Branches & Twigs & Thorns

Branches & Twigs & Thorns
Andrew Plotkin
Players build branching tree structures from a root, trying to always branch from their own pieces, not their opponent's.
:Players	Players:	2 - 4
:Time	Length:	unknown
:Complexity	Complexity:	Medium
Trios per color:		5
Number of colors:		1 per player
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:		1 per player
Five-color sets:		5
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
Chessboard, two pairs of markers
Setup time:		1 minute
Playing time:
Strategy depth:		Medium
Random chance:		None
Game mechanics:
Theme:		Horticulture
BGG Link:		Branches and Twigs and Thorns
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2002

Summary

Branches & Twigs & Thorns (AKA BTT and formerly known as Barsoomite Go) is Andrew Plotkin's refined version of Martian Go, tweaked to produce fewer tied games and a bit less of a first-mover advantage.

Materials

• Board (exact layout of the board depends on number of players -- see your specific player count below)
• 15 pyramids in a Stash for each player, each in a distinct color
• Small tokens to represent the root (must fit on a chessboard square)
• Small tokens to represent the null (must fit on a chessboard square)
• Coins, etc. be used as points, at least five coins per player.

Rules

In general, players take turns placing their pyramids lying down on the squares of a chessboard until the board is full. Points are distributed based on what direction their pyramids point. The game begins differently enough with different playcounts that it's best to split the rules up by that factor. These rules are written so that someone with no prior experience with Martian Go can learn this game.

2-Player Game

Board needed: an 8×4 grid, or a chessboard with half the squares covered up.

Setup

Player 1 takes the null token and places it, then Player 2 takes the root token and places it.

Setup for two players. Each player has one Stash and five coins. The first player receives the null token, here represented by an orange die. The second player receives the root token, here represented by a green die.

Gameplay

Players take turns placing their pyramids on the board until it is full. Pieces must be orthogonally connected to, and point at:

• the root
• their own color (for free)
• an opponent's color (for a penalty)

The first player (Blue) has placed the null token in his choice of any of the 32 squares, and second player (Purple) has placed the root token in her choice of the remaining 31 squares. Now Blue must choose where to place his first pyramid. It must be placed orthogonally to the root and point in the root's direction. The four possible legal moves are shown as triangles.

The second player can place a pyramid pointing toward the root or toward another pyramid. Player 2's legal moves are shown in purple. It is legal, but not wise, for her to point toward her opponent's pyramid, as she will need to pay a penalty if doing so.

It is Blue's turn. The game has progressed to the point that he cannot place a pyramid pointing at his own pyramids, so he must point at one of Purple's pyramids and pay a penalty.

Penalties

When your pyramid points at an opponent's pyramid, you must pay penalties in two ways. Look at the size of the opponent's piece. That's how many coins you pay to the pot. The size of the piece you just placed determines how many coins you must pay to your opponent. The blue player would like to point at the smallest possible piece, and so pay the smallest penalty to the pot. However, the purple player has no small pyramids available to point at. So Blue has to settle for pointing at a medium piece with the smallest pyramid he has. He pays two coins to the pot for pointing at a two-pip pyramid, and one coin to his opponent for using a one-pip pyramid to do it.

The blue player points a small pyramid at an opponent's medium. He pays two coins to the pot for pointing to a size 2-pip pyramid, and one coin to his opponent for pointing at her piece with a 1-pip pyramid.

If a player runs out of coins but still needs to pay, everyone, including the player who just ran out of coins, takes five coins from the pot. This is fair because only the relative scores matter.

Purple saw her advantage and blocked blue off. A few moves later, the Blue must again point at an opponent's piece. He must pay a penalty of 1 to the bank for pointing at a 1-pip pyramid, and 2 to his opponent for pointing a 2-pip pyramid at her, a total of three coins. But he does not have enough funds. So everyone takes five more coins from the pot (represented by the red-outlined coins), and then Blue pays the coins out as normal.

End Game

The game ends when the board is full. Whoever has the most coins wins.

Finished game. Purple wins with the most coins.

3-Player Game

Board needed: Three triangular wedges of Eeyore's chessboard wedges. The overall board is triangular. Cerulean observes that a 7 x 7 square board is also good for three players, with two nulls and two roots.

4-Player Game

Board needed: a chessboard or 8×8 grid.

5-Player Game

Board needed: Five triangular sections Eeyore's of chessboard wedges. The overall board shaped like a PacMan.

6-Player Game

Board needed: Six triangular sections of Eeyore's chessboard wedges. The overall board is hexagonal.

Instead of automatically occupying the center of the chessboard, the root is placed wherever the non-first player wishes (or the second pair of players in a 4-player game). The first player (and the second, in 4-player) places a "null" to which no one may point. Also, scoring is a bit funnier: not only does the player who placed lose points equal to the size of the target of the placement, but the owner of the target gains points equal to the size of the hapless pointer. (This is all tracked with tokens.)

BTT was published in Hypothermia #15.

Additional Languages

Branches & Twigs & Thorns (Polish)

External Links

• Branches & Twigs & Thorns is listed on BoardGameGeek.

• Official Rules site: http://www.eblong.com/zarf/barsoom-go.html

• This game can be played online at Super Duper Games.