A lobby may challenge the keeper, and the table can talk before the boards flip

"Challenge Kestrel, the keeper" holds a seat under the keeper's name,
writes the call to the ledger, says so at the table, and raises a
Sentry issue fingerprinted to the room — one ring per call, with the
room's link in the message — which is the alarm the keeper's phone
listens for. The keeper answers by the link: taking the seat, and
leaving a word if the game must wait. For that word, and for any table
to settle when to start, the lobby now shows its talk and carries a
composer; a joiner sees what was said before they sat. Three calls per
address per hour, one per room.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5.1 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Jm2auWk6RP71CjaAb4FMoG

packages/web/src/App.svelte

@@ -2653,7 +2653,7 @@
               <span class="seat-portrait empty"></span>
               <span class="seat-text">
                 <span class="seat-name">{n}</span>
-                <span class="seat-role">from the last table — not yet seated</span>
+                <span class="seat-role">{net.challenge && n === net.keeper ? `called to the table by ${net.challenge.by} — awaiting an answer` : "from the last table — not yet seated"}</span>
               </span>
             </li>
           {/each}
@@ -2680,6 +2680,32 @@
             <summary>the link itself, for pasting by hand</summary>
             <code class="invite-link">{inviteLink}</code>
           </details>
+          {#if !net.challenge && !net.players.includes(net.keeper) && net.players.length + net.expected.length < 6}
+            <div class="challenge-row">
+              <button class="stamp quiet-lid" onclick={() => net.challengeKeeper()}
+                title="{net.keeper} keeps this table and gets a call; if they can come they take the seat, and either way they may leave a word here">
+                ⚔ Challenge {net.keeper}, the keeper</button>
+            </div>
+          {:else if net.challenge}
+            <div class="challenge-note">{net.keeper} has been called by {net.challenge.by}. If they can come, they take their seat; if not, they may leave a word below.</div>
+          {/if}
+          <!-- Talk before the boards flip: to say when, or to leave a word. -->
+          {@const lobbyTalk = net.log.filter((l) => l.text.startsWith("\u{1F4AC}")).slice(-6)}
+          <div class="lobby-talk">
+            {#each lobbyTalk as line, i (i)}
+              <div class="lobby-line">{line.text}</div>
+            {/each}
+            <form class="say-box lobby-say" onsubmit={(e) => {
+              e.preventDefault();
+              const t = chatDraft.trim();
+              if (!t) return;
+              if (net.sendChat(t)) chatDraft = "";
+              else net.flash("Not sent — the table is out of reach; your words wait in the box");
+            }}>
+              <input class="say-input" bind:value={chatDraft} maxlength="300" placeholder="say something to the table…" aria-label="table talk" />
+              <button class="stamp tiny" type="submit" disabled={!chatDraft.trim()}>say</button>
+            </form>
+          </div>
           {#if net.you === net.hostId && addingBot && net.players.length < 6}
             <div class="bot-panel">
               <div class="bot-field">
@@ -4014,6 +4040,12 @@
     padding: 0.5rem 0 0.7rem;
   }
   .fill-row { display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; justify-content: center; gap: 0.5rem; }
+  .challenge-row { margin-top: 0.6rem; }
+  .stamp.quiet-lid { background: #f4eede; box-shadow: none; }
+  .challenge-note { margin-top: 0.6rem; font-size: 0.88rem; color: #6b5a41; font-style: italic; }
+  .lobby-talk { margin-top: 0.7rem; text-align: left; }
+  .lobby-line { font-family: "Courier Prime", monospace; font-size: 0.82rem; color: #43331f; padding: 0.1rem 0; }
+  .lobby-say .say-input { background: #f4eede; color: #43331f; border: 1px solid #b3a687; }
   .fill-row .stamp.current { background: #e4dbc2; }
   .invite-fallback { margin: 0.4rem 0 0; font-size: 0.8rem; }
   .invite-fallback summary { cursor: pointer; color: #8a6d3f; font-style: italic; }

packages/web/src/net.svelte.ts

@@ -369,6 +369,10 @@ class Net {
   rematchCall = $state<{ roomId: string; by: string } | null>(null);
   /** A rematch lobby: the last table's wizards not yet seated. */
   expected = $state<string[]>([]);
+  /** The table called the keeper of this site, and by whom. */
+  challenge = $state<{ by: string; at: string } | null>(null);
+  /** The keeper's name, as the server knows it. */
+  keeper = $state("Kestrel");
   view = $state<GameView | null>(null);
   log = $state<LogLine[]>([]);
   error = $state<string | null>(null);
@@ -523,6 +527,8 @@ class Net {
         this.audience = msg.audience ?? 0;
         this.rematchCall = msg.rematch ?? null;
         this.expected = msg.expected ?? [];
+        this.challenge = msg.challenge ?? null;
+        if (typeof msg.keeper === "string") this.keeper = msg.keeper;
         if (this.you && this.token) {
           const seat: Seat = { name: this.you, roomId: msg.roomId, token: this.token };
           localStorage.setItem(SEAT_KEY, JSON.stringify(seat));
@@ -796,6 +802,11 @@ class Net {
     return true;
   }
 
+  /** Call the keeper of this site to the table: a seat is held, and their phone rings. */
+  challengeKeeper(): void {
+    this.send({ type: "challengeKeeper" });
+  }
+
   /** Call for a rematch from a finished table, or join the one already called. */
   callRematch(): void {
     this.send({ type: "rematch" });
@@ -886,6 +897,7 @@ class Net {
     this.chatPending = null;
     this.rematchCall = null;
     this.expected = [];
+    this.challenge = null;
     this.roomId = null;
     this.roomIdPending = null;
     this.view = null;