Papers, Please is a simulation game that follows an immigration inspector as they monitor the potential threats and citizens entering the fictional country of Arstotzka.
You are responsible for inspecting would-be immigrants' documents and using a sparse array of tools to determine whether the papers are in order for the purpose of keeping spies, smugglers and other unwanted individuals out of the country.
Inspector's Booth
The inspectors booth comes equipped with an array of gadgets to help catch any nasty elements that want to enter your glorious state without the proper paperwork. Each one functions in a certain manner, but the booth itself will come with a few standard items that you can use immediately from the beginning.
To the bottom left you will find a clock with time and date, helping you determine if documents are expired. To the right of the clock is a holder which will have the daily bulletin of new policies. In the center is the audio transcript, to determine discrepancies between verbal and written reasons for entry and duration of stay. Next is the rulebook, which contains all information on the countries; such as issuing cities, proper stamps for permits and work visa, etc. And finally, a weight scale to detect possible contraband strapped to the individual's body.
Discrepancies
Your job is not to let anyone into Arstotzka that has discrepancies with their document. These could be anything from an entant's name, gender, date of birth, height, height, country and issuing city, etc. If anything is out of order, the entrant must be questioned further to determine if the information is correct and accept, deny, or detain them.
Booth Abilities
When you begin the game you are limited to only using Inspect, to determine if information in the documents matches what you can see, and the Accept and Decline stamps. As most discrepancies can not be investigated further with later additions, Inspect is not required to deny an entrant access to Arstotzka and can be largely ignored.
Booth Additions
As you play through the game your booth will slowly be upgraded to stop potential threats, identify fake documents, and perform a much more efficient job as immigration inspector.
Fingerprints: On Day 4 you obtain the ability to fingerprint entrants to check that they are who their passport says they are. This is usually used when one of the following occurs:
- An entrant has two different names on their documents
- A photo does not match another photo or the physical appearance
- The physical appearance does not match a description on the documents
- A entrant has a height difference from their documents
- An entrant is seeking asylum
Detainment: On Day 5 you obtain the ability to detain entrants who fail to exit the booth when denied or they break another policy, such as:
- ID numbers do not match
- DOB does not match
- Issuing City does not match
- Fingerprints do not match
- "No known aliases" on the Fingerprints does not clear multiple names
- Incorrect Gender or Contraband found through a scan
- Incorrect permit or work pass seals (faked documents)
- Wanted criminal
Scanner: On Day 6 you obtain the ability to search entrants for contraband or to confirm gender. Contraband searches are usually obtained when a entrants weight is heavier than stated on their documents, while gender searches are done by physical appearance.
Tranquilizer Rifle: On Day 16 the demand for guards in Arstotzka rises and the M.O.A. issue you a key to a tranquilizer rifle in your both to deal with any threats, such as people attack you or the border.
Reason for Denial Stamp: On Day 18 the press will cause the M.O.A. to require a reason for all denials into Arstotzka. This stamp must be used in addition to the red Deny stamp in order to not receive a citation.
Passport Confiscation: On Day 24 you are told to confiscate all passports from Arstotzka citizens in the district of Altan, and later all Arstotzka citizens. This can also be used to confiscate Obristan passports for your family to escape your audit at the end of the month, if you have participated in any illegal activities with EZIC.
Booth Upgrades
Along with the story upgrades and additions, you can purchase shortcuts to make your job easier. There is a total of 4 upgrades that you can purchase, offered at the end of each day after a certain point, and they are as follows:
- Inspect Mode: Hit Space to bring up Inspect Mode
- Stamp Toggle: Hit Tab to toggle the stamp bars
- Rulebook Shortcuts: Adds bookmarks to your rulebook for easy access
- Quick Inspect: Double-click on any object or entrant to open Inspect Mode
Paperwork
At the beginning of the game all entrants must have a passport, and that's it. As the story progresses and the M.O.A. cracks down on letting in criminals, terrorists, and other entrants, more paperwork is required to check for discrepancies.
Entry Ticket: On Day 3 all foreigners must present a valid Entry Ticket with the current date stamped on it. Any ticket with a date different than the current date must be denied.
Entry Permit: On Day 4 the Entry Ticket is replaced with a more descriptive Entry Permit that contains the following:
- Entrant Name
- ID Number
- Purpose
- Duration of Stay
- Expiration Date
- M.O.A. Seal
If any of these items does not match the passport, verbal conversation, other documents, or is expired, the entrant must be inspected for denial of entry or detainment.
ID Card: Rather than having an Entry Permit, Arstotzka citizens must have an ID Card that contains the following:
- District
- Entrant Name
- Photo
- Date of Birth
- Height
- Weight
If any of these items does not match the passport, physical appearance, or other documents, the entrant must be inspected for denial of entry or detainment.
Work Pass: On Day 6 the M.O.L will start to require that all entrants entering Arstotzka for the purpose of work must have a Work Pass that contains the following:
- Entrant Name
- Field
- Work End Date
If any of these items does not match the passport, other documents, or has an invalid end date, the entrant must be inspected for denial of entry or detainment.
Diplomatic Authorization: From Day 8 and onward, all diplomats must have correct Diplomatic Authorization and passport with the following information:
- Entrant Name
- ID Number
- Access to Arstotzka
- Diplomatic Seal of Entrants Country
If any of these items does not match the passport or is missing, the entrant must be inspected for denial of entry or detainment.
ID Supplement: On Day 13 a bomber will get through and ID Supplements will be added to help screen possible terrorists and smugglers by including the following:
- Height
- Weight
- Physical Description
- Fingerprint
- Expiration Date
If any of these items does not match the physical appearance of the entrant, or is expired, the entrant must be inspected for denial of entry or detainment.
Grant for Asylum: On Day 21 Arstotzka will announce that it is taking in those seeking political asylum and the Grant for Asylum document is now in affect. Only a passport, correct fingerprints and the following information is needed to enter:
- Entrant Name
- Photo
- Nationality
- ID Number
- Date of Birth
- Height
- Weight
- Fingerprints
- Expiration Date
If any of these items does not match the passport, required fingerprints, physical appearance, or is expired, the entrant must be inspected for denial of entry or detainment.
Certificate of Vaccination: On Day 26 the polio outbreak will become so bad that all entrants must have proof of up to date Polio vaccinations, along with the following correct informations:
- Entrant Name
- ID Number
- Up to Date Polio Vaccination
If any of these items does not match the passport, other documents, is out of date or missing the Polio vaccination, the entrant must be inspected for denial of entry or detainment.
Access Permit: On Day 27 the M.O.A. will finally combine ID Supplements and Entry Permits into this Access Permit that contains the following information:
- Entrant Name
- Nationality
- ID Number
- Purpose
- Duration of Stay
- Height
- Weight
- Physical Description
- Expiration Date
If any of these items does not match the passport, verbal conversations, other documents, physical appearance, or is expired, the entrant must be inspected for denial of entry or detainment.
