The camp situation has been odd from the getgo. I think because of the way the game began, I was all primed to think that the camp was an illusion. Meaning the characters only thought they were decked out in nice comfortable tents, but in reality would be like shivering in the rain with one bedroll. Maybe all the enchanted equipment and the companions themselves were like tricks of the tadpole (except maybe Lae'zel hehe). Or like a Raphael or Ethel type deal, where what you see isn't what it seems. Otherwise, yeah, it would take like all day to just to set up for those tents. I mean they're not nylon and aluminum right lol, they're like wool and have furniture. Lae'zel has a giant grindstone, we have the huge chest etc. During the camp celebration, iy makes a lot of sense to have tents, cause it's like a whole celebration and we can imagine a couple dozen people setting it up. Once we're at an Inn from the second act on, it's a little strange that "resting" brings us back outside to a camp that seems way sketchier than if we'd just held up in a room somewhere ya know. I think in world camps would have been fun, to complement one main camp in a central location for each act.
Like if they wanted to make it believable the answer is pretty simple - Lucius the Donkey
We should meet him on the beach or by the first crypt. If we miss him at that first landing, then we run into him again at the Druid grove or the Goblin camp something along those lines, or he just shows up when we go to rest. For this they could do a whole sendup on the Metamorphoses, or the last Unicorn, Midsummer Night's Dream etc. Like you really just need one viable pack animal to make it sorta work.
I also really do like the idea of a pointless goat, who's only point is to eat rotten camp supplies and stare ominously. I feel like a some random girl should show up and say something like "Please take the take" and if we accept she hands us his lead, if we refuse she just runs away and he "follows" back either way. We also need a few rats. Templeton, Frisby and Ben, to cover some different alignments. Maybe a vampire boar who also hangs out by the rotten foodstuffs. There should be a trough where they just all hang out off to one side, maybe a Spider named Lotte who does shadow puppet plays on the wall to keep them all entertained. Something along those lines, to complement whatever is happening with bit player camp followers at the big camp. It should really be more of a stronghold, or something like the Bastion concept they're floating this month in D&D.
For the regular camps, something more in world and stripped down, but still with the Donkey would be cool. We can just imagine that any animal companions are hanging with him and following behind at a slight remove from wherever the current party is at. Finding ideal places to camp in-world could be more gameplay oriented and you could still do main plot story delivery from the main camp where that's needed. Also I'd really like to be able to use the fishing poles or do something at camp like foraging or hunting and gathering. Picking the berries at the odd camp here or there is fun, but the fishing poles are a bit of a tease. I kinda thought they'd go with the fishes and wishes angle for that, like the old folktales or the thousand and one nights. Would have been a good set up for it, since half the time we're near a stream or pool of some sort. Building a fire or setting traps. But yeah, the fishing pole at least.
