Quick answer
You cannot manually move Drifters or other population to a new or different camp. Instead, give the destination a job and a bed; the developer FAQ says those available opportunities can attract Drifters to a camp. For the wider camp setup, see the second Pirate Camp guide.
How camp population works
Treat each camp as a destination, rather than as a roster you can redistribute by hand. The supported approach is attraction through an available job and bed, not a transfer command.
Players have reported uneven Drifter distribution between camps even where another camp has free housing. That is a reported symptom, not a rule that free housing cannot work or a proven explanation for every empty camp.
Prepare the destination camp in this order
- Create an available job in the destination camp.
- Provide a free bed at that same camp.
- Use that job-and-bed opportunity as the supported way to attract Drifters to the destination camp.
Reduce pressure in the original camp
Do not try to solve uneven distribution by looking for a manual reassignment: the developer FAQ says there is none. An original camp cannot send its Drifters to the destination through a transfer command; the supported destination-side action is to offer a job and a bed.
If the new camp remains empty
Recheck that the destination has both an available job and a free bed. The developer answer supports attraction through those two opportunities; it does not provide a manual-transfer workaround or another supported way to force a move.
Common mistakes
- Searching for a manual Drifter-transfer command.
- Preparing a bed in one camp and the job in another.
- Treating a player report of uneven distribution as a proven population mechanic.
What success looks like
The destination has a clear available job and free bed—the opportunity the developer FAQ says can attract Drifters—and you are not relying on a manual transfer that the game does not support.