Sea Salt & Paper is a captivating card game blending elements of set collection and hand management into a visually charming experience.
During the game players aim to collect cards that offer various scoring opportunities. These cards are beautifully illustrated with origami figures, adding a unique aesthetic to the game. Gameplay involves drawing cards from a deck or two discard piles, and choosing whether to add one to their hand while discarding another, or taking the top card from a discard pile. Players can play sets of “duo” cards, like two fish or two boats, to gain special abilities, such as taking an extra turn, stealing a card, or drawing more cards.
The game revolves around accumulating points through different card types:
- Collector cards: Increase in value as players collect more of a kind (like shells or penguins).
- Multiplier cards: Boost the points earned from certain card types in a player’s hand (e.g., a lighthouse card enhances the value of boat cards).
- Mermaid cards: Provide a color bonus, granting points for each card of the color a player has most of. Collecting all four Mermaid cards results in an instant win.
The strategic heart of the game lies in deciding when to end a round. Once a player has at least seven points, they can choose to:
- Stop: End the round immediately, and all players score their points.
- Last Chance: This is a push-your-luck gamble. The player who calls “Last Chance” reveals their hand and declares their score, allowing other players one final turn to try and surpass that score. If the “Last Chance” player remains in the lead, they score bonus points for the color they have the most of; if not, they only score the color bonus, while other players score normally.
The game concludes when a player reaches a certain point threshold, which varies depending on the number of players (40 for two players, 35 for three, and 30 for four). Sea Salt & Paper offers a delightful mix of set collection, hand management, and a touch of calculated risk, making it an engaging and visually appealing card game for families and gamers alike.
Rating: 7.5/10
Players: 2-4
Time: 30-45 minutes
Weight: 1.48/5
Awards & Honors
- 2024 Nederlandse Spellenprijs Best Family Game Nominee
- 2024 American Tabletop Casual Games Winner
- 2023 Spiel des Jahres Recommended
- 2023 Lys Grand Public Finalist
- 2023 Japan Boardgame Prize Voters’ Selection Nominee
- 2023 Graf Ludo Best Family Game Graphics Nominee
- 2023 Geek Media Awards Game of the Year for Beginners Winner
- 2023 Geek Media Awards Game of the Year for Beginners Nominee
- 2023 Fairplay À la carte Winner
- 2022 Tric Trac Nominee
- 2022 Tric Trac Famille Nominee
- 2022 Tric Trac d’Argent Famille
- 2022 Golden Geek Light Game of the Year Nominee
- 2022 Board Game Quest Awards Best Card Game Nominee