Campfire Stories Deck

Tell a story about a time when you left something behind. That’s one of the 50 prompts in the Campfire Stories Deck, and it can go anywhere: one person remembers a teddy bear, the next a favorite shirt or a grandmother’s ring.

Each card is a simple storytelling prompt meant to get people talking about their own lives, and many of them look to the outdoors, such as a first visit to a national park, a first night in a tent or a first run-in with a wild animal. Extra cards in the deck suggest different ways to use it and share storytelling tips, so nobody has to make up the rules. It’s meant for all ages and works at a dining table or on a video call as well as around a fire.

It suits families with kids who have outgrown ghost stories, groups of friends who camp together every year, and the grandparent whose stories everyone should hear before they’re forgotten.

The catch: it’s a conversation deck, not a game with points and a winner, so it works best with a group that’s happy to talk. Fifty cards also go faster than you’d expect over a long weekend.