Overview

Treehouse is the latest incarnation of the Icehouse game system, first produced in 1999 by Andrew Looney of Looney Labs. Treehouse sets contain 15 stackable plastic pyramids--small, medium, and large--in five different colors, with two spectrums to choose from: Rainbow, which contains three each of red, yellow, green, blue, and opaque black pyramids; and Xeno, which contains three each of clear, orange, cyan, purple, and opaque white (all colors are transparent). Also included is a Treehouse die: a six-sider with the words Tip, Swap, Hop, Dig, Aim, and Wild on its faces. Finally, it includes the rules to actually play Treehouse, the game (which I won't repeat here, to save space).

Presentation

100% made in the USA, the plastic pyramids are virtually free of flaws, though you might need to shave off occasional bits of leftover sprue from the injection molding process. The colors are bright and consistent, and the transparency is smooth with few distortions. Choosing Rainbow or Xeno spectrum for your first set is mostly a matter of taste, but I find that the purple pyramids in Xeno are very hard to see through, which matters little in the game Treehouse but can be a pain in many other games (see below). Also, given that Martian Coasters—a popular supplement to the Icehouse game system—are predominantly Rainbow colors, you might want to start your collection with Rainbow.

The tube in which they are packaged is, in itself, also a useful item. Not only is three sides of it covered with stickers that present the rules in a easy-to-reference format, it's also a great storage and carrying case: pocket-sized, durable, and water-resistant (not that it matters much to the plastic pyramids, but it helps protect the full rule sheet... if you even keep it in the tube after you understand Treehouse). Plus, the tube itself is used in a handful of other Icehouse game system games (again, see below).

As a long time Icehouse collection, I can tell you that you'll eventually end up with five sets of both Rainbow and Xeno (and maybe an extra set or two, for quick setup). There's something incredibly alluring about seeing all ten colors arrayed in a storage box, sorted out into monochrome stashes of 15. They glitter like jewels....

Game Play

For quick fun, Treehouse is a solid game, though highly random. Over time, however, it becomes less enjoyable as one learns the "best" moves for most pyramid arrangements. While the opportunity to manipulate the House (instead of just your own Tree) generates variety, there's only so many deviations from the basic setup. In time, you will stop playing Treehouse.

Which is a good thing, actually! Treehouse is just the tip of the iceberg that is the Icehouse game system. There is a huge community of game designers who routinely develop new games for Icehouse pyramids at the IcehouseGames.org Wiki.

With just one Treehouse set, you can play (as of 1/2008) over 35 games! Add a second matching set, and play an additional 20. But things really open up when you've bought your fifth matched set—$50 total; the price of a single high-quality board game. Why?

Originally, Icehouse pyramids were sold in monochrome sets of 15 (AKA a "stash") or in boxed sets with four stashes. Thus, many of the games designed before 2006 are intended to be played with full stashes of pyramids: 15 of the same color. Some games require each player to have his or her own color; in other games, the players use all of the colors, collectively. Thus, a serious "icehead" will collect at least five Treehouse sets so that he or she will have full monochrome stashes (five, including one opaque one). At that point, there are approximately 200 games that you can play!

And those games vary as widely as human imagination, which is why I can only reluctantly call Treehouse (and the Icehouse game system) a "board game." There are board-less strategy and "miniature" games; there are variants on old classics like Tic Tac Toe, Backgammon, and Chess. There are dexterity, logic, and guessing games; there's even a few roleplaying games! The Icehouse game system is, quite literally, as versatile as a pack of cards... no, in fact, more so.

Conclusion

As a "gateway" game into the Icehouse game system, Treehouse warrants about a 2 out of 5, but that could reflect my bias against overly random games. Nevertheless, it's quick to learn and teach and it's especially good with younger children, to stretch the logic circuits of their growing minds.

But as an overall game system, ready to play dozens of games with one set and eventually building to a "game cabinet" with hundred of options, Icehouse is by far the best bargain ever for your gaming dollar. Hence the reason I give Treehouse—as a component of the Icehouse game system—a 5 rating for substance, to go along with its 5 rating for style.

What's more, Looney Labs is truly a company with heart, giving to protect the environment, supporting individual liberty, and keeping all of their product lines' production here in the USA. Kristin Looney (the "Mamma Rabbit") stays closely involved with the community of Looney Labs demoers ("Rabbits," of which I am one); Andy Looney puts out a webzine and new games and YouTube videos, to keep in touch with the fans.

So if you're tired of shelling out $40 for a box of cardboard made in China, with which you can only play one game (barring creative reapplication), take a good look at Treehouse and the Icehouse game system. Even if your collection never builds beyond a couple of tubes, you'll have hours and hours of game variety that fits in your purse or pocket!