Making Camp isn’t just a move, it’s a classic RPG trope.

Making Camp isn’t just a move, it’s a classic RPG trope.

Making Camp isn’t just a move, it’s a classic RPG trope. But what do you do besides letting the Wizard study their spellbook? What does the Fighter do? The Thief? The Barbarian?

Camp scenes make for a good break in the action. Tell me about your camp scenes and how you make them fictionally interesting and colorful, not just a mechanical pit stop.

11 thoughts on “Making Camp isn’t just a move, it’s a classic RPG trope.”

  1. Based on Uncharted World’s Cramped Quarters move:

    When you sit around comfortably in camp near the end of a long journey, roll+nothing.

    On a 10+, describe how you and another character have gotten closer and what you’re doing together this night.

    On a 7-9, conversation turns to your history, and you regale the group with a story of your past.

    On a 6-, describe the bad blood building between you and another character and what that means tonight at the campfire.

  2. I love that interpretation! Especially the 7-9 (though I would suggest the phrasing “regale the party with a story from your past”, mostly because it can cover more than just exploits: lost loves, hard childhoods, vendettas, etc)

    [edit] plus I like the word “regale”

  3. David Perry Oh, I like that idea.

    Wizard: “Regale the party with a story of how you discovered some magic”, or “How do you help one of the party members using a simple spell”, or “What spell do you cast that inadvertently causes bad blood between you and another”.

    Thief: “Borrow” something and have it seen as theft?

    Ranger: Befriend a creature of the wild, which either creates a sense of safety, or the opposite.

    etc.

  4. A PDF with his stuff, and “campfire” moves for all the the basic and most common third-party playbooks would sell like wildfire at $1.99 or $2.99 on DTRPG. Price depends on the page count; but I’m in for whatever.

  5. I like giving players an opportunity to deal with or find out about conditions. Take a moment to center yourself and get rid of your shaken status or take those stingers out to get rid of the weak status. Or maybe you trudged through a swamp and this is when you find out about dire leeches! If nothing else they can spout lore on something that didn’t make since earlier

  6. Josh C​ if you want. They can be nearly permanent (lost limb/blind) or just highly annoying (paralyzed limb/ double vision) as long as the characters have some justification for how they deal with it I would generally be accepting. I should point out that I don’t let them “set up camp” just anytime or anywhere. It’s not something you can do outside the door to the next room in a dungeon

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