Treehouse

This page is for the game Treehouse. For the marketed product Treehouse, see Treehouse set.

Treehouse
Andrew Looney
Make your trio match the House trio before anyone else
:Players	Players:	2 - 4
:Time	Length:	Medium
:Complexity	Complexity:	Low
Trios per color:		1
Number of colors:		1 per player + 1
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:		1 per player + 1
Five-color sets:		1
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
Treehouse die
Setup time:		1 minute
Playing time:		10 minutes - 20 minutes
Strategy depth:		Medium
Random chance:		High
Game mechanics:		Dice, pattern formation
Theme:		Abstract
BGG Link:		Treehouse
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2006
published in March 2006

Materials

::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML :AIM
Pyramids: one tree for each player plus one tree for the middle of the table. Any color(s) may be used.

Setup

Each player takes a trio and places it in front of him in this configuration:
::SML

Take another trio and place it in the middle of the table in this configuration:
::LPL::S::MPR

This is called the House.

Rules

Object

Your goal is to get your trio of pyramids to exactly mirror the trio in the middle of the table.

Start

• The player holding the die goes first. Turns rotate clockwise thereafter.
• On a turn, roll the die and perform the rolled action on your trio. If you can perform the action on your trio, you must. If you can't perform it on your trio, you can perform it on the House or pass. If you can't affect the House either, reroll.

Actions

There are six possible actions.

• :AIM Take a single pyramid and point it left, right, or upward. Notes: Pyramids in stacks are not eligible.
• :TIP Tip over a single pyramid or a stack of pyramids. You choose whether they end up facing left or right.
• :HOP Take an upright pyramid and hop it somewhere else: on the table, on top of another stack. You may even choose to hop a pyramid onto a lying-down piece, which causes the lying-down piece to stand upright to be hopped on. A stack of pyramids can be hopped as a group if the pyramid you choose to move happens to have other pyramids on top of it at the time. They can also hop into areas that look two cramped. For instance, if your trio initially looks like the diagram below, the small is allowed to jump to the left of the group, to the right of the group, or in between the group. The other two pyramids simply move aside to accommodate it, like this:

::SL::M	→	::L::S::M
Small hops between large and medium.

• :SWAP Make two of your pyramids switch places. They retain their orientations if possible. The case where it is not possible is when a lying-down pyramid is swapped with a pyramid that is on top of a stack. If this happens, the lying-down pyramid stands up as it goes on top of the stack, and the pyramid that was on top of the stack stays upright as it lands on the table.
• :DIG Take a lying-down pyramid and imagine it tunneling underground. It tunnels in the direction it was initially facing and comes up either between two pyramids, to the side, or underneath another pyramid (or underneath a stack of pyramids). A lying-down pyramid that is facing away from all the other pieces is not eligible to tunnel.
• :WILD Choose one of the above. You are allowed to use your move on either your own trio or the House.

Game End

The first player whose trio matches the House exactly wins the game.

Trivia

Treehouse was originally sold in a clear plastic stash tube as a self-contained game. It gave its name to the Treehouse set, which is a collection of 15 pyramids in 3 colors.

Awards

• Origins Award Winner: Best Board Game of 2006

External Links

• Online rules.
• WWN article about the invention of Treehouse
• Treehouse is listed on BoardGameGeek.
• Video tutorial
• Video: Treehouse wins Origins Award