Anomaly Cafe Callout Sheet (Co-op Voice Tool)
Short voice lines so hard nights stay coordinated.
Why a callout sheet exists
In a 24-player Emma’s Cafe lobby, long stories kill people. This tool gives short lines for Co-op Tips and Solo vs Co-op. Keep it beside Spotting Checklist.
The universal grammar
[Object/tell] + [Zone] + [Confidence]
Examples:
- “Poster flipped — seating left — 60%.”
- “Audio layer — prep — soft.”
- “Path blocked — back hall — hard.”
Zones should match your Café Map names. Agree once at lobby start.
Confidence words
| Word | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Soft | One weak signal | Glance; do not full-stop |
| Mid | Likely | Pause non-critical prep |
| Hard | Two signals or clear threat | Run Survive Anomalies |
| Clear | False alarm done | Resume tickets |
Role openers
- Counter: “Counter online — ping me for line problems.”
- Runner: “Runner online — call blocked paths.”
- Watch: “Watch online — I own walls and audio (Sound Cues).”
Emergency lines
- “Hold tickets — hard tell counter.”
- “Stack on me — seating.”
- “Do not serve — mid confidence customer.”
- “Reset roles — too many cooks.”
- “Patch brain — landmarks moved” after Latest Update.
What not to say
Essay theories mid-rush, zoneless vibes, memes over hard calls, or code spam (Active Codes is empty).
Chat-only lobbies
Type the same grammar: poster/seatL/soft.
Two-minute drill
Each player makes three fake soft-calls with real zones, then one clear (Tips and Tricks).
Tie-ins
Extended examples
Service conflict: “Two lattes — I take both — runner clear floor.”
Audio only: “Stinger under bed — seating — soft.”
Visual only: “Customer path loop — door — mid.”
After wipe: “Baseline reset — watch recount landmarks.”
After patch: “New prop near fridge — unknown until clear.”
Teaching newcomers
“Say what, where, and how sure—then stop talking.” Hand them Beginner Priority after the shift.
Keep the sheet fresh
When your crew renames zones, update grammar the same night. Dead landmark names are worse than silence. Store renames next to Café Map.
Related pages
Good callouts are a free upgrade. Use them before you buy panic.
Why this beats free-form yelling
Free-form yelling creates duplicate runners and abandoned tickets. Grammar forces a decision: who looks, who stays on drinks, who prepares the survival plan. That is how Co-op Tips scale past six friends without muting the entire server.
Printed vs digital use
Some crews screenshot this page; others keep a pinned Discord message with the grammar only. Either works if the words stay short. Avoid turning the sheet into a novel. If your pin exceeds ten lines, you are back to essays.
Integrating with checklists
Run Shift Checklist for chores, Spotting Checklist for scans, and this sheet for speech. Three tools, three jobs. When a hard tell hits, speech takes priority over chore completeness—then return to chores so tickets do not become the second anomaly.
Measuring callout quality
After a shift, ask: did any hard-call lack a zone? Did two people sprint to the same tell? Did counter stay staffed? Those three questions tell you whether the sheet is working. Improve the grammar before you blame the alpha.
Related closing note
Callouts are how 24 strangers become a kitchen. Practice them on easy nights so hard nights inherit muscle memory from Tips and Tricks and Co-op Tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Should every soft-call stop the whole café?
No. Soft means glance and continue unless a second signal appears.
What if two people hard-call different zones?
Shot-caller picks one, assigns one checker, and keeps counter on tickets.
Can we use numbers instead of words?
Yes—agree that 1=soft, 2=mid, 3=hard before the shift starts.
Does this replace the spotting checklist?
No. The checklist finds tells; the callout sheet communicates them.