What You Need Before You Start
Ghosts of Saltmarsh is an expansion, not a standalone game. To play, you need one of the existing D&D Adventure System games (such as Castle Ravenloft, Wrath of Ashardalon, or The Legend of Drizzt). From that base game you’ll use the hero characters (miniatures, tiles, and cards), healing surges, HP tokens, wound tokens, a treasure deck, and other basic tokens. Keep your base game rulebook handy—Ghosts of Saltmarsh uses those rules for anything not covered in its own rulebook.
What’s in the Ghosts of Saltmarsh Box
The expansion box contains everything new you need for the campaign, including:
- 29 interlocking dungeon tiles: These include 6 double-sized tiles used for the town of Saltmarsh itself, which is a set map rather than a tile-by-tile exploration.
- 8 highly-detailed Sahuagin miniatures: Including two new villain figures. Tokens represent monsters from earlier games, which you can swap for miniatures from your collection.
- 148 cards and 154 markers/tokens: Includes a new Adventure deck for the town scenarios, plus spells, traps, and other encounter cards.
- Rulebook and adventure book: The adventure book walks you through a campaign with multiple scenarios, while the rulebook covers new mechanics.
Two Game Modes: Exploration and Town
Fans of the Adventure System will recognize the classic exploration mode, where dungeon tiles are placed one by one as you move. Ghosts of Saltmarsh adds a new town mode: the Saltmarsh map is a fixed layout of six double-sized tiles. Instead of exploring new tiles, you draw from an Adventure deck that introduces challenges and surprises. Your goal shifts from mapping a dungeon to protecting villagers from monsters that threaten the town. This mix of modes keeps each session fresh.
Setup Steps for Your First Game
Follow these steps to get started quickly.
- 1. Choose your base game: Select any Adventure System game you own. The heroes, their miniatures, and the basic tokens come from that set.
- 2. Prepare the Saltmarsh tiles: If playing a town scenario, lay out the six double-sided tiles as shown in the adventure book. For dungeon scenarios, shuffle the new dungeon tiles and place them in a stack.
- 3. Sort the cards and tokens: Separate the new monster, trap, spell, and Adventure deck cards. Place tokens for gold (if your base game lacks GP tokens, track gold separately), wounds, and other markers within reach.
- 4. Select your heroes: Each player picks a hero from the base game. If you have more than one base game, you can mix heroes from different sets—just use the rules from the game you chose as the primary system.
- 5. Read the scenario briefing: The adventure book gives you a setup for each scenario, including which tiles, monsters, and special rules apply. Follow those instructions before drawing the first tile or card.
Tips for a Smooth Session
Because Ghosts of Saltmarsh uses components from your base game, double-check that you have all the required tokens before you start. If your base game didn’t include GP tokens, you’ll need to use a dice or a notepad to track gold. The town scenarios rely on the Adventure deck for surprises—treat it like a replacement for tile exploration. And don’t worry if you’re missing a specific monster miniature; tokens are included for every creature that appears in the campaign, and you can always substitute the mini from another set if you own it.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Dungeons & Dragons: Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure System Board Game - Standard Edition: Ghosts of Saltmarsh: A D&D Adventure System Cooperative Game is an expansion to any of the previous Adventure System games. You must own a base Adventure System game to play. This expansion adds new adventures, map tiles, monsters, traps, and spells.
Dungeons & Dragons: Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure System Board Game - Standard Edition - Dungeons & Dragons: Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure System Board Game - Standard Edition: You’ll use the rules from your adventure system game of choice where not covered by the Ghosts of Saltmarsh rulebook. Keep your base game’s rulebook nearby for core mechanics like combat, movement, and character abilities.
- Dungeons & Dragons: Ghosts of Saltmarsh Adventure System Board Game - Standard Edition: Ghosts of Saltmarsh includes 8 new highly-detailed Sahuagin miniatures including two powerful new villains. These miniatures are the only new figures in the box; all other monsters are represented by tokens or can be swapped with miniatures from your collection.
