How to Play Paupers' Ladder: The Moon Towers

Objective of the Game

In Paupers' Ladder: The Moon Towers, players take on the role of paupers tasked with a critical mission: to deal with the mysterious and dangerous Moon Towers that have appeared in Brighthelm. These monoliths have a malign effect on the land, souring moods, turning dreams into nightmares, and making creatures fearless and dangerous. The most noble knights and squires have deemed themselves too busy, leaving it to the paupers to sort out the problem.

The ultimate goal is to learn 3 of the 5 available Virtues before certain loss conditions are met. Players will explore regions, fight hazards, complete quests, and collect various items to achieve this.

Preparation (Setup)

Setting up The Moon Towers involves combining components from both The Moon Towers box and the original Paupers' Ladder box. Here’s a step-by-step guide for a 2-4 player game:

1. Place the Paupers' Ladder board on a suitable surface, ensuring enough space for players to place their cards.
2. From The Moon Towers box, separately shuffle the Beach, Forest, Swamp, Mine, Mountain, Quest, Rarity, and Equipment decks. Place each deck face-down near the board, leaving space for discard piles next to each.
3. Draw 4 cards from the top of the Rarity deck and place 1 face-down on each of the 4 City Shop tiles.
4. Draw 16 cards from the top of the Equipment deck and place 4 face-down on top of each Rarity card, so each City Shop has a deck of 5 cards on it.
5. Draw 4 cards from the top of the Quest deck. Place 1 face-up on each of the 4 City Quest tiles and read them aloud.
6. Take the Recipe deck from the Paupers' Ladder box. Remove all cards named "unlock," "thief," "storm," and "dragonfire." Replace them with the 8 Recipe cards from The Moon Towers box. Shuffle the Recipe deck and place it near the board, purple side showing.
7. From The Moon Towers box, separately shuffle the Talent and Curse decks. Place both decks face-down near the board, with space for discard piles.
8. From the Paupers' Ladder box, place all 50 Gems near the board to form the bank. From The Moon Towers box, place all 25 Crescents and all 5 Moonweed tokens near the board to form the supply.
9. Shuffle the 14 Bird cards from The Moon Towers box with the 4 Bird cards from the Paupers' Ladder box. From the bottom of the deck, draw 4 Bird cards and place them trained side up next to the board. Return the rest to the box.
10. Take the 4 Pauper cards from The Moon Towers box. In a 2-player game, lay them out so the 2 sides are displayed. In a 3 or 4-player game, lay them out so the 3-4 sides are displayed.

Starting the Game

Once the board is set up, follow these steps to begin playing:

1. Each player chooses a Pauper, taking their matching playing pieces, Virtue marker, and Outcome deck.
2. Each player chooses a Bird companion from the available ones.
3. Each player draws 4 cards from the Recipe deck and drafts 3 Recipes In Learning as usual.
4. Each player draws 2 cards from the Talent deck, chooses 1 Talent card to keep (placing it face up near their Pauper card), and discards the other.
5. Each player takes 5 Gems from the bank and places them in their Purse.
6. Each player may then buy 1 Equipment card from their starting City Shop.
7. The game then begins!

Fluxo do Jogo

Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção.

Ações e Como Jogar

The game flow works exactly the same as in Paupers' Ladder, with both your Bird and Pauper taking their turn in either order to (optionally) move and then explore. However, The Moon Towers introduces several new elements and modifications to existing mechanics.

Talent Cards

Talent cards provide your Pauper with a unique ability. Each player starts the game with one Talent. When a player learns a Virtue, they may replace their current Talent with a new one. A Pauper can never have more than 1 Talent. The effect of a chosen Talent card applies until it's replaced.

• Setup: Shuffle the Talent deck and place it face-down near the board.
• Starting the Game: Each player draws 2 cards from the top of the Talent deck, chooses 1 to keep (placing it face up near their Pauper card), and discards the other.
• Replacing Talents: Each time your Pauper learns a Virtue, draw 2 cards from the Talent deck. You may discard both, or keep 1 to replace your current Talent. Remember to discard your current Talent if you replace it.

Curse Cards

Curses have a negative effect on your Pauper and can be acquired in various ways. They can be removed when your Pauper explores a City Region. Curses do not affect Birds.

• Setup: Shuffle the Curse deck and place it face-down near the board.
• Acquiring Curses: When your Pauper is Cursed, draw a card from the top of the Curse deck and place it face up where the card instructs (e.g., on your Purse or Pauper card). The effects are immediate and last until removed. There's no limit to how many Curses your Pauper can have.
• Removing Curses: When your Pauper explores a City Region, they have an extra option: visit the chemist to remove Curses. This ends their turn, preventing them from completing a Quest or visiting the City Shop in the same turn. You can remove 1 Curse of your choice for free. Extra Curses can be removed at a cost of 2 Gems per extra Curse. Discard removed Curse cards.
• Curses in Fights (Paupers' Ladder & One Lonely Pauper): If your Pauper draws an Outcome card numbered 1 in a fight, they are Cursed, even if the hazard was defeated.

Crescents

Crescents are special artifacts that can be collected by your Pauper and Bird in various ways. There is no limit to how many you can carry. They are only used in The Moon Towers.

• Setup: Place all Crescents face down near the board as the supply.
• Collecting/Discarding: When collected, Crescents are taken from the supply. When discarded, they are placed face up next to it. If all Crescents are discarded, flip them all over to form a new supply.
• Types of Crescents:
  • Hunter Crescent: Place in your Trophy Room. Counts towards learning the Virtue of bravery.
  • Flower Crescent: Place in your Purse. Can be used as Gems up to its value. Can be discarded to count towards learning the Virtue of generosity.
  • Buck Crescent (+2): Place in your Inventory. Discard in a fight to add its number to your Pauper's or Bird's Strength. Multiple Buck Crescents can be discarded in one fight.
  • Harvest Crescent: Place in your Inventory. Discard instead of rolling the lucky charm or golden charm to get its result.
  • Snow Crescent: Place in your Inventory. Discard at the end of your Pauper's turn to get another turn or ignore missing a turn.
  • Worm Crescent: Place in your Journal. Counts as 1 completed Quest and towards learning the Virtue of fellowship. Can be sold in a City Shop for 3 Gems.
  • Pink Crescent: Place in your Inventory. Discard to move your Pauper up to 3 Regions for free this turn, instead of 1.
  • Flower Crescent (Inventory): Place in your Inventory. Discard to immediately learn any 1 Recipe In Learning. Can be sold in a City Shop for 3 Gems.
• From Hazards: Hazards with a Crescent icon in the lower right corner are carrying Crescents. When defeated, you can choose to collect their Crescents (instead of placing the card in your Trophy Room or collecting Gems). Take the indicated number of Crescents from the supply, reveal them, discard 1 of your choice, and keep the rest.
• From Region Cards: Some Region cards require you to place Crescents on them when drawn. Take that many Crescents from the supply and place them face down on the card. A Crescent can be collected by your Bird or Pauper when they explore this card. When they do, reveal and collect 1 Crescent.

Moonweed

Moonweed is a virulent creeper that prevents characters from drawing cards from certain Region decks. It is only used in The Moon Towers.

• Setup: Place the 5 Moonweed tokens near the board.
• Using Moonweed: Some Moon Towers produce Moonweed when drawn. Place a Moonweed token on top of the specified Region deck. Players cannot draw cards from this Region deck while the Moonweed is present, but can still encounter cards on the board in that type of Region. The Moonweed is removed when the Moon Tower producing it is defeated.

Moon Towers

Moon Towers are found in each type of Region and can only be fought by Paupers (Birds are not strong enough). They are only used in The Moon Towers.

• Encountering a Moon Tower: When a Moon Tower is drawn, place it on an empty tile in the Region being explored. Place 2 Crescents from the supply face down on it.
• Moon Tower Effects: A Moon Tower will have one of three effects:
  1. Curse: One or more Paupers are at risk of being Cursed, as per the card text. These players draw a Curse card.
  2. Moonweed: Place a Moonweed token on top of the specified Region deck.
  3. Power: Until this Moon Tower is defeated, hazards receive a +1 bonus to their Strength in fights.
• Fighting Moon Towers:
  1. Ask for help: Before fighting, you may ask one other player for help. If they refuse, you can ask another. Only ONE other player can help.
  2. Draw Outcome cards: You draw an Outcome card for your Pauper's Strength. If another player helps, they also draw an Outcome card, and its number is added to your Pauper's Strength.
  3. Increase Strength: Your Pauper can use Weapons, Recipes, Equipment, and Talents to increase their Strength. The helping player cannot.
  4. Use Lucky Charm: Your Pauper may pay 1 Gem to use the lucky charm. The helping player cannot.
  5. Outcome:
     • Defeat: If your Pauper's total Strength is equal to or greater than the Moon Tower's Strength, you defeat it and earn a reward. Go to step 6.
     • Failure: If the Moon Tower's Strength is greater, you fail and are Cursed. Draw a Curse card. If another player helped, their Pauper is also Cursed. Go to step 7.
  6. Rewards (if defeated): Reveal the 2 Crescents on the Moon Tower card. If another player helped, the player who drew the highest numbered Outcome card chooses their reward first (tie goes to the helping player).
     • Strength: Add the card to your Trophy Room, where its Strength counts towards learning the Virtue of bravery. If another player helped, they keep 1 of the Crescents, discarding the other. Otherwise, both Crescents are discarded. Go to step 7.
     • Fame: Add the card to your Journal, where it counts towards learning the Virtue of fellowship. If another player helped, they keep 1 of the Crescents, discarding the other. Otherwise, both Crescents are discarded. Go to step 7.
     • Crescents: Choose 1 of the 2 Crescents to keep and discard the other. If another player helped, they can either put the Moon Tower card in their Trophy Room for its points value or in their Journal for Virtue of Fellowship. Otherwise, the Moon Tower card is discarded. Go to step 7.
  7. End of Fight: The fight is over, and your Pauper's turn ends.

Moon Guard Hazards

Moon Guards are a new type of hazard that protects Moon Towers. They can be found in all Regions. Each moon guard has an effect on all Moon Towers on the board (either adding to their Strength or making them immune from being fought). This effect applies until the moon guard is defeated.

Elementals

Elementals are creatures of rock, flame, air, and water, with one in each type of Region deck. They are only used in The Moon Towers.

• Fighting Elementals: When fighting an elemental, roll the lucky charm and the golden charm together, adding 8 to the numbers rolled. This is the elemental's Strength for that fight.
• Defeating Elementals: A defeated elemental can be discarded right away to learn the Virtue of magnificence. Alternatively, you can use it for its points value in your Trophy Room (always worth 8 points), its Gems, or 2 of its 3 Crescents.

New Birds

The Moon Towers adds 14 new Birds, making 18 in total. All these Birds can be used in both The Moon Towers and Paupers' Ladder.

• Setup: Shuffle the 14 Birds from The Moon Towers with the 4 Birds from Paupers' Ladder. Draw 4 Bird cards from the bottom of the deck and