Saltfish and Almanac: A Richly Crafted Merchant’s Tale

Saltfish and Almanac, the fourth installment in the Little Box series by Storybrewers, is a captivating storytelling game where you play as a merchant navigating yearly trade routes. Buy and sell goods to unlock unique memories as towns and seasons change, aiming to return home by winter. The game combines role-playing and strategic planning, offering an immersive experience for creative players.

• Game Title: Saltfish and Almanac
• Publisher: Storybrewers
• Designer: Vee Hendro and Hayley Gordon
• Players: 1 – 4
• Playtime: 3 – 6 hours
• Age: 14 and up

Gameplay

The game is centred around a single location, based on your merchant company and hometown. In the 2-4 player version (the one I played) your merchant company has two wagons that travel through 4 towns (2 port and 2 inland), and along a short road and 4 long roads.

From the centre the four towns are placed at each corner with long roads connecting. The short roads connect your starting town to a long road, roads start on the ‘spring’ side. See image below:

Players work for the same company but journey through different paths, each filled with distinct challenges and opportunities. The company and hometown determine your attributes, as well as those of your traveling companions and the other wagon team. You can choose from four companies:

• Hearthfire Traders: You are family, born or found, with a home that constantly expands with new additions.
• Mersiatic League: You are members of the Mersiatic League, burdened with debt but filled with hope.
• Venturis Collective: You are childhood friends seeking fortune through your business ventures.
• Springfolk Fellows: You are part of a fellowship of folkloric beings, traveling in the guise of ordinary humans.

Character creation involves forming attributes based on your company and hometown traits. These hooks are combined with unique traits from your hometown, offering rich backstory development. Once your character is created, you load your wagons by selecting goods and answering storytelling prompts. These prompts vary across towns, creating a platform for players to develop their characters and interactions.

Journeying on the Roads

The journey begins with wagons setting out on short roads, guided by initial prompts.

These prompts help set the direction of the story for each character. After the short road, wagons move to long roads, where players can choose to be introspective or interactive. If a single player is in the wagon, they must be introspective; if two, they can interact or reflect individually. Each long road features a story prompt, providing variety and depth to the narrative.

Next, wagons arrive at the first town. The left wagon heads to the top left town, while the right wagon moves to the bottom right town. Towns are either port or inland, opposite of the hometown type. Upon arrival, players disembark goods and engage in leisure activities, guided by prompts related to the goods and town type. These activities allow for humorous, serious, or varied storytelling based on player preferences.

The journey continues through additional long roads and towns, with seasons changing from spring to autumn, flipping the road cards and introducing new scenarios. The game progresses through four towns and roads, concluding when players return home for winter.

Components

Saltfish and Almanac is contained in a neatly designed large tuck box. The components include high-quality, vibrant cardboard pieces and tarot-sized cards. The durable components include:

• 6 Long Roads
• 2 Short Roads
• 2 Wagon Bases
• 64 Cards (across 2 Companies, 10 Towns, 4 References, 6 Special Items and Travelers, and 42 Goods)
• 2 Wooden Wagon Meeples (wagples)
• 4 Letter Tokens (expansion)

The compact rulebook, designed to fit the box size, includes a QR code for a helpful video guide. Despite its small size, the rulebook is comprehensive, clearly outlining the game’s complex rules. Each game element is double-sided, maximizing the use of limited space and expanding gameplay possibilities.

Theme and Replayability

The game’s theme of merchant travel through diverse towns provides an excellent storytelling platform. The towns and goods are well-developed, with scenarios that enhance world-building and character creation. The changing seasons add depth, offering different challenges and opportunities midway through the game.

Replayability is high, thanks to the variety of companies, towns, and goods. Although the number of roads is limited, the combination of different elements ensures each playthrough feels fresh. Experienced players will enjoy the nuanced storytelling, while newcomers will find the prompts helpful for easing into their roles.

Final Thoughts

Storybrewers excels in creating role-playing games that foster creativity and immersive storytelling. Saltfish and Almanac offers endless possibilities for character and world-building. Its high-quality components and thoughtful design make it a valuable addition to any RPG collection. While the storytelling elements may not appeal to everyone, fans of narrative-driven games will find themselves returning to Saltfish and Almanac time and again. The game’s balance of structured prompts and creative freedom ensures an engaging and dynamic experience for all players.

TableTopCon ’24

If you loved the sound of this game and want to give it a try yourself, you’re in luck! On May 25-26, 2024, at the Southport Community Centre in the Gold Coast, TableTopCon ’24 will bring together RPG enthusiasts, board gamers, and card game aficionados. Saltfish and Almanac will be there for you to try yourself.

Head down to explore the latest games, meet designers, and roll the dice for an unforgettable experience. All the details are available on the TableTopCon website.

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