Saltfjord

To set up, each player receives a resource board, a double-sided village board (choose between symmetric or asymmetric sides), a double-sided boat board (start with the 3-slot unupgraded side), and player components in their chosen color, including one player marker, one technology marker, three dice (one of each color), and three workers. Place one player marker in the tavern and another at zero on the score track. Place the technology marker at the bottom of each tech track. The second and third workers are placed on designated spots on the main board for later collection. Shuffle crate tiles into four equal stacks of 11, placing a lighter-colored starting crate face-up on top of each. Shuffle and place face-up stacks of small and large building tiles. Separately shuffle level 1, 2, and 3 fishing tiles and place them in their corresponding slots in the fjord. All boats start in the harbor (on land, not in the fjord). Place one orange die per player into designated slots on the main board. Roll all remaining dice and sort them by value. Shuffle the eight ability tiles, placing four face-up on the board. For the starting draft, place the other four ability tiles face-up, pairing each with a starting resource tile and a starting two-sided building tile (lighter colored, no hammer on the back). Players choose one set of tiles in reverse seating order, keeping the ability tile beside their board, building the starter building tile in their village, and gaining starting resources. Any unused pieces are returned to the box.

In Saltfjord, players take on the role of rival Norwegian fishing villages, competing to become the most prosperous. The primary objective is to accumulate the most victory points by the end of the game. Players achieve this through various actions such as fishing for resources, expanding their village by constructing new buildings, developing advanced technologies, and efficiently trading resources. Victory points are awarded both during the game for certain achievements and at the end of the game based on specific scoring objectives related to technology tracks and leftover resources. The player who successfully balances these activities and maximizes their point total over three rounds will be declared the winner.

Saltfjord is played over three rounds, with each round consisting of multiple turns taken clockwise, starting from the first player. On your turn, you must choose one of three main actions: A) Draft a die to activate buildings in your village, B) Construct a new large building in your village, or C) Retire from the current round. When drafting a die (Action A), you select a white or orange die from the main board (observing limits on how many of each color can be taken per round). You can spend fish to adjust the die's value. Place the die in a matching row (orange) or column (white) on your village board, then activate all buildings (yellow or red roofs) in that line from left to right or top to bottom. The die remains on the board, blocking that row/column for the rest of the round. Alternatively, you can keep the drafted die beside your board to gain one fish. Constructing a new building (Action B) involves paying resources (wood for small, wood and plank for large) to take a building tile from the main board and place it on your village board. You can rotate the tile but cannot cover existing tiles or icons. Completing a row or column with buildings and boardwalk spaces grants immediate benefits. Retiring (Action C) means moving your player marker to an empty tavern space on the main board, resolving its action, and skipping the rest of your turns for the current round. The first player to retire in a round becomes the first player for the next round.

Victory points (VP) are a crucial element in Saltfjord, earned through two distinct methods: immediate scoring (indicated by a green wreath symbol) and end-game scoring (indicated by a purple wreath symbol). Immediate VPs are gained during the game by activating certain buildings, fulfilling specific technology track steps, or returning home from fishing expeditions. End-game VPs are calculated after the third round concludes. These points are awarded for various achievements, including the values of fulfilled crate orders, the position of your markers on the technology tracks (which may be based on objectives like the number of resources collected or specific actions performed), and the value of any leftover resources (fish are converted to points). The player who has accumulated the highest total of both immediate and end-game victory points will win the game. In case of a tie, the player whose marker is in the leftmost final tavern space breaks the tie.

The game concludes immediately after the third round has been completed, which occurs once all players have chosen to retire for that round. At this point, final scoring commences to determine the ultimate winner. Players first convert any remaining resources into victory points; specifically, leftover fish grant three points each, while other resources do not directly convert to points unless specified by a technology. Next, players score points for their fulfilled crate orders. Each column of crates where a player has one crate per row grants three points, in addition to the purple points printed on the crates themselves. Finally, players score points based on their progress along the technology tracks. Each column on the technology track awards points based on the objective at the top of that column, which might be a fixed value, a multiplier based on collected items, or a placement bonus for being among the first to reach the top. The player with the highest total victory points from all sources wins the game. In the event of a tie, the player whose marker occupies the leftmost final tavern space on the main board is declared the winner.