Katmai – A Tactical Bear Fishing Game Overview
Board Game Overviews
Katmai is a nature-themed board game for 2 players that offers a surprisingly tactical experience centred around controlling fishing spots. Players embody brown bears vying for prime locations on the Brooks River to catch salmon in preparation for the long winter.
Board Game Scores & Ranks:
- Play time: 15 Mins
- Player Count: 2 players
- Year Published: 2025
- Game Designer: Peter Ridgeway
Game Mechanisms:
- Tile Placement (River Tiles)
- Card Play (Bear Cards)
- Area Control (River Tile Spaces)
- Set Collection (Salmon Tokens via Objective Cards)
First Impressions
Katmai is a compact and engaging one-versus-one duel. The theme of brown bears fishing for salmon in the Alaskan wilderness is immediately captivating. The game includes components such as bear meeples (beeples), salmon tokens, double-sided river tiles, unique bear cards for each player (Cinnamon and Sandy decks), double-sided objective cards, and bear cub tokens. The rulebook is well-organised, creating satisfying and easy-to-learn gaming experience. Setup involves arranging the river tiles in a row and placing objective cards upstream, setting the stage for a strategic confrontation.
Review
Katmai is a chill little bear game that manages to pack in tactical depth. The game is played over a series of rounds where each player uses only 10 cards from their 12-card deck, holding just two at any time. The central mechanic involves playing bear cards face down against the river tiles. Players simultaneously reveal their cards, and the total dominance value of their played cards against a tile determines who gets to place a beeple in an unoccupied space on that tile.
Dominance values can be influenced by the unique abilities of the bear cards. Some bears can bend the rules by allowing players to move played cards, potentially boosting their dominance. The goal of placing beeples is to satisfy the conditions of the face-up objective cards located upstream of the river. Achieving these objectives earns players salmon tokens, and the player with the most salmon at the end of the game wins.
The game features an initiative token which determines the starting player each round and the resolution order of certain bear abilities. Interestingly, the starting player can choose to give the initiative to their opponent, adding a layer of tactical decision-making.
Katmai rewards thoughtful play, as players must carefully consider both their immediate dominance on a river tile and their ability to score salmon through the objective cards. The game ends if a player has at least four more beeples placed than their opponent, or if a player has two or fewer beeples remaining in their supply at the end of a round.
Who is this game for?
Katmai is well-suited for players looking for a two-player game that offers a satisfying level of tactical engagement within a relatively short 15-minute play time. Its charming nature theme and direct head-to-head competition for tile control should appeal to a wide range of players. While it might not be a “binge game,” it is a keeper that rewards thoughtful play. Katmai could serve as an excellent filler game or a quick and engaging duel for those who enjoy making strategic decisions with limited information.