diff --git a/public/js/ghosts/behavior.js b/public/js/ghosts/behavior.js
index 2256323..35b6e9e 100644
--- a/public/js/ghosts/behavior.js
+++ b/public/js/ghosts/behavior.js
@@ -12,6 +12,15 @@ const BOB_AMP_CM = 0.3;    // 3mm
 const BOB_HZ = 0.4;
 const SHIMMER_CM = 0.3;    // secondary float used by wander + path modes
 
+/* Fallbacks for records that arrive without explicit behaviour params. The
+ * playlist normally supplies these (wanderRadius / wanderVertical / pathSpeed),
+ * so these only fire for hand-made or legacy records — but they still need to
+ * suit a ~25cm table, or an unconfigured ghost drifts clean off the display. */
+const WANDER_RADIUS_CM = 2.5;
+const WANDER_VERTICAL_CM = 0.4;
+const PATH_SPEED_CMS = 1.5;
+const PATH_LOOKAHEAD_CM = 1.5;   // distance sampled ahead to face travel direction
+
 function hashNoise(seed, k) {
   // cheap deterministic pseudo-noise in [-1, 1]
   const x = Math.sin(seed * 127.1 + k * 311.7) * 43758.5453;
@@ -27,14 +36,14 @@ export function ghostTransform(rec, nowMs, out) {
     pathTransform(b, t, out);
   } else if (b.type === 'wander') {
     const s = b.seed || 1;
-    const R = b.radius ?? 60;      // cm
+    const R = b.radius ?? WANDER_RADIUS_CM;
     const v = b.speed ?? 0.15;
     // smooth pseudo-random orbit-drift: two incommensurate sines per axis
     const ph = t * v;
     out.position.set(
       base.x + R * 0.9 * Math.sin(ph * 1.0 + hashNoise(s, 1) * 6.28) * 0.7
              + R * 0.4 * Math.sin(ph * 2.3 + hashNoise(s, 2) * 6.28) * 0.3,
-      base.y + (b.vertical ?? 10) * Math.sin(t * v * 1.3 + hashNoise(s, 3) * 6.28)
+      base.y + (b.vertical ?? WANDER_VERTICAL_CM) * Math.sin(t * v * 1.3 + hashNoise(s, 3) * 6.28)
              + SHIMMER_CM * Math.sin(t * 1.7 + hashNoise(s, 6) * 6.28),
       base.z + R * 0.9 * Math.cos(ph * 0.8 + hashNoise(s, 4) * 6.28) * 0.7
              + R * 0.4 * Math.cos(ph * 1.9 + hashNoise(s, 5) * 6.28) * 0.3
@@ -92,10 +101,10 @@ function pathTransform(b, t, out) {
     return v;
   };
 
-  const d = wrap(t * (b.speed ?? 8) + (b.phase || 0));
+  const d = wrap(t * (b.speed ?? PATH_SPEED_CMS) + (b.phase || 0));
   sample(d, out.position);
-  // face where we're heading: sample a few cm ahead so corners turn smoothly
-  const ahead = sample(wrap(t * (b.speed ?? 8) + (b.phase || 0) + 6), _look);
+  // face where we're heading: sample a short distance ahead so corners turn smoothly
+  const ahead = sample(wrap(t * (b.speed ?? PATH_SPEED_CMS) + (b.phase || 0) + PATH_LOOKAHEAD_CM), _look);
   const dx = ahead.x - out.position.x, dz = ahead.z - out.position.z;
   if (dx * dx + dz * dz > 1e-4) out.rotationY = Math.atan2(dx, dz);
   // gentle float so walking still reads ghostly