Paperback Adventures (2022)

About this game

Our intrepid author Paige Turner is back! In Paperback Adventures, you get to play as the protagonist in one of Paige's wild brainstorming sessions. Conquer a menagerie of pulp novel characters in this solo deckbuilding word game. Just like in the original game Paperback — and the follow-up game Hardback — you will build your own deck of cards throughout the game, and those cards will have letters to help you spell words every turn. But in Paperback Adventures, instead of testing your wordsmithing wit against other players, you will use your words to defeat a series of AI enemies in "roguelike" fashion. Paperback Adventures is a solo-focused game. It was designed from the ground up as a strategic, highly-replayable solo word game. There are also additional gameplay variants for cooperative play between two players. There are three playable characters that have different strengths and playstyles. The core box is NOT A COMPLETE GAME! One Character Box required (Ex Machina, Damsel or Plothook)

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 1 to 2. It has a designed solo mode.
• Rules load. At 2.8/5 this is a mid-weight game — expect a proper rules explanation before you start.
• Age. The publisher suggests 14 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.