Printable guide sheet: The Ship the Tide Gave Back

Read this to your players to start

The low-water bell rings once, and the whole town comes to the wall to look. The sea has gone out further than anyone alive has seen, right out to the bar, and a ship nobody recognises is standing in the wet sand. Harbour-Mistress Rell sends the heroes out to find out whose she is, and to be back before the water is.

Scenes (all session lengths — scene’s tag shows the shortest length it appears in)

1. Scene 1: The Low-Water Bell from Quick Quest on

   Dong. The bell over the sea steps rings once. It only rings like that at the lowest tide of the year. All of Harborton runs to the wall to look. The sea is gone! Wet sand stretches past the boats and past the black rocks called the Teeth. And far out, where no ship has ever been, a ship is standing in the sand. Harbour-Mistress Rell stares at it. "She is somebody’s," she says. "Go and find out whose. You have one hour before the sea comes back."

   Goal: Find out whose ship is standing on the sand, and be back before the sea is.

   • Ask Rell No roll

     It works: Rell points at a slate on the harbour wall. "Three boats lost off this coast and never found," she says. "She must be one of them." Out there, she adds, the sand has never once been dry.

     It doesn’t: If nobody asks, Rell hands over the list anyway as you pass. "Read it while you walk."

   • Borrow from the rope shop Kind, DN 8

     It works: The shopkeeper hands over a coil of rope, a bucket and a lantern. "Bring them back full of stories," he says. Tick all three on the story tracker.

     It doesn’t: The shopkeeper is too busy staring at the sea. He lets you take the rope and the bucket, but not the lantern. Tick two on the story tracker.

   • Run straight out Brave, DN 10

     It works: You race down the steps and out across the sand. Every minute you save now is a minute you have at the ship.

     It doesn’t: You slip on the bottom step and end up in a heap. Up again, laughing, and off across the sand.

   Ask your players

   Ask the quietest player: Here is Rell’s list of lost boats. Will you read it out for everyone? Hand over Rell’s Lost List now. It is the key to the whole puzzle.

   Ask the table: If the sea went out by your house, what would you hope to find on the sand?

   Start the clock out loud. Tell the table they have about an hour, then say the tide once a scene: "the water is off the Teeth", "the stream is filling", "it is over your boots". That is the whole engine of this adventure. Note on the story tracker whether the heroes take the rope, the bucket and the lantern; all three come back at the end. Short on time? At the Quick Quest length, go straight to the tide coming back: the climax gives the table the ship’s green paint, and the cat.

2. Scene 2: The Wet Road from Short Session on

   Squeak, squeak. The wet sand squeaks under your boots. Little streams run the wrong way, out to sea. Pools are everywhere, like windows into another world. In one, a crab as big as a bucket sits like a grumpy judge. Something flat and grey hides in the sand as your shadow passes. Behind you, the town is already small. Ahead stand the Teeth, black and dripping. And past them is the ship.

   Goal: Cross the sand to the ship, and mark the way home before the water covers it.

   • Hurry on No roll

     It works: You splash on fast. You will have extra time at the ship, just when you need it.

     It doesn’t: You hurry, but then somebody spots a starfish and everybody stops to look. Then on you go.

   • Mark the way home Clever, DN 10

     It works: You push driftwood sticks into the sand, one every ten steps. When the water comes, a boat can follow them. Tick the box on the story tracker.

     It doesn’t: The sand is too soft, and the sticks keep falling over. Never mind: you can still see the town wall from here.

   • Help a stranded fish Kind, DN 8

     It works: You scoop a little fish into your hands and lower it into a deep pool. The big crab watches, waves one claw, and steps aside. The quick way is open.

     It doesn’t: The fish wriggles out of your hands and flops into the deep pool by itself. The crab looks unimpressed, but lets you pass.

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: Look into your own pool. What lives in there? Whatever they say lives in there, does.

   Ask the table: Can everybody walk sideways like a crab, all the way round the table?

   This scene is the clock you can see: the pools are shrinking. Nothing here is a fight. The crab is slow, and it does not chase. If the heroes plant sticks, tick the story tracker: at the end, signalling for a boat needs no roll, because a boat can follow a line of sticks across flooded sand.

3. Scene 3: The Way Aboard from One-Sitting Session on

   Close up, the ship is enormous. She lies tipped on her side, like something asleep. Barnacles crust her whole side. Weed hangs from her rail. Her ribs stick up out of the open deck, like the fingers of a hand. There is a crack in her side, just wide enough to squeeze through. And from somewhere inside her comes a little noise. Something is in there, and it does not sound pleased.

   Goal: Get aboard, carefully, without bringing any of her down on you.

   • Climb the side Brave, DN 10

     It works: Up you go, hand over hand. From the top you can see the whole wet sand, and the sea, still far away.

     It doesn’t: You slide back down with a squelch. Try again with a boost from a friend. The second try needs no roll.

   • Squeeze through the crack Clever, DN 10

     It works: It is dark in here, and it smells of salt and old rope. Little paw prints run along the wet wood. Somebody small uses this door.

     It doesn’t: You get stuck halfway, and your friends pull you out like a cork. Pop! Then you spot the trick: go in sideways.

   • Knock first No roll

     It works: Knock, knock. From high up inside comes a thin, cross answer: "Mrrow."

     It doesn’t: Nothing answers at first. Then, very faintly, from high up inside: "Mrrow."

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: The old ship creaks. Can everybody make a long, creaky ship noise?

   Ask the quietest player: Who do you think said "mrrow"? Do not tell them yet. Let them guess.

   Whoever goes in, the crack is the door the cat has been using, and a knock gets a cross little "mrrow" from above. Do not show the cat yet. The one real danger is the flooded hold: a big, shy eel lives in it, it cannot leave the water, and heroes who keep out of the water never meet it. Climbing the side needs no roll if the heroes borrowed the rope. Say the timbers groan: this is a scene for going carefully.

4. Scene 4: The Painted-Over Name from Full Session on

   Inside, the sea has been living here. Seawater lies across the tipped floor. Weed hangs from every beam. Over the cabin door hangs the name-board. The sea has scrubbed it down to bare grey wood. Not one letter is left! But a ship can tell you her name in other ways. There are three clues on board, if you know where to look. High up, in a dark box by the bell, something small says: mrrow.

   Goal: Work out which of Harborton’s three lost boats this is.

   • Count the masts Clever, DN 8

     It works: There are two square holes in the deck where masts once stood. Two masts! Look at the lost list: only one boat had two.

     It doesn’t: Weed covers one of the holes. Pull it away together and count again: two holes, two masts.

   • Scrape the barnacles Clever, DN 10

     It works: Scritch, scratch. Under the barnacles, the paint is green. Look at the lost list: green was one boat’s colour, and only one.

     It doesn’t: The barnacles are stuck fast. Then a drip of seawater runs down and washes one little patch clean. Green!

   • See how she left No roll

     It works: Nothing is packed away. A snapped rope still hangs from a ring at her front. She broke loose in a storm with nobody aboard, just like one boat on the list.

     It doesn’t: It is too dark to see much. Then a sunbeam through the deck shows a snapped rope, still tied to a ring at her front.

   Ask your players

   Ask the quietest player: Look at Rell’s list. Which boat do you think she is? Let them work it out. If they are stuck, give one more clue, never the answer.

   Ask the table: Mrrow! Who wants to climb up and peek into the box by the bell? It is a mother cat and three kittens. She came out over the sand weeks ago, and has had the driest box on the bar to herself ever since.

   ONE answer, and each of the three clues reaches it on its own: she is the SALTWREN. Two masts rules out the Whimbrel, which had one, and the Kettle Girl, which had none. Green paint is the Saltwren’s colour and nobody else’s. And she left empty in a storm, her rope snapped at the ring, which is how the Saltwren went in the Long Gale. The Kettle Girl was raised the next spring anyway, so she cannot be out here at all. If the table is stuck, give one more clue, never the answer: the tide is the pressure in this adventure, never the riddle. Up in the box by the bell: Tarry the cat and her three kittens.

5. Scene 5: Bonus: The Pool in the Teeth from Epic Session on

   Between two of the Teeth there is a pool that never empties, not even today. It is clear all the way down. And the bottom is not sand. It is everything Harborton has lost for a hundred years. Buckles. A boot. A ring of old keys. And lying on its side, gone green with age, is a ship’s bell.

   Goal: See what the Teeth have been keeping, and bring up the bell.

   • Duck under Brave, DN 10

     It works: Brr! It is cold and clear and chest deep. Your fingers close round the bell. Up it comes, dripping.

     It doesn’t: Brr! Too cold! You come up gasping, and the bell is still down there. Try holding ankles instead, all together.

   • Hold each other Kind, DN 8

     It works: Two of you hold on tight. The third reaches down, down, and grabs the bell. Everybody falls over backwards, laughing, holding it.

     It doesn’t: Everybody wobbles, and the one reaching gets a very wet face. On the second try, everyone holds tighter, and up comes the bell.

   • Fish for it Clever, DN 10

     It works: You lower a hooked line, with the lantern held low. Clink. Got it! Up comes the bell, slowly, slowly.

     It doesn’t: The hook keeps slipping off. Then it catches on a handle, and up comes the bell, with an old boot hanging off it.

   Ask your players

   Ask each player in turn: What else would you bring up from the bottom of the pool?

   Ask the table: Can everybody ring a bell, very, very softly?

   A bonus for groups with time, and a real reward: the bell has SALTWREN on it, and it still rings. A table that has it can name the ship at the end even if they never solved the puzzle, so a group that got stuck still gets to be right. It is heavy, and that matters at the end.

6. Scene 6: The Tide Comes Back from Quick Quest on

   Here comes the sea. It does not come as a wave. It comes up from underneath. First the stream by the Teeth fills up. Then the sand goes shiny. A little wave slaps the ship and washes the barnacles off her side. Underneath, the paint is green! Up in a box by the bell, a mother cat and three kittens peer down. "Mrrow." You cannot carry everything. The name-board is heavy. Kittens cannot swim. What do you take home?

   Goal: Get what matters off the sand before the water closes the road home.

   • Carry the cats Kind, DN 8

     It works: The mother cat sniffs your hand, then lets you lift each kitten. Read "If you carried the cats."

     It doesn’t: The mother cat hisses. Kneel down, go slowly, and try again: this time she lets you. Read "If you carried the cats."

   • Make a sling Clever, DN 12

     It works: Rope, bucket, and a clever knot. The cats ride in the bucket and the name-board hangs below. Read "If you took it all."

     It doesn’t: The knot slips, and the name-board splashes down. Leave it for the next low tide. The cats still ride in the bucket. Read "If you carried the cats."

   • Signal the town Brave, DN 10

     It works: You climb to the top of the ship and wave the lantern. On the wall, somebody waves back. A boat is coming! Read "If a boat came."

     It doesn’t: Nobody sees you at first. Keep waving! At last a rowing boat pushes off from the steps. Read "If a boat came."

   Ask your players

   Ask the table: The water is coming! Can everybody count down from ten, faster and faster?

   Ask the quietest player: If you could only carry one thing home, what would you choose? There is no wrong answer. Whatever is left behind waits for the next low tide.

   Three real endings and not one of them is a failure. Say it plainly if anyone looks worried: nobody can drown in this adventure. The water is knee-deep at its worst, the ship stands clear of the highest tide, and the whole town is watching. Whatever is left behind only waits three weeks, until the next big low tide. Making a sling needs no roll if the heroes borrowed both the rope and the bucket. Signalling needs no roll if they planted sticks on the way out (see the story tracker). No lantern? They wave a shirt. Short on time? Every length gets the twist: green paint means the Saltwren on Rell’s list, so at the Quick Quest length let the table match it before they choose. When it is over, read the ending that happened, then the homecoming.

   How it ends

   Read the ending that happened, then the homecoming.

   If you carried the cats. You splash home up to your knees, with a kitten in every pocket. The mother cat trots behind you, tail held high. Up the sea steps she comes, and she never leaves again. The name-board stays on the ship. In three weeks the sea goes out again, and you can fetch it then.

   If you took it all. You wade home with a swinging sling. The cats ride in the bucket, looking very proud. The name-board bumps along behind. On the steps, Rell runs her hand over the bare grey wood. "We will paint her name back on," she says.

   If a boat came. A rowing boat comes out across the shiny water. Everyone climbs aboard: you, the cats, the name-board, and the bell too, if you found it. The whole town cheers from the wall as you row home.

   Homecoming

   Every ending: her name comes home. That evening, Rell chalks a name on the harbour board: SALTWREN. An old woman called Nessa comes down to read it. "My grandma’s boat," she says, smiling. "Home at last." By the fire, the mother cat curls up with her kittens. Her name, everyone agrees, is Tarry.

Player handout — show this to your table

Rell’s Lost List

A slate screwed to the harbour wall under the bell. At the top: "BOATS LOST OFF THIS COAST AND NEVER FOUND." Then three lines. "SALTWREN. Two masts, green paint. Lost in the Long Gale with nobody aboard. Her rope snapped at the ring." "WHIMBREL. One mast, black paint. Sank off the far cape. Her crew rowed home safe." "KETTLE GIRL. No mast at all, a flat boat pushed with a pole. Sank in the harbour." Underneath, in newer writing: "Kettle Girl raised the next spring. Two left."

Monster stat blocks

Rewards

• The Saltwren’s name back. Rell chalks it on the harbour board the same evening, and Nessa Kellow, whose grandmother owned her, comes down to the quay to read it.
• The Saltwren’s own bell, if the heroes found the pool in the Teeth. Harborton hangs it at the top of the sea steps and rings it at every lowest tide from now on.
• Tarry, and three kittens. The Anchor and Ell inn takes one; the heroes may keep the rest, and Tarry herself follows whoever carried her.
• Rell’s tide-table, copied out in her own hand. Whoever carries it will never be caught by a turning tide anywhere on this coast.

Tips for running this one

• This adventure has a clock, and the clock is the whole point. Say the tide out loud once a scene ("the water is off the Teeth", "the stream is filling", "it is over your boots"), and the table feels the hurry without anybody being threatened.
• Nobody can drown here, and it is worth saying so if a child looks worried. The water is knee-deep at its worst and the ship stands clear of the highest tide. What is at stake is what gets left behind, never who gets hurt.
• The puzzle has one answer and three ways to it. A table that loves puzzles can work for it; a table that does not can simply match the clues to Rell’s list. Never let the table get stuck on the ship’s name.
• Short on time? The Quick Quest is the low-water bell and the tide coming back, and it still has the twist: the first wave washes her paint clean. See the climax’s DM notes.
• Playing with 5- and 6-year-olds? Take 3 off every DN and skip the roll for anything kind. For 9- and 10-year-olds, add 2.