{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"practice/last-ferry","type":"practice","id":"last-ferry","lang":"en","title":"The last ferry","summary":"Create a choice whose value depends on the situation.","updatedAt":"2026-10-20","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/practice/last-ferry/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/practice/last-ferry.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/practice/last-ferry.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Choice and rules"],"sourceIds":["source-3e6c21889ae768e0","source-6f794a271cd60b9c"],"sources":[{"id":"source-3e6c21889ae768e0","title":"Challenges for Game Designers: author website","url":"https://designgames.wordpress.com/","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-6f794a271cd60b9c","title":"Challenges for Game Designers: table of contents","url":"https://designgames.wordpress.com/toc/","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"goal","title":"Goal","body":"Create a choice whose value depends on the situation."},{"id":"example","title":"Scenario and materials","body":"You run a ferry before the harbour closes. Different cargo earns points but takes different amounts of space and time. Design a six-turn game: each turn, the player chooses what to carry, what to leave behind and when to send the ferry.\n\nPaper and tokens"},{"id":"constraints","title":"Constraints","body":"- Use no more than three actions and two resource types.\n- All costs and rewards are known before the choice. There are no random events.\n- The rules must fit on one page."},{"id":"steps","title":"Steps","body":"1. Describe the goal, actions, ferry capacity and end of the game.\n2. Prepare two starting setups in which different first actions are preferable.\n3. Play each setup once. Change one rule and repeat the check."},{"id":"outcome","title":"Deliverable","body":"A rule sheet, two starting setups and a short note about the difficult choice."},{"id":"checks","title":"Check your work","body":"- Each setup offers at least two legal first actions.\n- One action does not outperform every other action on every consequence in every setup.\n- The player can explain what they gave up to carry their chosen cargo."},{"id":"reflection","title":"Reflect","body":"Which constraint creates an interesting decision? What happens if you remove it?"}],"relations":[{"type":"practices","direction":"incoming","label":"What this helps you learn","key":"lesson/choice-cost","title":"Choice costs and situational value","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/choice-cost/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lesson/choice-cost.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lesson/choice-cost.md"},{"type":"practices","direction":"incoming","label":"What this helps you learn","key":"path/balance","title":"Balance and progression","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/learn/balance/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/path/balance.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/path/balance.md"},{"type":"uses","direction":"outgoing","label":"Sources in the selection","key":"resource/challenges-for-game-designers","title":"Challenges for Game Designers","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-challenges-for-game-designers","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/challenges-for-game-designers.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/challenges-for-game-designers.md"}],"placements":[{"title":"In the original collection","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/practice/#last-ferry"}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"topic":"choice","level":"beginner","minutes":45},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Thematic inspiration: Challenges for Game Designers by Brenda Brathwaite and Ian Schreiber. These scenarios, constraints and checks are independently written around broad game-design learning topics. This is not a translation or a sequential retelling of the book exercises.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors"}}