The Fox in the Forest
The Fox in the Forest is a trick-taking game for two players Set against the backdrop of a woodland fairytale. The game features a deck of three suits, each numbered 1 through 11. Each player is dealt a hand of 13 cards, and the top card from the remaining deck is flipped face-up to determine the active trump suit.

There are two twists that make this game brilliant. Firstly, scores are tallied across multiple hands, and generally you earn more points for winning more tricks; however, if a player takes 10 or more tricks in a single hand, they are “greedy” and earn nothing. This prevents one player from dominating the game simply from lucky card draws. Secondly, while even-numbered cards function normally, each odd-numbered card grants a special action when played. Threes, for example, let you change the trump suit by swapping a card from your hand with the trump card, while nines are always considered to be trump regardless of suit.

The Fox in the Forest has just enough twists to make gameplay dynamic for two players. With a deck of 33 cards that fit easily in your pocket, this game is ideal for camping or picnicking.

Regicide
From Spades, to Hearts, to Gin Rummy, you can find many hours of excellent playtime with a standard deck of 52 cards, but this past summer a friend introduced me to a brand new way to use a deck of playing cards.

In Regicide, you and your teammates cooperatively attempt to dethrone tyrants that control your land. The enemies are represented by a central deck of face cards. Each tyrant has a health stat (how much damage you need to deal to them) and a strength stat (how much damage they deal to you). You will need to fight through the deck in order of increasing strength: the Jacks first, then Queens, and Kings last. The cards in your hand represent both your power and your health and can be played to either deal or sustain damage. Additionally, the suit of each card you play has a special power. Clubs, for example, deal double damage, while diamonds draw more cards into your hand.

Regicide is a fresh, strategic alternative to other standard card games, and it works surprisingly well solo (I doubt I will ever go back to playing Solitaire). You can’t be the price tag, either: the rules PDF is online for free!

Pando
This is my absolute favorite campfire game, particularly with larger groups of people. At its heart, Pando is a trivia game like any other. Draw a card. Read the question. Correct answers score points. In Pando, however, the subject of each question is the person reading the card. As the tagline states, this is “a trivia game about us.” Do you know what accent your roommate finds most attractive? Has your spouse ever flown first class? When your Dad was young, what did he want to be when they grew up? With questions that range from icebreakers to deep thoughts, Pando fosters genuine conversations between friends and strangers alike.

What I love most about Pando is the chance it gives for each person to take center stage in the conversation without pressure to perform. Since the whole point of the game is to learn about each other, lengthy anecdotes or good-natured debates are welcome tangents. At the end of Pando you will find that you spent the last hour or two talking about yourselves. Who doesn’t love that?

Sushi Go
Sometimes the family needs some good, clean, food-on-a-conveyor-belt themed fun. Players are dealt a hand of sushi-themed cards. You will pick one card from your hand to play and pass the rest on, repeating this process until all hands are depleted. At the end of each hand you will have a full meal of sushi, tempura, and possibly even pudding in front of you, each of which scores points differently. Tally up total points after three rounds to crown your sushi winner.

I love Sushi Go’s simple-yet-satisfying game design. The rules are brief enough to learn in under ten minutes, but the strategic choices are deep enough to keep your mind engaged after many plays. It is also refreshing for a game to include space for five players without making playtime any longer: players make decisions simultaneously so there is almost no waiting between turns. With its rating for ages 8+, Sushi Go is an excellent family camp game.

Scout
In Scout you are aiming to play runs or matching sets from your hand that are either longer or higher than your opponents’. If you cannot make a play you may draw a card from the current set, making it easier to trump and improving your hand. Scout has one tough rule: you cannot rearrange the cards in your hand. This makes the otherwise straightforward task of playing sets from your hand much more difficult. You will have to strategically draw or play cards from your hand to shape your next play.

The theming on this game is admittedly a bit loose (the game is connected to the circus somehow?), but that is a relatively unimportant element. With its small size and playtime of 20 minutes or less, Scout is a delightful new game that would make a great addition to your easy-to-pack outdoor games.