01crewShared information
Lantern Keeper
Inspect the next weather card and tell the table what is coming. The card then returns to the top of its deck.
THE AFTER-HOURS TABLEKeep the light.
Keep the light.
Catch the night.
A cooperative fishing table where every lantern matters. Share the water, collect three beacon pairs and get your whole crew home before the glow runs out.
COOPERATIVE BY NATURE
EVERY LIGHT BELONGS TO EVERYONE
EVERY LIGHT BELONGS TO EVERYONE
2–4 crewmatesAround 30 minutesShared-light co-op
08 TURNS TO LIGHT THE COASTTHE PROMISE OF THE TABLE
Nobody wins this night alone.
A SMALL INTERACTIVE EXAMPLEHow long can
How long can
your lantern last?
Explore a simplified eight-turn light budget: a short cast costs one, a long cast costs two, and a rest restores two. Six practice catches complete this exercise; boats, catch colours and weather are omitted here.
Light 8 / 8Turn 0 / 8Catches 0 / 6
Eight light, eight turns. Plan for six practice catches.
A FEW FAVOURITES FROM THE DECKRead the signal.
Read the signal.
Share the advantage.
01crew
02tackleQuiet efficiency
Afterglow Spinner
The next cast costs no light. Discard this tackle immediately after that cast, even if it completes a beacon.
03catchNorthern beacon
Moon-Silver Bass
Place this silver catch in the shared collection. Two silver catches light the northern beacon and return to the supply.
THE SCATTER COMBINATIONA borrowed spark
A borrowed spark
can change the watch.
Three different scatter symbols — a moon, a reed and a spark — create one borrowed-light token. Spend that token in place of one light during a later action. A weather card may grant a symbol; keep at most one complete borrowed-light token at a time.
See it in the rulesMoon
Reed
Spark
ONE COMPLETE SETA table advantage, earned together
THE WORLD ON YOUR TABLEGET TO KNOW THE WATERAn eight-dock coast.
An eight-dock coast.
A shared way home.
The night route circles eight landing points. Each dock shows one of three catch habitats. Every boat can make a free short move; a second step spends light that the whole crew might need later.
- 01
Silver Reach
Moon catchesBring two silver catches to the shared collection to light the northern beacon.
- 02
Reedlight Bay
Reed catchesA quiet inlet with the green pair needed by the eastern beacon.
- 03
Violet Point
Violet catchesThe last colour in the set, often worth a carefully planned second step.
Blackwater FrontA CHANGE IN THE CONDITIONSWatch the horizon.
Read the card details
Watch the horizon.
Then watch the light.
Lose one shared light. If that reduces the track to zero before all beacons are lit, the crew’s attempt ends.
BACK AT THE LANDING
Lighthouse Signal
Somebody on the shore is still awake.
THE SHAPE OF A TURNFour beats.
Four beats.
One shared watch.
Put private scores aside. Speak openly, plan together and treat the lantern track as one resource belonging to the entire boat crew.
Move through the glow
The active boat moves one dock clockwise for free, or two docks by spending one shared light. A player may also remain where they are.
Cast or tend a lantern
A cast spends one light and takes a catch matching the current dock. Tending a lantern takes no catch and restores two light, up to the eight-light maximum.
Light the coast together
As soon as the shared collection contains two catches of one required colour, return that pair to light its beacon. Lighting a beacon is free.
Pass the watch
Advance the team-turn tracker and pass the active turn clockwise. After every second team turn, reveal a weather card. Resolve it before the next player begins.
GOODCOMPANY
THE CHARACTERS AT THE TABLEDifferent voices.
Different voices.
One plan.
Afterglow works best when everyone can see the same problem. The characters suggest table roles, not hidden information or exclusive abilities.
NoorThe lantern keeperEdieThe shore watcherCalThe late caster
Meet this edition’s crewINSIDE THE PROPOSED BOX
Pack the glow.
Eight dock tiles, up to four boats, three beacon cards, a light marker, a turn marker, catch counters and a small weather deck make the proposed kit. The browser exercise uses only the light budget, so the physical rules remain easy to read separately.
Rules and sample components describe a design concept. No physical box is sold through this site.
Can players discuss their next actions?
Please do. Hands, catches and the lantern track are public information; cooperation is the central idea.
Is eight turns the same as eight rounds per player?
No. The crew gets eight turns in total. Take them in clockwise player order, advancing the shared tracker after each action.
What if the last cast uses our final light?
Complete the cast and check the beacons first. If that cast lights the third beacon, the crew succeeds; otherwise an empty light track ends the attempt.
Is this a released physical product?
This site presents an independent design concept inspired by Big Bass Bonanza. It does not sell a box, accept payment or provide an official commercial edition.
THE AFTER-HOURS TABLELeave one lamp
Leave one lamp
on for the crew.
Read the shared rules, talk through the choices and find out what a little light can do when nobody keeps it to themselves.
Bring the rules to the table