Branches & Twigs & Thorns

From Looney Pyramid Games Wiki
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


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. 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 can be played with other numbers of players when played on Eeyore's chessboard wedges. Cerulean observes that a 7 x 7 square board is also good for three players, with two nulls and two roots.

BTT was published in Hypothermia #15.

Additional Languages[edit | edit source]

Branches & Twigs & Thorns (Polish)

External Links[edit | edit source]