History Main / CampfireCharacterExploration

* The UpdatedRerelease of ''VideoGame/{{LISA}} : The Painful RPG'' added some scenes between Brad and his party members, or the party members amongst themselves, whenever you rest at a campfire, often expanding on their personalities or interacting amongst themselves. They’re [[TreacherousCheckpoint not always harmless]], as [[spoiler: Nern’s RamblingOldManMonologue]] and [[spoiler: Bo, Dick, and Carp’s party]] cause Brad to not heal from the campfire, Ollie’s chat [[spoiler: has you fight a [[DualBoss pair of debt collectors]] after Ollie]], and Plan’s second chat [[spoiler: ends with him leaving the party [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie becoming a Joy Mutant]] found at the bar he was recruited from]].

* ''Film/{{Power Rangers|2017}}'': The Rangers have a scene like this in order to get to know each other better (since, if they are not TrueCompanions, they cannot morph). Secrets shared include Zack's mother being terminally ill, Billy's reason for being in detention, and Trini's sexuality being uncarpeted by her family. Jason tells them to skip him since his struggles are well known to the town (a prank gone wrong that got him kicked off the football team), and Kimberly declines to share as her secret is a rather harsh case of [[spoiler:cyberbullying]].

Can also apply to indoor fires, like at an inn or a fireplace, and, in Japanese works, a [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseArchitecture kotatsu]].

* The UpdatedRerelease of ''VideoGame/{{LISA}} : The Painful RPG'' added some scenes between Brad and his party members, or the party members amongst themselves, whenever you rest at a campfire, often expanding on their personalities or interacting amongst themselves. They’re [[TreacherousCheckpoint not always harmless]], as [[spoiler: Nern’s RamblingOldManMonologue]] and [[spoiler: Bo, Dick, and Carp’s party]] cause Brad to not heal from the campfire, Ollie’s chat [[spoiler: has you fight a [[DualBoss pair of debt collectors]] after Ollie]], and Plan’s second chat [[spoiler: ends with him leaving the party [[AndJohnWasAZombie becoming a Joy Mutant]] found at the bar he was recruited from]].

* In ''[[VideoGame/{{Blood}} Blood II: The Chosen]]'''s expansion pack "The Nightmare Levels", on their way back to Earth from another dimension, the Chosen sit around a campfire and each one tells a story from his or her past. This leads to playing the four contained levels.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles:'' The campfire scene here, which takes place just after Helen, Dash and Violet arrive on the island, serves to help Violet find a bit of courage and put on the mask her mother gives her. We also see her practicing her powers on the fire itself.

* All three ''Theatre/{{Zanshin}}'' plays have the characters do this as they journey through the postapocalyptic word fighting monsters.

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2TornaTheGoldenCountry'' has Fireside Chats, which allow for the protagonists to discuss their personal feelings on the situations that have recently happened in-game, and also hone their personal crafts if need be.

* ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'': The Season 14 episode "The Hunter" – the last aired episode of the long-running NBC western – has a very insightful one between series protagonist "Little" Joe Cartwright (who wasn't so little anymore) and Bill Tanner, a United States Army corporal during Civil War who turns out to be an escaped convict for a series of murders involving women and children. The two meet when Tanner comes upon Joe, who while on a delivery run for the Ponderosa has stopped at a campsite and is enjoying dinner. Joe, seeing Tanner is a (seemingly) friendly guy, invites him to enjoy some supper, and the two eventually engage in a debate over man killing for sport vs. animals killing for food, with Tanner justifying that sometimes it might be OK to engage in bloodsport. The two eventually agree to disagree and Joe offers to allow him to camp overnight; it's there where Tanner has a flashback to being sentenced to prison and says aloud, "It was my duty!" (when he hears, in his head, the judge from his murder trial telling him, "We sentence you"). Joe is awakened and, thinking Tanner is having a nightmare, asks what's the matter, but Tanner says it's nothing, although as Joe goes back to sleep Tanner is showing signs of having a psychotic episode, possibly still re-living his trial in his mind. This all sets up the main plot and helps explain Tanner's character: A cold-blooded, cunning and clever human predator who – possibly in part because of severe, war-related [=PTSD=] – enjoys killing others for fun, and making Joe his next "prey."

* The episode "Matthew 4:24" (S2E3) of Series/TheChosenTVseries includes extended character exploration around the campfire, especially Little James, Mother Mary, Simon, and Matthew.

** Half of "The Storm" is devoted to discussing Aang's {{backstory}} around a campfire. The other half is Iroh revealing Zuko's backstory to his men sitting around a TrashcanBonfire. Arguably one of the best-known examples of this trope.

** In Volume 2, Weiss, Blake, and Yang discuss their reasons for becoming Huntresses over a camp fire, disturbed by the initial answers they had given when Oobleck interrogated them. They eventually conclude that the reality of being Huntresses isn't what they initially thought and whatever their personal desires, they have to put them second to the important job of protecting the people.

* ''Series/{{Bonanza}}'': The Season 14 episode "The Hunter" – the last aired episode of the long-running NBC western – has a very insightful one between series protagonist "Little" Joe Cartwright (who wasn't so little anymore) and Bill Tanner, a United States Army corporal during Civil War who turns out to be an escaped convict for a series of murders involving women and children. The two meet when Tanner comes upon Joe, who while on a delivery run for the Ponderosa has stopped at a campsite and is enjoying dinner. Joe, seeing Tanner is a (seemingly) friendly guy, invites him to enjoy some supper, and the two eventually engage in a debate over man killing for sport vs. animals killing for food, with Tanner justifying . The two eventually agree to disagree and Joe offers to allow him to camp overnight; it's there where Tanner has a flashback to being sentenced to prison and says aloud, "It was my duty!" (when he hears, in his head, the judge from his murder trial telling him, "We sentence you"). Joe is awakened and, thinking Tanner is having a nightmare, asks what's the matter, but Tanner says it's nothing, although as Joe goes back to sleep Tanner is showing signs of having a psychotic episode, possibly still re-living his trial in his mind. This all sets up the main plot and helps explain Tanner's character: A cold-blooded, cunning and clever human predator who – possibly in part because of severe, war-related [=PTSD=] – enjoys killing others for fun, and making Joe his next "prey."

* The night before the attack on Aqaba, ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'' opens up to Ali by firelight about his illegitimate birth status, and the two men discuss the paradoxical nature of his destiny.

* The night before the attack on Aqaba, Film/LawrenceOfArabia opens up to Ali by firelight about his illegitimate birth status, and the two men discuss the paradoxical nature of his destiny.