any size · 2–8 players
build a story together, one sentence at a time. read it aloud when you're done.
the vibe
Campfire is the lightest game in the set. No scales, no placements, no scores. Someone gives you an opening and you build something from there, going around the table one line at a time. When the story feels finished, someone reads the whole thing aloud.
Good for warming up before another game, winding down at the end of a night, or any group that just wants to do something together without too much structure.
how it works
A story prompt appears to get things started. It might be a first line, a situation, or a setting. Everyone can see it.
Going around the table, each person adds one sentence to the story. You can take it anywhere. You can ignore where the last person seemed to be going. You can be dramatic, funny, strange, or sweet.
When the story feels done, someone says so. One person reads the whole story aloud from the beginning.
a round in practice
Prompt: it started with a door that wasn't there yesterday
Elizabeth: "Corey noticed it first, mostly because it was bright green."
Loren: "Behind it was a hallway that smelled like someone else's grandmother."
Hamilton: "At the end of the hallway sat a dog who seemed to be expecting them."
Edward: "The dog looked at Corey, then at the door, then back at Corey, with very specific patience."
Elizabeth: "Corey sat down on the floor. The dog put its head in their lap. The hallway was warm."
Someone reads it aloud. Everyone sits with it for a second. Then Loren says "what was in the grandmother smell" and it falls apart in the best way.
best for
2 to 8 players · any group, any size · warming up or winding down · people who like to play with language · a change of pace from structured games
one tip
Don't try to make the story good. The best Campfire stories are the ones that go somewhere nobody planned. Say yes to wherever the last person left things and see what happens.