Last modified July 1, 2025 by jarjar

Overview
From one of the authors of Spectacular (Eilif Svensson), Saltfjord is a board game that immerses you in the atmosphere of a Norwegian fishing village at the end of the 19th century (the game is also published by a Norwegian company, Aporta Games). The game is a reissue of Santa Maria, but has been redesigned, rethemed, and expanded with new elements. Based on a dice draft mechanic, over three rounds, players choose dice from a common pool to activate buildings in their village. This provides resources and activates actions like sending the fishing boat, progressing on technology tracks, or completing contracts to create the most prosperous settlement.

My first impressions
A game that had hooked me during from the last Essen fair, thanks to its visuals, this representation of the fjord and the good feedback it received. It would have been quickly out of stock, in a few minutes in fact! And I also have a weakness for dice games...

It's a game that's fairly simple to explain, but not so easy to master. It offers a nice depth: you have to balance your fishing activities with the development of your village. The latter is based on a polyomino system that allows you to generate actions and resources, offering a fun little puzzle.

The resource gathering mechanics are often very satisfying, depending on the proper placement of village tiles and the availability of row and column dice. As the game progresses, the harvests become more fruitful, which lengthens the turns a bit.
The element of chance linked to visible tiles, fishing, village expansions and available contracts disappoints some, but I find that you have to know how to adapt, like many games in fact where luck is present.

The technology aspect should not be overlooked. Deep-sea fishing combined with a larger boat (which also offers space that doubles the points) can prove quite profitable.
Selecting dice from a common pool creates a little tension: should you take a useful die now or one that will prevent your opponent from making a good collection?

The game as a whole is magnificent (even if it is not unanimous in the community, a matter of taste!), we enjoy it from the first round and it is fun to develop our village and see it become profitable! The Youtuber Radho put it in its top 5 for 2024.

I've only played it solo and with two players, a common comment is that with four players it seems to drag on forever. That said, if my friend Jeff is in the group, we won't have this problem 😉

GAME FACT
The word Saltfjord comes from Norwegian and means “the salty fjord,” a nod to the time when salt was a strategic resource for fish preservation.

SOLO MODE

A super-simple mode that allows you to practice before playing a multiplayer game. This option was apparently added at the very last minute during the game's development, given the high demand for single-player modes.

There are no bots or dummy players to play against: it's the availability of dice that's different. Each time you take a building tile, you remove an additional one and you'll also have 2 additional score tiles. A decent solo mode, I'd say, which allows you to focus solely on your turns while getting blocked very little.

TECHNICAL SHEET
Number of games played: 4 (solo and 2 players)
Best player configuration: 2-3
Price paid: CAD 90
Level: experienced player (BGG complexity: 3.07/5)
My best score: 89

MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS
  I loved :
>> Good accessibility/depth ratio: The rules can be explained in less than 15 minutes for a good puzzle.
>> Pretty well done visual rendering: I love the rendering of the game board, certainly busy, but functional and attractive. This is not unanimous in the community, however!
>> Good quality material.
>> The mechanics are well-established, with crucial tactical decisions that can influence the entire game.
>> Multiple paths to victory.
>> The games are fluid and require planning, adaptation and precision.

I liked less :
>> Limited interaction.
>> Some tools seem to be definitely stronger than others, including the one that allows you to use any color of dice for activation.

Saltfjord impresses with its superb editing and truly fun activation mechanics. It's an open-ended game, offering a nice balance between accessibility and strategic depth.

FUN FACTOR 🙂🙂🙂🙂