Card Against Humanity
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When you go out camping, there tend to be two main priorities: to get in touch with nature, and to bond with whomever you happen to be camping with. There’s a certain connection that’s built throughout the process - hiking to a spot, pitching a tent, cooking meals or making tea or hot chocolate, etc. - that you just don’t quite get anywhere else. And for the most part, this is where your focus should be: on each other, on nature, and on the actual demands of camping. There’s plenty of downtime too, and late at night or even during the day if the weather is bad you may be sitting around trying to think of something to do.
For these situations, I would suggest playing some of these games, which you can easily manage at a campsite.
1. Pictionary
Most of us think of Pictionary as a board game, and indeed that’s the traditional setup. Really though, when you boil it down, Pictionary is like charades on paper, and that’s easy enough to replicate in a tent or at a campsite without having to pack a cumbersome board game box. You can actually download word lists for Pictionary games such that all you really need is a few small notebooks of blank paper. From there, you can either play without a board and just have fun with a charade-style contest, or even make a board on the ground with pebbles as game pieces.
2. Cards Against Humanity (Apples To Apples)
This is another game you can play with minimal material - just a few decks of cards in most cases. Apples To Apples and Cards Against Humanity are effectively the same game, but for that Cards Against Humanity is an R-rated version that’s become extremely popular in recent years. In either game however, whether you decide to go for the tame or appropriate version, the idea is just to complete a phrase with the words on one of your own cards. Each turn, one person will decide who makes the best or funniest phrase, awarding that person that particular grouping of cards as a sort of point. You can play for hours and not get bored with enough cards, and it’s easy to bring them along while camping.
3. Poker
We used to think of poker as a study or kitchen table kind of game, before it got swept into the digital world. Now, poker sites are so sophisticated that many of them have interactive tournaments and live dealers, with additional games including blackjack, roulette, and baccarat. When you think about poker the old-fashioned way however, without all the digital frills, it’s still a basic card game that you can have endless fun with despite having nothing but a deck of cards on you. For that matter, bringing a deck of cards along opens up the possibility of playing other games as well. And if you really want to make it interesting, you can bring along some kind of small hard candy to use as chips in betting activity.
4. Mancala
Mancala is a bit of an old-fashioned game, but it’s also a very easy one to transport, if you’re not on a particularly rigorous camping trip. If you’re doing a multi-day hike up a high-elevation mountain and you need to carry all your supplies on your back, this probably isn’t too wise to bring along. For a more casual hike however, a Mancala set can easily fold up into a small wooden box that’s easy enough to squeeze into a backpack. Then, you have a nice, casual game with which to pass the time while chatting at night in the tent or if seeking refuge from the rain.
5. Secret Hitler
Despite its overtly sinister name, Secret Hitler is a very fun game to play, and one that’s gained a lot of popularity in short time. Vaguely similar to Mafia, it’s being called one of the best hidden identity games- and best of all, it’s simple! It’s best played with a group of about six or more, so this is a game for a larger camping trip, perhaps with friends. Provided the right group though, it’s essentially a game of deception and accusation, as every player is assigned the role of Liberal, Fascist, or Hitler, and players take turns taking steps to uncover identities. It comes with game boards but they’re almost entirely unnecessary so long as at least one person has an understanding of the rules, which means you can easily pack this game along in the form of a few envelopes full of cards.