Pack & Paddle Kickstarter Deluxe With Stretch Goals
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The car is packed, the phone is off, and for three days, the only alarm clock will be the sun on the water. Someone will forget their flashlight. Someone will capsize the canoe. And in the end, everyone will want to stay one more day.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Three days in the woods, hiking, canoeing, and keeping a campfire alive
Pack & Paddle comes from Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset, the duo behind Between Two Cities, Fromage, and The Search for Planet X, with art direction by Josh Cappel. The theme is rarely explored in board games: real camping, made of boots, paddles, and nights under the stars. No dragons, no zombies. Just nature, trails to hike, a lake to cross by canoe, and the pleasure of unwinding for a weekend.
At the table, you plan supplies, go on excursions, paddle on the lake, observe wildlife, and try not to be caught off guard when the sun sets. Each day is marked by card drafts and adventures; every evening, the group gathers around the fire and contributes wood to keep it burning. The winner is the one who best plans their campsite, completing personal and collective objectives without being surprised by the dark.
This is the Kickstarter Deluxe edition: it includes the base game, all 19 stretch goals unlocked during the campaign, micro-expansions, upgraded components, and exclusive Kickstarter content. It's the most complete version of Pack & Paddle you can bring to the table — including solo mode.
The game that makes you want to drop everything and go camping for a night. Even if you've never done it before.
The secret of Pack & Paddle in one line
O'Malley and Rosset know how to build elegant systems. Here they do it around a campfire and a paddle.
From the gaming experience
Pack & Paddle — Deluxe
Complete solo mode, not just a simple marker: you face the "Rival", an automated card opponent who claims supply tiles, snatches animals and outings from you, can make you discard wood, and tries to beat you in the canoe race for the medal. It holds up very well solo, although Pack & Paddle is best enjoyed with company.
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on rules, Kickstarter campaign, and play sessionsWhat you bring with you
Four key elements of the weekend
Supplies
Food, equipment, clothing. Each day you draft resource cards to complete sets and prepare for outings. Those who arrive unprepared spend a sleepless night.
Hikes and Canoeing
The day's outings: trails to walk and lake stretches to cross by canoe. Each excursion requires the right resources and rewards those who know where to go.
Local wildlife
Observe wild animals during excursions. Each sighting earns points and unlocks personal objectives. The forest is alive, you just need to know how to look.
Evening campfire
Every evening the group contributes wood to keep the fire alive. It's a shared, almost ritualistic moment. Those who don't participate forgo night bonuses.
Rulebook
The rules, before you start
Simple rules, explained in about 10 minutes. Here you'll find the rulebook preview and solo mode rules (in English).
At the end of the third evening, you'll look at the cards on the table, still smelling of smoke and with arms tired from paddling. It always happens with Pack & Paddle.
A game in five moments
What happens at the table
Not the rules. The experience.
Arrival at base camp
Everyone places their starting cards in front of them. Someone brought too much food, someone forgot their flashlight. Laughter already. The first draft starts immediately: provision cards circulate, everyone chooses what to keep and what to pass to their neighbor.
First day: trails and backpacks
Adventure cards reveal what the woods have to offer. A trail promises points but requires rope and a water bottle. Some have everything, some improvise. Wildlife begins to appear: whoever completes the sighting set immediately gains points.
On the lake, paddles in the water
Canoes are launched into the water. Lake excursions are worth a lot, but require the right resources and a bit of courage. Those who packed their backpacks well cross the lake and collect points; those who improvised stay on the shore watching.
Second evening campfire
The sun sets. Everyone contributes wood to the central campfire. Those who gathered a lot get bonuses, those with empty hands stay in the cold. It's the most shared moment of the game: no one plays against others, but everyone counts their own resources.
Last night and final count
The last campfire burns. Points are counted: completed sets, sighted wildlife, overcome excursions, contributions to the fire. The winner is whoever best balanced exploration, resources, and sharing. Someone won by one point. Someone else already wants to go again.
How to play
The flow of each day
Each day follows the same rhythm: prepare, explore, share. On the third evening, points are counted.
Each player draws resource cards, chooses one, and passes the rest to their neighbor. This repeats until all cards are assigned. Those who plan sets in advance build the best weekend.
Reveal the day's adventure cards: walking trails and canoe trips on the lake. Attempt one by spending the required resources. Succeeding gives immediate points and unlocks objectives; failing costs nothing but is a missed opportunity.
During excursions, you draw wildlife cards. Completing an animal set (e.g., three deer, two squirrels) gives bonuses and victory points. Wildlife is limited: first come, first served.
At the end of the day, everyone contributes wood to the central campfire. Those who contribute the most receive nighttime bonuses; those who don't contribute miss out on an advantage. It's the only truly collective moment of the game.
Why it's different from others
Six things that make a difference
The shared campfire
It's not just a theme. Every evening you contribute wood to a common campfire, and whoever gives the most gets advantages. It's the only cooperative moment in an otherwise competitive game, and it creates that sense of community that makes Pack & Paddle different from typical set collection games.
Adventures on land and water
The excursions are not all the same: trails to walk and lake sections to cross by canoe. Each type requires different resources and rewards different playstyles. This is where the "Paddle" in the title comes to life.
Asymmetrical Draft
Provisions change based on the day and the number of players. Each draft is a small poker game: read what your neighbor passes, understand what they're keeping, adapt your strategy on the fly.
Wildlife as a point engine
Animals are not just decoration. They are dynamic objectives that change every game and reward those who explore instead of staying at camp. Those who ignore wildlife miss half the game.
Hidden personal objectives
Everyone draws secret objectives at the start of the game (e.g., "Spot five different animals," "Contribute to the campfire every evening"). You don't know what others want: you play your camping trip, not against them.
One box, many weekends
More content means more variety. This Deluxe edition brings the micro-expansions and all 19 stretch goals from the Kickstarter campaign, while the solo mode pits you against an automated Rival who competes for tiles, animals, and excursions, and tries to beat you in the canoe race. Variable objectives and a different draft each game do the rest.
How it ends
How to win and how to fall behind
At the end of the third day, points are counted. The winner is the one who best planned the entire weekend.
Victory
- Complete provision and wildlife sets for base points
- Overcome the most difficult excursions, on foot and by canoe, for multipliers
- Complete secret personal objectives for final bonuses
How to fall behind
- Ignore the evening campfire and lose nighttime bonuses
- Don't adapt your strategy between the three days
- Focus entirely on one source (only wildlife or only excursions) and lack balance
Pack & Paddle doesn't ask you to save the world. It asks you to spend three wonderful days in the woods — and this Deluxe edition gives you the richest version to do so, including micro-expansions and solo mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about Pack & Paddle Deluxe
Is it just a "cute" game or is there real substance?
It's a gateway game, so the rules are light — but beneath the surface is the signature of O'Malley and Rosset (the same as Between Two Cities and Fromage): meaningful draft choices, sets to plan in advance, campfire timing. It's not a heavy strategy game, but it's not a filler without decisions either. It's a relaxed game that rewards those who think one turn ahead.
Is the Deluxe edition worth it compared to the standard?
It depends on how much you play. The Kickstarter Deluxe includes all 19 unlocked stretch goals, micro-expansions, improved components, exclusive Kickstarter content, and the solo mode: more variety and more replayability in the same box. If you want the most complete and definitive version of Pack & Paddle, this is it. If you're just looking for the basic experience, the standard is enough.
What exactly does the Deluxe edition include?
The base game, all 19 unlocked stretch goals from the campaign, micro-expansions, improved components, and exclusive Kickstarter content. Essentially, the richest possible configuration of the game at launch.
Can it be played solo?
Yes, and it's not just an afterthought. You face the "Rival," an automated opponent managed by a deck of cards: each round they claim a supply tile (following an A-B-C-D preference) and then perform a bonus action decided by the arrow on the back of the card — they steal the highest or lowest animal or excursion from the board, make you discard wood, or advance in the canoe race. They can even beat you in the daily race and take your medal. At the end of the game, your score becomes the story of the weekend. A well-designed solo mode (signed by Christopher Chan), although Pack & Paddle is still better with company.
Does it work well with two players?
It works, but the draft loses some unpredictability: with two, you know exactly what comes back to you, so planning weighs more. The game is best with 3 to 5 players, where the card circulation creates continuous surprises. With two, it's still a great, relaxed experience.
Is it available in Italian?
This edition is in English. The text on the cards is present but limited (resource names and brief adventure descriptions) and icons do most of the work. With a basic level of school English, it's very playable even for non-native speakers.
Pack & Paddle is a board game for 1-5 players (ages 8 and up) lasting 30-45 minutes, designed by Matthew O'Malley and Ben Rosset (authors of Between Two Cities, Fromage, and The Search for Planet X) and published by KTBG (Kids Table Board Gaming), with art direction by Josh Cappel. It's a gateway set collection game with drafting and resource management mechanics, set during a camping weekend: players collect provisions, explore trails on foot, cross the lake by canoe, spot wildlife, and contribute wood to a shared campfire each evening. The game lasts three days (three rounds), each with scalable drafting and adventures. This is the Kickstarter Deluxe edition, which includes all 19 unlocked stretch goals, micro-expansions, improved components, exclusive Kickstarter content, and the solo mode. Suitable for families and new players, Pack & Paddle Deluxe combines simple rules with elegant choices. Available on FroGames.it.
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