I have always appreciated board games that take bold risks with their visual style. Sea Salt & Paper stands out immediately with its breathtaking art. Every single card in the deck features a sea creature crafted entirely from folded paper, photographed to look lifelike. This game wraps its beautiful presentation around a genuinely fun experience, making it a treat for the eyes and the mind.
At its heart, Sea Salt & Paper is a game about gathering sets of cards. It also includes a “push your luck” mechanic that keeps every turn exciting. The game is actually quite simple once you understand how the points work and how the rounds end. However, the way the game plays can feel a bit strange at first. This unique style might be a little hard for brand-new players or those who don’t play board games often to grasp right away.
How to Play the Game
On your turn, you have two main choices. You can take a single card from the middle of the table, or you can draw two cards from the deck. If you draw two, you must discard one of them to either pile in the center. That part is very straightforward. The challenge comes from the special rules written on the cards.
Almost every card has a special power shown by symbols on the face. These symbols look like hieroglyphics, and it takes several games before players fully understand what they mean. Some cards only work if you have a matching pair. This adds a layer of strategy because you have to decide which cards to keep and which to discard.
It gets even more complicated with cards that look like they should match but actually don’t. For example, there is a card that shows a school of fish. This card scores one point for every fish card you have. However, the school of fish card itself is not considered a fish. You have to pay close attention to these details to score well.
Ending the Round
The most unique part of the game is how a round finishes. Any player can decide to end the round as soon as they have seven or more points. When this happens, they can shout “Stop!” Everyone counts their points, and a new round begins immediately.
However, there is a riskier option called “Last Chance.” If a player has enough points, they can declare a Last Chance. They reveal their score to everyone. Then, every other player gets one more turn to try and beat that score.
If no one can beat the score, the player who called Last Chance gets a bonus. But if even one player manages to score higher, the person who called Last Chance loses everything. They only get one point for each card in a single color of their choice. It is a high-stakes gamble that can change the winner in an instant.
Special Win Conditions
There is another way to win that bypasses the points system entirely. If a player manages to collect all four mermaid cards during a single round, they win the game immediately. It does not matter what the scores are or if someone else has more points. Finding all four mermaids is a rare and exciting achievement.
Because of these rules, the game can be very unpredictable. You might be winning comfortably, only to have someone steal the victory with a Last Chance call or a full set of mermaids. This keeps everyone on their toes until the very end.
A Mixed Reception
Sea Salt & Paper has become a favorite game for many people to take on trips. It is compact and easy to carry around. However, the scoring system is not always easy for everyone to understand immediately. The symbols on the cards can be difficult to decipher at first glance.
Because of this, some groups of players might not enjoy it as much as others. It seems to be an acquired taste. You need a few plays under your belt to really appreciate the strategy involved. But even if you find the rules a bit confusing, no one can deny that the game is stunning to look at. The artwork alone makes it worth checking out.
