Fishing Mechanics¶
Overview¶
Fishing is a wilderness activity available during expeditions. It is not a standalone session — it is performed during time allocation within a longer expedition, typically during camp establishment or while following a river route. The Fishing skill governs yield quantity and species variety. Zone type determines what species are available.
Fishing as an Expedition Activity¶
During an expedition, after arrival at a qualifying zone (river stretch, lake shore, marsh pool, or frozen stretch in winter), a player may allocate time to fishing as part of their action steps.
Fishing takes one action step (same time unit as other expedition actions like harvesting, surveying, or making camp).
Multiple fishing steps can be taken consecutively if time budget allows. Each additional step spent fishing in the same location uses diminishing returns — see yield formula below.
Zone Types and Access¶
| Zone Type | Location Examples | Season Availability | Tool Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| River Stretch | Trevalkaan river crossing, Arujoki river routes, Metsadu tributaries | Spring (peak), Summer, Autumn | Rod or Net |
| Lake Shore | High-altitude lakes in Rumiarr approaches | Summer, Autumn | Rod or Net |
| Marsh Pool | Deep bog zones (Suohauki territory), Polheen eastern wetlands | Spring, Summer, Autumn | Net or Trap |
| Ice Fishing (Winter) | Frozen river sections, frozen lake surface | Winter only | Ice Rod (specialist tool) |
| Coastal Inlet | Not available at launch (no coastal zones in 1km² hex grid) | — | — |
Spring flooding effect: During Spring, the Trevalkaan river crossing is impassable for wagons. The same flood conditions create the river surge season — fish runs are at their peak volume but conditions make net fishing difficult (rods preferred over nets in surge conditions).
Fishing Tools¶
| Tool | Tier | Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple Fishing Rod | Common | Basic yield; species variety limited | Starting tool; widely available from Provisioner |
| River Rod | Crafted | +15% yield vs. Simple Rod; suits fast water | Good for river stretch and ice fishing |
| Lake Rod | Crafted | +15% yield vs. Simple Rod; suits still water | Good for lake and deep pool fishing |
| Seine Net | Crafted | High volume yield; only functional in slow water (marsh pools, calm lake edges) | Cannot use in river surge conditions |
| Wicker Fish Trap | Crafted | Passive yield method; placed, left, collected on a later expedition step | Requires Fishing Familiar; traps can be stolen by other players if visible |
| Ice Fishing Rod | Fine | Required for ice fishing; standard rods do not function on ice | Winter-only application |
| Master's Seine | Fine | +30% yield in calm water; unlocks rare species access | Requires Fishing Skilled to equip |
Yield Formula¶
fish_yield = base_units × fishing_band_multiplier × zone_tier_bonus × tool_bonus × season_modifier × step_multiplier
Base units: 2 fish (or equivalent marketable unit) per action step
Fishing skill band multiplier:
| Fishing Band | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Untrained | 0.5× (halved yield; many escape) |
| Familiar | 1.0× |
| Practiced | 1.3× |
| Skilled | 1.6× |
| Veteran | 2.0× |
| Expert | 2.5× |
| Master | 3.0× |
Zone tier bonus:
| Zone Type | Bonus |
|---|---|
| River Stretch | 1.0× |
| Lake Shore | 1.1× |
| Marsh Pool | 0.9× (lower base volume, higher rarity chance) |
| Ice Fishing | 0.8× (harder conditions, but reduced competition from other players seasonally) |
Tool bonus: Per the tool table above. Simple Rod = 1.0× baseline.
Season modifier:
| Season | River | Lake | Marsh | Ice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring (Tulvakausi) | 1.5× (peak fish run) | 1.0× | 1.1× | n/a |
| Summer (Loimuaika) | 1.0× | 1.2× (peak lake) | 1.0× | n/a |
| Autumn (Satokausi) | 0.9× | 0.9× | 1.1× (pre-winter marsh surge) | n/a |
| Winter (Kaamos) | n/a (frozen) | n/a (frozen) | n/a (frozen) | 0.8× |
Step multiplier (diminishing returns per consecutive step):
| Step Number at Same Location | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| 1st step | 1.0× |
| 2nd step | 0.85× |
| 3rd step | 0.70× |
| 4th+ steps | 0.55× (floor) |
Diminishing returns reset if the player moves to a different zone location and returns (the fish repopulate to their normal density in the fiction). Moving to an entirely different zone type does not carry diminishing returns from the previous zone.
Fish Species by Zone¶
| Species | Zone | Season | Market Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Speckled Trout | River | Spring, Summer | 4 coin/unit | High volume, consistent demand |
| Silver Chub | River | All (except ice) | 2 coin/unit | Very common; used in basic provisions |
| Marbled Perch | Lake | Summer, Autumn | 6 coin/unit | Valued for flavor; moderate volume |
| Bog Eel | Marsh | Spring, Autumn | 8 coin/unit | Delicacy; harvested for Alchemy reagent use (renders down to a specific oil) |
| Flat-headed Ruff | Marsh | Summer | 3 coin/unit | Common; modest value |
| Great Pike | River (deep pools) | Autumn | 12 coin/unit | Rare; only accessible with Skilled+ fishing; requires deep pool within river stretch |
| Ice-caught Whitefish | Ice (lake) | Winter | 10 coin/unit | High value; Arujoki community delicacy; limited availability by season |
| Suomäki Carp | River (slow bends) | Summer | 5 coin/unit | Moderate value; notable for crafting use (skin for Leatherworking sub-recipes) |
Rarity table: Some fish only appear on quality rolls above a threshold. A Marsh Pool zone with Fishing at Skilled or above has a small chance per step of returning Bog Eel, regardless of the base yield calculation.
Fishing and Arujoki¶
Arujoki is the primary fishing community in the Frontier Marches. Their village standing system interacts with fishing in two ways:
Arujoki river access: Players with Known standing or higher at Arujoki can fish the prime river stretches near the village without social friction. Players at Stranger standing may fish but receive no standing credit toward Arujoki development, and the community does not buy their catch at standard prices (only 75% of market value when selling directly to the Arujoki Provisioner).
Smokehouse access: Players with Trusted standing at Arujoki can use the village smokehouse to preserve fresh fish (converts fresh fish to smoked/preserved fish, extending trade shelf life and increasing the per-unit coin value). Players without this standing must use the Campcraft Skilled + field smokehouse method (see camping-mechanics.md).
Arujoki Fish Market: At Honored standing with Arujoki, the player can post fish catch lots directly to the Arujoki Fish Market — a regional board posting that Trevalkaan Provisioners and traveling merchants can buy from. This gives higher prices than selling to the local Provisioner and is the main economic incentive for developing deep standing with Arujoki.
Fishing Skill and Progression¶
Fishing skill is advanced by: - Successfully completing fishing steps during expeditions (zone difficulty must exceed or meet current band threshold) - Catching rare or high-difficulty species (Great Pike, Bog Eel, Ice-caught Whitefish give higher skill event weight) - Completing Arujoki board fishing orders (quantity and species-specific orders that award enhanced skill progression)
Fishing does not advance by fishing in easy zones the player is overqualified for. A Master Fishing player standing in a shallow stream accomplishes nothing toward their next advancement — they need to be challenged.