The Last Ferry Before the Fog: your table plan

90 minutes · 3 players plus one GM · No combat

What changes with this plan

The four-party capacity card is already on the table. No private host invitations are available, so the repair pair cannot be promised lodging beyond the general hall; the fully agreed sailing is the people-and-tools branch. All three preparation turns are needed for storage, compacting and review.

Changing player count shares table duties; it does not add passenger places or change the story's resource limits. Rotate the speaking role and invite each player before closing a bargain.

Real-time schedule

These are planning targets, not a measured promise. Fictional preparation turns are spent only on printed action costs.

Minutes elapsed	What to do
0–5	Opening agreement and characters
5–25	Count requests and hear the traveller plan
25–50	Commit dry storage and compact the kit
50–70	Write and check the manifest
70–80	Board and explain tomorrow’s commitment
80–90	Close the story and debrief

Table duties

Players invent a name, an ordinary useful skill and a reason to help. These duties are shared jobs, not exclusive character abilities.

Player 1: Map the route and ask what the group can do next.
Player 2: Keep the evidence and watch the real-time schedule.
Player 3: Read back the agreement before the group commits.

Put these resources on the table

Ferry capacity units: 6
Dry storage bays: 2
Lodging host tokens: 0
Morning priority token: 1
Preparation turns before fog: 3

The pilot's safety reserve stays separate. Six ferry spaces mean six units at every player count.

When time is running short

At 70 minutes, read back the actual manifest and agreements. A completed manifest still needs a preparation turn for pilot review. If a departure cannot be approved, use “Close the manifest and use the warm quay hall.” Name what remains undelivered; leave the final ten minutes for consequences and a debrief.