
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,147
- BGG rating
- 6.3
RUM
- 2–4 players
- 10–20 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2017

2020
Rules assistance for Salt & Bones
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Salt & Bones is a board game released in 2020 for 2 players and 15–25 minutes per game. It was designed by David Cairho and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Square Grid.
Salt & Bones is a two-player dueling game with a nautical fantasy setting. You are a captain locked in a duel on the deck during a boarding action. Conquer your opponent by out-thinking and out-maneuvering them on an ever-shrinking battlefield. The game includes mechanisms of take that, drafting, zone control, and trap laying. One player wins when the opponent's health is depleted while their own is not. Players taken turns drafting from shared decks. Some of these cards are laid down before combat and serve to augment your plays or interrupt your opponent's. During combat, players take turns to populate the board with cards that both damages the opponent's health and provides zones of control. —description from the designer
Salt & Bones supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Salt & Bones is 15–25 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.
Salt & Bones has a complexity rating of 2.0 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.
Salt & Bones belongs to these categories: Card Game and Pirates. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Take That, and Square Grid. 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 Salt & Bones are: David Cairho. 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 Salt & Bones as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.