​Favorite camp games?

A card game that works well for 2, 3 or 4 player is Casino. Standard 52 card playing deck.
It's a fast paced fun game, a 2 handed game generally takes 20 minutes til a winner is determined.
Points are assigned as "tricks" are taken...
3 pts for most cards, if tied, no points awarded
1 pt for most spades
1 pt for each ace
2 pts for 10 of diamonds
1 pt for 2 of spade

11 pts per round, play is to 21.
Play starts with each player receiving 4 cards, two at a time with 4 cards dealt face up on the board to start.
"Tricks" may be taken by matching any card to those on the board, numbers and face cards alike. Face cards only in multiples of 2.
Players may "build" sets of like cards, such as multiple 3's, that can only be taken in the next turn by a 3...or the opposing player with a 3!
Players may also "build" sets arithmetically, for example, a 4 combined with a 5, later taken by a 9.
Arithmetic "builds" may also be modified by the initial player, or the opposing player. The previous example could be altered by the initial player by adding an ace, thereby building 10, to be taken by a 10 on that players next turn..or by the opposing player, should they have a 10 as well. Any builds must increase in value, no subtractions allowed. Only builds that a player may take are allowed. IE, no fake builds.
Any builds must be announced, so not to confuse sets with arithmetic builds, for example, a set of 3's vs 3's built to total 6.
Any builds must be taken on the next turn, unless modified on the next turn, or left on the board while taking some other set or build. IE, no stalling with builds.
Last round must be announced by the dealer, any cards left on the board go to the player that took the last trick.
Points are tallied, deal rotates among players.

It's a very fun and spirited game, especially when another player "steals" your build.

Reproduction!

Story telling, and reciting poetry are the two big ones. I have recited Robert Service poems for over 50 years. I like cowboy poetry a lot but some friends seem to be put off by it.

Once we played charades at night on New Years in the backcountry of Big Bend NP. We had a lantern and it reflected our shadows at about 10x natural size on large rock face. Recently we played some bush bocci ball that was fun.

I have never really liked card games and board games. Real life adventures are much more interesting to talk about. Telling stories about past adventures and planning new ones.

ppine said:

I have recited Robert Service poems for over 50 years.

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"The cremation of Sam McGee" was always the favorite poem to be loudly and confidently recited totally from memory around a BSA campfire. I always wanted to do it, but there are some guys who put much more heart and emphasis on certain parts than I ever could. That and "The Spell of the Yukon" became much more meaningful to me after I several times paddled the "Marge" of Lake Laberge, and on the Yukon River passing a place of exposed ancient white volcanic ash dubbed "Sam's Ashes".

There are some pretty good standard scout skits that can be performed too. One of the best is set to the tune of Johnny Cash's "Ghost Riders in the sky" recast as "Ghost Chickens in the Sky". Hilarious.

These are al great responses. I have been hesitant to respond. If asked why Kathleen and I pursued wilderness tripping, playing games around the campfire would never have occurred to us. We pursued wilderness tripping to immersive ourselves in the pristine environment. Playing games would be very inconsistent with our objectives and goals. So I guess I would say that our favourite game would be “Who can stay the quietist for the longest.”

So I guess I would say that our favourite game would be “Who can stay the quietist for the longest.”

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Ditto, but I'm almost always solo so I always win (or lose, depending on how you look at it)

Sam McGee is probably RS most famous poem. I have never recited it. His complete works fit in a Duluth Pack. I really like the shorter poems that don't rhyme. "Heart of a Sourdough" comes to mind.

On my 65th birthday on the Grande Rhonde River in OR I baked a cake. We shared a bottle of Black Seal rum with 4 people. A friend of mine, a native seed collector, read an article about "What is means to be a forester." I was practically brought to tears. On a one week raft trip, the seed man and I were able to identify every plant we saw with common and scientific names. Usually we are too busy having fun to play games. People seem to really like bush bocci which is an exception.

Sometimes we practice rescues for fun. We make up games like putting a lawn chair in a river on a hot day and trying to land a pebble on it from 50 feet.

One of the great nights on a river was "Italian Night" on the Willamette River in OR. The weather was hot. We were in a forest but it was thick and the best camp spots were on the beach. On the 8th night of the trip my friends just starts breaking down the brush under a big stand of cottonwoods and Douglas firs. He cleared out a space big enough for 8 people and some dogs. We took our lawn chairs into the "grotto" with spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and a box of red wine. We had homemade banana bread. Some of the paddlers were pretty green but I could tell how much they enjoyed the trip by their stories of the past week. Those are the kind of trips I will always remember.

PaddlingPitt said:

So I guess I would say that our favourite game would be “Who can stay the quietist for the longest.”

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Spouses don't have to go on a canoe or camping trip to play that game. Don't ask me how I know.

We used to bring golf clubs. We had some really interesting "holes." Sometimes we played across a river.

My wife and I amused ourselves one afternoon by seeing who could find stones that made the most realistic looking teeth. I lost.