Happy Camper was inspired by John Conway's Game of Life. It can be played on any flat surface using any objects that can be arranged in a square grid.

The game is played in two phase. In the first phase players start "campsites" with one "camper" (piece) each and then take turns adding one camper to their site and one to their opponent's. When all the campers have been used the second phase starts; the last player takes just one camper and places it in the opposing campsite. (The number of campers is odd; the rules suggest 11, 13, 15, or 17.)

In the second phase players take turns removing a camper from their opponent's campsite and placing it in their own. The removed piece must have fewer than two or more than three neighbors, and must be placed in a space with exactly three neighbors.

When neither player can move the game ends and the player with the high score wins. Three scoring variants are given: in the simplest each camper is worth one point, in the others the pieces have to have numbers on them (e.g. playing cards) which determine their point values. The numbered pieces can be used face-up or face-down, with players only able to look at them when they are moved.

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