Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Treehouse has won awards from numerous gaming industry sources for its simple yet challenging game play. It comes from Looney Labs, maker of several unusual games on the market.
COMPONENTS:
A clear plastic tube with an outline of instructions on the outside comes filled with five sets of colorful plastic pyramids, each set consisting of three stackable pieces. Also included are a six-sided die and a more complete set of instructions.
GAMEPLAY:
Up to four players can play, each receiving a colored set of three stackable pyramids. The pieces are arranged with the largest of the three on the bottom, and smallest on top--resembling a futuristic pine tree when assembled. The fifth set, called the "house," is arranged with its three pieces separated and oriented (both horizontally and vertically) along an imaginary line.
The goal of the game is players to orient their pieces to match the house.
Each player rolls the die. The die contains one printed action per side. The actions are Tip, Hop, Aim, Dig, Swap, and Wild.
- Tip a vertical piece or an entire stack onto its side.
- Hop a vertical piece over or onto other pieces.
- Aim a prone piece by reorienting it along the line.
- Dig a prone piece "through" the playing surface and into an upright position, either in place or on the other side of another playing piece.
- Swap a piece with another one.
- Wild lets the player choose one of the other five actions.
If a die roll yields a condition a player cannot meet, the player can instead modify the house's pieces to match the die roll.
The first player whose pieces match the house orientation wins.
PROS:
* Compact size means the game can fit into a pocket or purse.
* Colorful geometric pieces make for a futuristic look.
* Simple rules.
* A game plays in just a few minutes.
* Kids as young as six can play.
* Inexpensive.
CONS:
* While simple, what constitutes a legal move may not be readily apparent. (Thankfully, the expanded paper instructions list all possible piece orientation scenarios and their corresponding moves, a must for new players.)
* For players who understand the nuances of game play, winning becomes less about strategy and more about the luck of the die roll.
* The pyramid pieces are pointy--and sturdy. Not something you want to leave on the floor to step on accidentally, especially in bare feet!
CONCLUSIONS:
Treehouse is a quick, simple, inexpensive strategy game that can go anywhere. Waiting to be served at a restuarant? Break out a game of Treehouse to pass the time. Others will definitely want to know what you're doing. Next thing you know, you're evangelists for the game. The fine people at Looney Labs will thank you!
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Treehouse - Rainbow ColorsTreehouse is a simple-yet-challenging new Icehouse game for 2-4 players.Complete and ready-to-play in just one little $9 tube, Treehouse is the perfect entry-level game for the Icehouse game system. The tube contains 15 pyramids, like the existing Icehouse Pieces product (LOO-015). However, instead of the pyramids being all one color, the Treehouse set comes with 3 pyramids each in 5 different colors. A special D6 gives each player the option to Aim, Hop, Tip, Swap or Dig each turn, trying to rearrange their initial "tree" of pyramids to match the three in the "House," which serves as the goal for all players.
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