Twin
Win
A new game to play with a Treehouse set
By Andrew Looney, September 6, 2007
Materials
Number of Players: 2 or 3
Equipment: Besides a Treehouse set, you will need a 3x3 board and a set of 10 Goal cards. To make the Goal cards, just write the following onto a set of 10 blank cards: Red Tree, Red Nest, Blue Tree, Blue Nest, Green Tree, Green Nest, Yellow Tree, Yellow Nest, and Black Tree, Black Nest. Or, download one of these PDF files (Rainbow vs Xeno) and print them out. (Beware of printouts you can see through from the back... for best results, print onto a sheet of full size sticker paper and attach to other cards.)
Setup: Build five Trees each with three different colors. Place one in the center space and one in each corner. Deal two Goal cards to each player.
Rules
How Pieces Move: You can move a piece of ANY color, but you can ONLY move the top-most piece in a stack. You CANNOT move a piece diagonally. You can ONLY move clockwise, or into and out from the center space.
How to Play: During each turn, you get TWO actions. You can move two pieces one space each, or one piece two spaces. You can also use one action to trade one of your Goal cards for an unused one.
How to Win: The object of the game is to create one of the patterns shown on your Goal cards. If at any time the appropriately colored Tree or Nest shown on one of your cards appears somewhere on the board, then reveal your card and claim victory! Pieces under your Tree or Nest don't matter, but no other pieces can be in-between. (It's also OK to have extra pieces on top of your Tree or Nest, in the unlikely event of that occuring.)
Etc
Design Notes: This game was inspired by the planning for a trip to HersheyPark, and more specifically, as a game we could play while waiting in line. In years gone by my waiting-in-line game has been Proton, but I've been wanting a Treehouse game you could play while standing around instead. It may be a bit tricky to play this if it's a fast-moving line (particularly if you lack one of these special boards I have). Also, the players will ideally be wearing something with a pocket (or other such place) in which to stash their secret cards so they don't have to hold them the whole time.
Video Intro: Check out the movie I posted on YouTube!
Playtesters: Kristin, Alison, Shel, Cynthia, Bondi, and Robin
