Salt & Sail Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Objective
• Setup
• Fame & Ducats
• Welcome Aboard!
• Gameplay
• Player Turn Sequence
• Actions
• End of Turn
• Feats
• Skills
• Equipment & Officers
• Map Tokens
• Rumors & Making Discoveries
• Encounters
  • Merchants
  • Vex & Fortune
• Damage & Crew Losses
• Treasure
• End of Game
• Captain's Log
• Atlas
  • A Week's Journey West
  • You Can Count on Encounters
  • Split-Decision
  • 4 Corners
  • Around the World
• Index of Icons & Tokens

Objective

Earn Fame Points (FP) through various actions, including: making discoveries, defeating pirates, finding treasure, etc. Be the player with the most Fame Points at game end.

Setup

1. Prepping the Game Board: Select a map from the Atlas in the back of this Rulebook. Lay out tiles as shown (using Number and Letter as guide).
   • Shuffle Discovery tokens and randomly select quantity based on map and game length desired.
   • Add directed quantity of Port and Village tokens and shuffle together with Discovery tokens. Distribute tokens to designated hex spaces, face-down.
   • Place Encounter tokens on designated hex locations.
2. Prepping Other Components: Shuffle decks of cards (Rumor, Officer, Encounter, Equipment, Treasure), and set to side of play area. The Discovery deck is numbered and is not shuffled.
   • Flip over top Officers (1 per player), 3 Rumor, 3 Equipment and lay out next to their draw decks.
   • Place all other tokens and pieces to side of play area.
   • Set upgrade ship mats to side of play area for future use. There is no limit on how many ships occupy a hex space.
   • Players select their color, take the corresponding ship flag and skill bag and place a Cog on any Capital tile hex space.
3. Choose a Starting Player.
4. Follow captain and officer drafting as outlined in Player Starting Components section.

Player Starting Components:

1. 1 Captain card - Starting player chooses first, players continue in clockwise rotation.
2. 1 Officer card - Last player picks first from initial Officers shown, players continue in counter-clockwise rotation.
3. 1 Cog ship mat
4. 3 Crew tokens
5. 4 Ration tokens
6. 5 Ducats
7. 1 Rumor Card
8. 1 Skill Bag - with all starting Captain skill tokens added to it.

Fame & Ducats

In Salt & Sail, players ultimately try to earn the most Fame Points. However, they'll need to fund their expeditions with gold ducats. Ducats are gained by selling goods and treasures, as well as rewards for making Discoveries.

Welcome Aboard!

In Salt & Sail, players will take the role of a ship captain. This ship is their ticket to fame and fortune! As such, they need to know what she is capable of.

The type of ship is written at the bottom (1). Crew, Rations, and Goods are tracked on the ship mat. Crew assigned to Hands-on-Deck slots (2) affect token draws during encounters, whereas Sails slots (3) dictate ship movement. Ships have a cargo hold (4) to store rations, goods, or a combination of both (The number denotes the maximum storage of that type). Around the ship, players track ship damage (5). Ships also have slots for Officers (6), Equipment (7), and Treasure (8) cards. Artifact discoveries are also kept in the Treasure slot until delivered. All upgraded ship types have a cost when acquiring (9).

Gameplay

Beginning with the Starting Player, each player takes turns performing up to two (2) actions. When they have completed their actions, play moves on to the next player in a clockwise rotation. All players taking their turn performing their actions is considered a round. Play then starts again as a new round.

Once the final Discovery has been made, play will continue through the remainder of the current round. Players then tally up their Fame Points and the most famous explorer wins!

Player Turn Sequence

Ration Check: If the player starts his/her turn outside a Port or Capital hex space, discard 1 ration token from ship. If the player has insufficient ration tokens, player discards 1 crew token instead. If the player has no crew tokens, their ship sinks. No ration token is consumed if a player starts their turn at a Port or Capital.

Allocate Crew: The player may move crew to and from both Sails or Hands-on-Deck roles, up to the ship's maximum capacity. For each crew in a Sails role, the player may move 1 hex space when taking the move action. For each crew in a Hands-on-Deck role, the player may draw 1 token from the Skill Bag when performing non-Discovery skill checks. Once crew is allocated, they cannot be moved from their assigned role for the rest of the turn.

Actions

Players perform up to two (2) Actions each turn.

Move - Move hexes based on crew assigned to Sails slots (limit once per turn).

Attempt Discovery - The player draws one (1) token from their skill bag in an attempt to complete a Rumor card's requirements (requires a player's ship to be on a hex space with a Discovery token).

When on a hex space with a Port or Capital, players can visit several locations. Each location has multiple tasks that can be performed for the single Action cost of visiting.

Visit Dock - Perform any of the following:

• Purchase ship: pay the cost of the ship and swap out ship mats. All non-damage tokens and cards are transferred to the new ship.
• Resupply: load ship with as many rations as desired (up to ship capacity).
• Repair: Pay to repair player's ship. Pay 1 ducat for each damage token removed.

Visit Market - Perform any of the following:

• Deliver goods: gain 2 ducats for each good delivered.
• Purchase equipment:
  • May purchase any of the face up cards.
  • Or, may discard all face up cards, draw one (1), and choose to purchase it. If not, the card is left face up next to draw deck.

Visit Pub - Perform any of the following:

• Listen to stories: draw 1 Rumor card and add to hand (max 3 in hand).
• Buy Round of Ale: pay 1 ducat and draw 1 additional Rumor card.
• Hire crew: Pay 1 ducat per Crew added to ship, up to ship's maximum capacity.
• Recruit Officer: (Max 1 Officer allowed)
  • Take one Officer card from those showing face-up.
  • Or, may discard all face up cards, draw one (1), and choose to keep it. If declined, card is left face up next to draw deck.

Visit Governor - Perform any of the following:

• Turn in Artifact discoveries and Treasure cards to gain ducats. Put any cards with FP to side of player area, face down. If card has no FP value, the player discards the card.
• Study: pay 1 ducat to gain 1 temporary Standard Feat token (blue feat). Note: max of 3 in the player's bag at a time. A temporary feat token is a single use token. Once drawn and the skill check is complete, the token is discarded.

Visit Village - Similar to Ports, Villages are unique locations that provide players with a place to resupply and draw Rumor cards.

• Resupply: load ship with as many rations as desired (up to ship capacity).
• Listen to stories: draw 1 Rumor card and add to hand (max 3 in hand).

End of Turn

After the active player completes their chosen actions, refresh any face up card groups back to their maximum (3 Public Rumors, 3 Equipment, 2 Officers). The next player then takes their turn.

Feats

Skill checks are met by achieving the requisite number of Feats of that skill type. Some skill tokens will have only one skill type while others will have all three. Tokens with all three skill icons may be used for any skill check.

• Standard Feat - The most common type of Feat needed to accomplish a skill check.
• Great Feat - An uncommon Feat that helps pass more difficult skill checks. It can also be used as a Standard Feat, if needed.
• Defeat - Signifies no progress being made toward a skill check. On some checks, it can also denote added hazard to the ship and/or crew.

Skills

There are three different skills which are called upon to succeed at various events.

• Fight - This skill will come in handy when making dangerous Discoveries, or encountering pirates on the open seas.
• Observation - This skill is useful in finding many Discoveries, or understanding the weather to avoid hazardous storms.
• Lore - This skill will help you find very rare and valuable Discoveries, or be able to find lost treasures.

Equipment & Officers

A Players' Captain starting skill tokens will help them succeed in many challenges throughout the game. However, it will be necessary to bolster their skills and abilities via Equipment and Officer cards.

Players may purchase Equipment cards from Port or Capital Markets. These cards are placed next to the player's ship mat. While there is no limit to the number of Equipment cards a player has, the benefits of multiple copies of the same card do not stack.

Officer cards may be recruited when visiting Port or Capital Pubs. Players are limited to one Officer. If taking a new Officer, the existing Officer is discarded.

If your ship sinks, all of your Equipment cards are discarded. Ye be warned!

Map Tokens

Players will interact with various map tokens. These tokens are determined at game start, based on the scenario. Tokens like Encounters are generally face up, while the others are shuffled and left face-down until examined by a player.

• Discoveries - These locations are what players set out to find! Each token will have randomized icons which will match Rumor cards. When matched, players are able to take the Attempt Discovery action.
• Encounters - Event tokens that require a player to draw a card from the Encounter deck, usually resulting in a skill check. These tokens are not removed from the board.
• Ports - These locations function similarly to the Capital hex: players can perform various actions to prepare themselves for additional voyages at sea.
• Villages - These locations function as a small haven to resupply Rations. In addition, players are able to gain Rumor cards.

Rumors & Making Discoveries

Rumors come in two types: public and private. Public Rumor cards are shown face-up on the table and all players have access to make their discoveries. Private Rumors are cards in a player's hand. Players do not have access to the discoveries in their opponent's hands. Players have a maximum private Rumor hand size of three (3). Players may discard private Rumors at any time during their turn.

The player has this Rumor card in their hand. It is a private Rumor, meaning only they may make this Discovery. The rumor symbol must match one of the symbols on a Discovery token at the player's location in order to take the Attempt Discovery action. This Discovery is dangerous and requires three standard Fight skill feats. If a Defeat token is drawn, the player must immediately discard a crew token. The text provides a clue as to the type of discovery to be found. Once completed, the player will take Discovery card 20.

When at a location with a Discovery Token, the active player may look at the token, privately. If he/she has a Rumor card (in hand, or public) with a symbol that matches one on the token, the player may use an action and announce they are attempting a discovery. The player then draws one (1) token from their Skill Bag, setting it aside. If an eligible Feat token is drawn, the player applies it to the Rumor Card requirements.

The player takes a Move action and moves two hexes to a face-down Discovery. The player looks at the token and notices one of the icons match their private Rumor card. The player may then use a future action to Attempt Discovery, drawing tokens from their Skill Bag.

If a Defeat token or a non-applicable skill Feat token is drawn, no advancement toward the Discovery is made. However, all tokens drawn remain outside the Skill Bag (do NOT put them back into Skill Bag). This signifies continued progress being made toward the discovery. However, if a player leaves the Discovery Token's Hex Space, all drawn tokens are placed back into their Skill Bag. The player has forfeit any progress made by leaving the area.

Beware of Dangerous Discoveries! Drawing Defeat tokens will have negative consequences.

Once all Rumor Card feat requirements are met, the player shows the Rumor Card from their Hand (or points to the Public Rumor on table) and matches the Rumor Card requirements to the tokens drawn. The player also shows the Discovery Token and matches the token symbol to the Rumor Card. The player takes the corresponding Discovery Card shown on the Rumor Card--gaining the designated Ducats immediately. The Discovery is then turned face down in the player's scoring area. The Discovery's Fame Points will be tallied at the end of the game.

Artifact Discoveries are unique in that they require players to return them to the Capital or Port to receive credit. These Discovery cards are kept face-up in the ship's hold until "delivered" to the Governor. Once delivered, the player gains the designated Ducats and the Discovery Card is then placed face down in the players scoring area. If the player's ship sinks with an Artifact Discovery in the hold, the card is removed from play, forever lost to Davy Jones' Locker!

The Discovery Token is then removed from play and set aside with the Rumor Card. If the Rumor Card was public, draw a new Rumor Card to fill the empty slot.

Discovery cards are broken into various types (8). Some Officers and equipment provide bonuses for making specific types of Discoveries, so pay attention to what clues the Rumor cards offer. In addition, all Discoveries will have a title (9), Fame value (10) and a Ducat value (11).

Encounters

As players follow Rumors in search of Discoveries, they will be faced with various encounters which will test their abilities. Encounter tokens are placed on the gameboard at the start of a game. Any time a player enters a hex with an Encounter token, they must immediately stop their movement and draw the top card of the Encounter deck.

Encounters can range from fighting off a pirate ship, navigating a storm, or trading with a merchant vessel. Some encounters will require players to succeed in a Skill Check. Remember, for every Crew assigned to the Hands-on-Deck slots the player may draw one token in an attempt to succeed in the encounter.

Skill checks are conducted one token draw at a time. A player may complete the check before drawing all eligible tokens from the Skill Bag. If the player passes the check, they gain the benefit shown in the "Succeed" area of the card (if any). If the encounter awards Fame Points, the player places the card face-down in their player area to score at end-game. If the player doesn't pass the check, they suffer the consequences shown in the "Fail" area of the card (if any).

Some Encounters are considered dangerous, and drawing Defeat tokens out of the bag will trigger various effects immediately. Note: these effects could impact player Crew and may change eligible draws for the encounter.

After resolving the Encounter, the player's turn ends. Encounter tokens remain on the board for the duration of the game. Any future movements into the hex by any player will trigger another encounter.

The title informs the player the type of encounter. For this Storm encounter, the player needs to pass a Skill Check with Observation. It requires one Standard Feat and one Great Feat. The player has three crew assigned to the Hands-on-deck slot and therefore draws 3 tokens from their Skill Bag: One generic Standard Feat, one Fight Great Feat, and one Defeat. Unfortunately, the Fight Great Feat cannot be used for an Observation skill check, so the attempt is unsuccessful. As such, the player must take the Fail consequence: one Light Damage and one Heavy Damage. In addition, this is a Dangerous Encounter, and all Defeat tokens drawn result in losing one Crew token.

Dangerous Encounter effects happen regardless of the skill check succeeding or not.

If a skill check is passed, the player gains everything shown in the Succeed section.

Merchants

Not all encounters at sea are dangerous. Merchant encounter cards have a unique layout and provide different benefits.

When drawn, players immediately gain everything in the "Barter" section of the card. The bottom half has two additional trades that are optional. However, these trades require the player to discard the required items to make the trade. Each optional trade may only be completed once. These trades may be performed in any order, and may even use the items being gained during this encounter. Once all trades are finalized, the player adds the items to their ship (keeping with capacity limitations). Any leftover items are then discarded.

Vex & Fortune

Vex encounters add a layer of difficulty for captains on their way to fame and fortune. Vex cards like Mutiny have a condition set that must be met, else the player faces a negative consequence.

When the condition is for a fame check, players tally up the value of fame from all earned face-down cards in their play area. Players need only show other players cards totaling up to the condition requirement to verify success.

Card face (Mutiny, Vex): Condition Fame less than 5 - Consequence: lose 2 crew tokens (crew icon struck through). Condition Fame less than 3 - Consequence: lose all crew tokens.

Damage & Crew Losses

Some Encounters or Discoveries are quite treacherous and a player's crew and ship itself may be at risk. When instructed, players may need to discard Crew tokens or take Ship damage. Ship damage can be either Light or Heavy. Each ship has a Hull value that can sustain several instances of damage before sinking. Use the Damage tokens to track ship damage:

• Light Damage - Light damage token.
• Heavy Damage - Heavy damage token.

Damage is type-specific to the damage slots on the ship mat. If a ship is required to take a type of damage, but their ship does not have the type slot available, the damage is ignored.

If a player covers its ship's final Hull slot with a damage token, or the final Crew token on the ship is removed, the ship immediately sinks and the player's turn ends. When a ship sinks, the player must do the following:

• Discard all tokens (Crew, Goods, Rations) and cards (Equipment, Treasure, Artifact) that are part of the ship.
• Replace current ship mat with starter Cog (if applicable).
• Place 2 Ration tokens and 2 Crew tokens on the ship mat.
• Place player ship token on either the closest Port hex, or Capital hex (Player chooses which).

Treasure

Succeeding in some skill checks will earn players Treasure cards. These are special items that provide great fortune to the player. Like Artifact Discoveries, these items must be delivered to the Governor to net the player the Ducats and/or Fame. If Fame is awarded, players keep the card face-down in their play area to be tallied at game end. Otherwise, the card may be discarded after receiving the Ducats.

Similar to Discovery cards, Treasure cards will have a title (7), a Fame value (8) and a Ducat value (9).

Card face example (Black Pearl Necklace): Fame value 0, Ducat value 11.

End of Game

Once the final Discovery token has been removed from the board, the end game condition is triggered. Players finish out the current round and play ends. Players then reveal their stashed Discoveries, Treasure, and Encounter cards and tally up their FP totals. Ducats are then tallied, with 1 FP awarded for every 5 Ducats (rounded down). The player with the highest total Fame, wins!

In the event of a tie in FP, the player who made the most Discoveries wins! If still a tie, victory is shared.

Captain's Log

What good is a voyage without a record of the events that transpired? Here, you can keep track of your most famous voyages! Leave notes for other captains to learn of your adventures at sea and beyond!

The Captain's Log is a blank record sheet with columns for Captain's Name, Fame, Date and Voyage Notes.

Atlas

In this section, you will find several pre-made maps and scenarios. They will inform you as to which hex tiles to use, the quantity and location of discovery and encounter tokens, etc. Players should use these maps to learn the game fundamentals. Once familiar, players can customize their own map layouts as they wish!

For your first game, we recommend you play the "A Week's Journey West" map scenario.

This scenario is designed to give players a feel of the game mechanics in a smaller area. There is a known Port town that can provide supplies in a pinch. But, just because players need not journey far from the Capital or friendly Port, doesn't mean it's easy. The rumors have drawn the attention of many pirates to patrol the waters--in search of easy booty. The question is--play it safe and go the long way, or take the shortcut through more dangerous waters?

A Week's Journey West

Length: Short (45-60 min.) Recommended Players: Any Endgame Condition: Make all 4 Discoveries

Merchants and adventurers have been returning to the capital with stories of new lands "a week's journey West" of here. If these rumors are to be believed, we must set out at once!

Game Modifiers:

• Starting Components:
  • Draw one additional Equipment card per player. During setup, when choosing Officer card, players may also take one Equipment card at no cost.
  • +5 ducats per player.
• 5 Public Rumors during entire game.
• Encounter Deck:
  • Remove all Merchant cards.

Map Tokens Needed: 4x Discovery; 1x Port (Visible); 3x Encounter.

You Can Count on Encounters

Length: Medium (60 min.) Recommended Players: Any Endgame Condition: Make all 4 Discoveries

It seems we aren't the only ones who have heard about the rare treasures to be found. There are many surprises awaiting us. I hope we are up to the task.

Game Modifiers: None

Map Tokens Needed: 4x Discovery; 1x Village (Shuffled); 2x Port (Shuffled); 6x Encounter.

Split-Decision

Length: Medium (60 min.) Recommended Players: Any Endgame Condition: Make all 5 Discoveries

The further East we go, the more we leave behind the comforts of home. While there are a couple friendly villages, no one has yet established a Port, so repairing and retooling will be time-consuming.

Game Modifiers: None

Map Tokens Needed: 5x Discovery; 2x Village (Visible); 6x Encounter.

4 Corners

Length: Long (90 min.) Recommended Players: 3-5 Endgame Condition: Make all 8 Discoveries

We are surrounded by amazing wonders on all sides of the globe. We must ready ourselves for a long journey. It will be dangerous as there are no local ports to resupply at, but the rewards are vast.

Game Modifiers:

• Starting Components:
  • Draw one additional Equipment card per player. During setup, when choosing Officer card, players may also take one Equipment card at no cost.
  • +5 ducats per player.
• 5 Public Rumors during entire game.

Map Tokens Needed: 8x Discovery; 4x Encounter.

Around the World

Length: Long (90 min.) Recommended Players: 3-5 Endgame Condition: Make all 6 Discoveries

Today we embark on an adventure they will speak of for generations. In order to prove ourselves as world-famous explorers, we must travel around the entire world to find the most rare of discoveries...

Game Modifiers: None

Map Tokens Needed: 6x Discovery; 2x Port (Shuffled); 6x Encounter.

Fortune encounters counter-act the increased difficulty of Vexes by offering players a positive bonus to help them on their journey. Unlike other encounters, Fortune card events are optional.

The player comes across an opportunity to find some lost treasure. The player has plenty of rations and isn't en route to an important Discovery location, so she opts to lose the movement and hunt for the treasure. Otherwise, the player would be able to ignore this lead and continue on her way as it is an optional event.

Card face (Lost Treasure, Fortune): Optional. Move action ends. Cannot use Move action next turn. Draw 2 Treasure cards. Keep 1 and shuffle remaining back into deck.

Index of Icons & Tokens

• Skill feats: Standard Feat, Great Feat, Defeat.
• Skills: Fight, Observation, Lore.
• Scoring and cards: Fame (crown), Ducat (D), Treasure Card (chest), Rumor Card (R).
• Ship tokens: Crew, Ration (green), Good (purple), Light Damage, Heavy Damage.
• Map tokens: Discovery, Encounter, Port (anchor), Village (house).
• Ship types: Cog, Nau, Caravel, Galleon.