great by any stretch of the imagination. I lost. I had some of the worst luck. There was no saving Alf from the sand trap. But the story moments were some of the best, mostly thanks to the fun I had adding my Calico Critters! Expect to see them some more, interspersed for more smiles and laughs.

Pestered on the Beach

Another outing for Alf seemed like the right choice. I had a little more information about how terribly risky it was to lose all of my coins… I mean, trust Bo with a minor fortune.

Wait… Because Alf is a gas miner, Bo spent a “miner” fortune! This interruption brought to you by a bad, bad pun.

Anyway, things were looking up for my plucky hero-in-training when disaster struck at the beach. Again?!

It was a pest that destroyed Alf, which the Calico Critters interpreted in a unique way. Witness the reenactment of Alf being pestered on the beach in his final demise. Ha ha!

Natural Disasters

As luck would have it, this second play featured some of the rarest cards in the decks. Natural disasters can be quite helpful or detrimental, depending on when they appear.

They seemed to explain Alf’s losses perfectly, though! A great and grand discussion about the meaning of disasters ensued, leading the deer to blame me for Alf’s losses. Hey!

Did I make some poor choices? Absolutely! Yet I also didn’t cheat and actually enjoyed these losses, quick as they were.

This scenario was different from my usual plays, and now I have something to come back to try to win in the future!

Session Overview

Play Number: 17 & 18

Main Expansion: This Cobbled Isle

Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game (Second Edition)

Play Details: Very Hard Difficulty Level

Outcome: 2 Losses

There was a general sense of failure, but I had a great time! Adding in the Calico Critters again made this more enjoyable, and I celebrated these losses for their moments. Alf had a rough time. Bo might have been to blame… Look at that bird’s shifty eyes. Ha ha! Just another wonderful time at my solo table with a game I’ve enjoyed for many years.

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)

• Many aspects of the world feel whimsical with a unique art style and little wisps of humor sprinkled throughout.

• Playing a single scenario many times rarely gets old, yet there are other scenarios and difficulty levels to try out.

• Lots of variety exists with the cards, and only a portion of them might be seen during a single full play.

• Watching a character grow from a simple pauper into a hero is satisfying, particularly for the amount of play time.

• Some choices are obvious with straightforward turns, yet many paths exist with different strategies to explore.

• Surprises often pop up in the cards, particularly when a coherent and fun story takes shape with very little effort.

– Cons (Negatives)

• There is a lot of bad luck involved in many aspects that can be hard to overcome or mitigate during the early stages.

• Expansion modules add to the flavor and choices, yet the Cutty Wren can add a lot of overhead for a rare encounter.

• When the map is filled with cards, there can be an almost overwhelming number of things to read or remember.

• Adjusting the time tracker is easy to forget when most of the activity is focused elsewhere in the play area.

More Paupers’ Ladder

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Victory Conditions

Complete the Scenario Win Condition

• Overall Goal Progress50%50%

Goals and Milestones

R

Complete the Garolium’s Tournament scenario.

Q

Complete the Saltash Necromacner scenario.

Continue the Conversation

What are some of your favorite moments from Paupers’ Ladder? Have you tried the other scenarios beyond Garolium’s Tournament? I now have a new challenge to try out when I want to return to Brighthelm! This is a fun world to explore, whether that means becoming a hero and winning, or losing horribly to a sand trap. Move your feet next time, Alf. Ha ha!