Strategize and conquer in this naval battle game of cannon fire and territory control! Old Salt was sent to us for review by Never Board Games.
In two sentences, what do you do in the game: In Old Salt, you take command of a naval fleet and attempt to defeat other fleets and seize islands. This tactical game will have you think every step of the way as the position of your boat and proximity to ships and islands will have you consider every option.
Have we played any other titles by this publisher?: Old Salt is Never Board Games’ only game at this time, however they also have Little Creators Club and Drinks and Designs, two programs that help children and adults in the creative process that is board game design.
What was surprising about this title: In Old Salt, the way your ship is facing matters. Most naval based games only take position into consideration, but in Old Salt you must also think about the way it is facing. This will determine if you can take advantage of a penalty to opposing players or an advantage of return fire. It is a quite surprising mechanic, however sometimes you must stop and look at which spaces count as being on the ship’s broadside which can add time to people’s turns.
How likely is this to return to the game table?: For us, this game is not likely to return to the table very often. This game is more for people who crave chess-like strategy. Every move will matter and the game is not very forgiving should you make a wrong move or leave your ship facing the wrong way. The game has three ways of winning as well which can add to strategizing. You can focus on destroying the oppositions fleets and be the last person standing, you can seize control of all islands, or you can wait for all the rounds to be over and win by a scoring system.
Game length: The game can take anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours to play. The time will depend on player count and will also depend on how long people take during their turns. A player’s turn has no time limit (at least not stated in the rules) and your actions are limited to what you can afford to do and ends only when you are finished or unable to perform additional actions.
Language Barrier Playability: The game is moderately easy to play with a language barrier. Most of the symbols are numerals and the rules can be explained easily. The caveat is that you may have to remind players of Faction Abilities, the game’s way of making every player feel like they’re controlling a unique fleet. Every faction has unique abilities and a few of the ships have slightly different rules that may have to be explained a few times.
Artwork: The artwork is very well done. It is a mixture of high-seas adventure, historical naval ships and high fantasy. The map is gorgeous and the hints of pirate-like wonder are a nice touch. The insertion of the faction flags into the ships can be a bit difficult to read as you play. There will be several ships on the map at once and it can be a bit confusing as to which pieces are yours as the wood pieces will cover up the cardboard flags. It will make you feel a bit lost at sea until you get close and look at which pieces match your flag.
Quality: The pieces are all high quality. The cardboard pieces are easy to punch out and the wooden ships/damage tokens are very sturdy and painted well. The standee bases are a bit difficult to open to insert flags, adding to setup time but not cumbersome in a way that will make you consider getting different standees.
Strategy: Heavy. This game is very strategy based and will have you questioning all of your moves. Will you leave yourself open to attack so that you can make an attack before other players? Or will you stick close to your own ships and islands? Will you save some coins for you next turn or will you spend every cent you make every turn? Should you put a piece at risk to lure people towards you? These are just a few of the questions you’ll ask yourself as you play. If you like every move in your game to have a real effect, this is a game for you. If you’d rather a lighter strategy game, then this may be a little heavy for your taste.
Instruction Manual: The game manual explains the game well but there are some portions that are worded a bit awkwardly. There is a mechanic in the game called “trade winds” that allows your boat to travel an additional 2 spaces per ship so long as you stay within these “trade wind” spaces. This means your boat can move 3-5 spaces, with the 2 additional spaces having to be the “trade wind” spaces. The wording in the manual makes this a confusing and will have you re-read the same sentence a few times. The manual provides examples and this helps clarify confusion in most cases.
Organization: Old Salt has one of the best organization systems inside the box that we’ve seen in a long while. The components each have a space and all fit without having to readjust to make the box close. Could the box be slightly smaller? Perhaps. Would it be nice if the box had slots to differentiate all of the different token? Perhaps. The box and organization is still great and we had to nitpick something small in terms of organization.
Final thoughts: Old Salt is a strategy-heavy naval battle game that can be easy to play but tough to master. It is a game that can be played with in-depth planning, and in fact, the game also comes with a “Maneuver Manual” that helps with this strategizing. This game is great if you want to have a long, strategic game that is pretty and where your moves have consequences. This game might not be for you if you don’t like to plan 4 steps ahead and think about your every move.
Sushiball Games 