
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,498
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Eggs and Empires
- 2–6 players
- 25 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2014

Rules assistance for Fleet: Salmon License
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Fleet: Salmon License is an expansion for Fleet released in 2014 for 1–6 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Ben Pinchback and Matt Riddle and its main mechanics are Hand Management and Auction / Bidding.
Part of Fleet: Arctic Bounty Kickstarter campaign. They will be available by other outlets Quantity: 4 + 16 Salmon Boat Cards During setup, four Salmon licenses are added to the pool of Standard licenses and 16 Salmon Boat Cards are added to the Boat Card supply. The Salmon licenses are purchased and played from the License Deck in the same manner as other license cards. Once owned, a Salmon license gives a player the ability to launch Salmon boats. A Salmon license also gives a player the ability to draw one Boat Card at the beginning of the Fishing Phase. The player can choose to either keep the card in hand OR tuck it under any already-Launched and Captained boat he owns. The tucked card will catch a Crate along with the boat during Fishing and has a capacity of four Crates. One (1) Salmon license owned: Draw one card during Fishing; may keep the card in hand OR tuck it under an already-Launched and Captained boat they own. Two (2) Salmon licenses owned: Draw two cards during Fishing; may keep the cards in hand OR tuck them under separate already-Launched and Captained boats they own. Three (3) Salmon licenses owned: Draw three cards during Fishing; may keep the cards in hand OR tuck them under separate already-Launched and Captained boats they own. Four (4) Salmon licenses owned: Draw four cards during Fishing; may keep the cards in hand OR tuck
Fleet: Salmon License supports 1–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Fleet: Salmon License is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Fleet: Salmon License for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Fleet: Salmon License has a complexity rating of 2.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Fleet: Salmon License belongs to these categories: Card Game, Nautical, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and Auction / Bidding. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Fleet: Salmon License are: Ben Pinchback and Matt Riddle. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Fleet: Salmon License as an expansion for Fleet. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Fleet to use it. Check that your edition of Fleet is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.