We had a board game night at work, and tried out a new game. Prepper is, as you can hear, a game with a disaster prep theme. Players first compete to gather resources, by answering questions and performing tasks, and then use those resources to overcome challenges when disaster strikes. I aced the questions of the first phase – years of being exposed to scouting, and just a certain hunger for general knowledge, served me well.

The questions were survival-adjacent at best: “name the four largest predators in Sweden”, “what colour are the fruits of Myrtillus vaccinium”, knowing how a compass works. The second phase was, of course, also light-hearted rather than realistic. It might have some real-life relevance, though. A vast majority of challenges could be beaten with a first-aid kit, a knife, a light source, a communication device, some plastic sheeting, and duct tape. I always have the first four with me when I go out hiking. Plastic sheeting might be great for survival, but it’s never going to be worth the weight. (I do have a good-sized roll of it at home, and the game did kind of make me view it in a new light.)

Duct tape, though. It can really come in handy in an awful lot of scenarios. Might be worth figuring out a good way to include some in my standard hiking kit.