Treeline Preview | Christopher Chan Breaks Down His Upcoming Game (Breakout Game Con)
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Transcript
Brains on Games is at Breakout in Toronto, the biggest board game convention in Canada. I'm Dr. Brian McDonald. I'm joined by Christopher Chan. Hello. It's so good to be here.
Christopher Chan is a board game designer who designed Stock Exchange, which I talked about on the channel a while back. We had a lot of fun playing that one because I like those economic games. But you've recently joined Kids Table Board Games.
Yes.
Look at this guy. You You're all kitted out.
I even redesigned this logo.
Did you? Really?
Yeah. I know. It was like one of the things that we talked about when they hired me, like they wanted to, you know, just update the logo. Give it a little refresh.
Very nice. Very nice. But you're not just talking about joining up with KTBG. You've got something special that's happening soon.
That's true. Uh so uh I have a game coming out with them around Gen Con this year called Treeeline. Um and uh this game is a two to four player game. It's um it's an area majority type game um where all the players are um these sort of forest folk who are in a very uneasy alliance as they reclaim their ancestral forest from this awful human town that has been built upon it.
Yes.
So yeah. And it's very colorful sort of once you get started. Let me pan down a bit so that we can see sort of a little bit of what the board game might look like once you've started playing a bit.
Yeah. I mean, it starts off in this very sort of classic awful Euro beige and um as the game progresses, you're flipping over these tiles um and turning them back into forest. So like the goal of the game is to take control of these castles. Um, and you take control of these castles by having the most of your folk in a line when it is complete. Hence, tree line. And when you do that, you send them to the castle to hold down the fort and the other players who are participating in that uh conquest get to upgrade one of their uh little units. Um, and that can be really important because uh this is a game that does not have a lot of workers to move around. You really have to manage carefully how you deploy these guys because on your turn, what you do is you flip over two of these bad boys
and you're going to choose one of them to fill in with your folk and then the next player in turn sequence is going to fill in the other one.
So you are trapping the next player basically into playing some of their very limited units into those spaces. The upgraded units count as two. So that makes a difference for majority.
It's very important. And um it's, you know, uh it's the sort of thing where like when I'm teaching this game, I always frame this around two questions. Okay. So first, why wouldn't I always go after the big thing? And it's simply because you just don't have enough of these as we mentioned. Um because when you run out from your supply, you're going to have to start moving them around from other places on the board. And that can be really really important to manage because you know you need to stay in control of situations but you have to time it carefully when you do.
Right. Exactly. Uh and and the game ends when there are four or fewer spaces that are left that aren't forest spaces yet. And that's what I forgot in our playthrough. I ended the game. I didn't even mean to end the game. Uh I ended it just a little bit early and that was not what I meant to do. Well, I mean, it's important to leave it that way because like I I originally um had the game designed so that you would like fill in everything, but there were two problems with that. The first was that it just kind of kind of ownorous on that last turn to figure out what all the flipping over meant, but also um having that decision space of what is not going to get resolved is just as important as what you can resolve during play. Um and that's like a really much more juicy space to be in. Uh because you also don't necessarily need everyone to have the same amount of turns when you do it that way.
Right.
Yeah.
Right. Because Yeah. You can even get a situation where there's one lone tile that's surrounded by forest and if that happens, you're going to flip over that tile, too. So, you flipped a third one on your on your turn. That speeds things up in the game.
Yeah. There's like uh if you pan the camera down here, I can show an example of what we're talking about.
Let me see if I can do that. The magic of technology here. Okay. So right over here, we can make thisam or or over here, it doesn't really matter. Uh we can make this example really simply. So if I flip these two over like so, this one is a singleton that it's not going to be able to be part of two. So we just automatically flip it over and now you have more choices about where you're putting your guys, but it has this really important effect on the timing of the game because it means that you're changing who gets the last turn. And the last turn in this game is powerful.
Yeah. you're basically deciding when you're going to end the game,
which is a I mean, it's an interesting choice. You'd have to really count and think ahead
to to be able to do that. The other thing that I really liked about the way this stuff works is that you can have a tie.
Yeah.
For control. And when you end up with a tie in this game, I mean, like, here's the thing. Um, the active player wins ties in this game. But let's let's just create a tie situation right here. and uh pretend that um uh is that that's is that a tie? That's not a tie. We're going to borrow one. Yeah. Okay. So, now we have five five right in this row. Um
which could happen. I mean, you're competing for five points and I think six is the biggest one in the castle deck. So, this is a lot of points.
Yeah, this is a significant one to chase. Um, and uh, when you have a tie, I mean, if I was the active player, I would still win it, but it comes at this terrible cost of um, I'm gonna have to pay two guys to the castle instead of one. So, yes, I got points, and points is how you win, but now I'm down even more resources for the rest of the game. And on top of that, remember, these folks are getting an upgrade. So their pieces are getting better and I'm losing even more.
Mhm. Which may help it gives you again there's all of these choices that you have to make and there's such a
there's a push pull with the you're forcing someone to play in a place where maybe they don't want to. Yeah.
But they might also be earning control of something that they're going to be able to take on their next turn. They immediately follow what you did.
Yeah. And I mean if I'm going to like explode your brain a little bit more, we've been talking about the learning game here. So, um, after you played the game like once or twice, we introduce, uh, these things called, uh, glades, which are, um, this is a prototype. It's still a tower. Um, they replace, uh, one of the ones. Um, they you play with three of them, I should say. Um, and there's a deck of 12 of them. You pull three, you don't know what they are. You place them onto the ones, and when you flip them over, they're treated just like any other one. Somebody has to like fill that in. But here's the thing with this. Um, this has an act a scoring condition on it that everyone can benefit off of once it's visible. So, you put someone there, it's covered, and then when they take it off now, everyone can potentially get more points from things that aren't castles. And in a close game, that matters a lot.
Um, you know, I mean, in a not close game, like castles still matter more, but um, you as players increase their skill threshold, the game scores tend to get a lot tighter,
right? Yeah. So, one more thing to think about when it comes to area majority and do you want to just keep your soldier on here so that it doesn't score at all and you're hiding it and preventing the other players from getting it or you're leaving your your soldier there until you can move things where you want them to be. Yep. And at that opportune time when you've got control, you're good to go. But that then forces you to think about are you going to move these guys away from that space now that you're earning points for them.
What a fun time.
Yeah.
So many decisions. One of the other things I wanted to mention about this is that
you taught us how to play and we finished a game and I think it was under 45 minutes by the time we were done for teach and first time first time playthrough uh which is incredible. So this is a quick it it takes as long to set it up as it does to teach. So you got a five minute setup you teach people for five minutes then you're going to play for half an hour.
So it's a game where the mechanics are simple enough that you can learn it quickly. um the the decisions are still interesting though. It's still strategic. You're not going to just be quickly taking your turn without thinking about what you're doing. Um and I will say that in a three-player game, I never felt like I was cooperating with anyone to try and build a forest. I was constantly trying to undercut everyone else. Um it I mean there's some take that actions in this game.
Yeah. I mean it's a it's it's an uneasy alliance. You're never It's not like you're murdering anyone except the humans. I I didn't Sorry, I didn't say that. There aren't any. This is definitely an empty town. There's definitely no humans.
It's just buildings. There's no people in the pictures.
Yeah, there's definitely no reason why it takes more people armed with little weapons of war to clear them out.
Oh, but they have nice little hats with pom poms on.
They have nice little hats with pom poms. But okay, so it is a game where like you said an uneasy alliance maybe, but um it's a game that at four players there there are alliances in a four-player game.
Yeah, explicit alliances. And the thing that um makes it kind of an interesting four-player experience um is that though you do share points at the end with your teammate, you do not share influence in the rows. So, you do have to still win rows on your own. And you have to set your teammate up to win whenever possible.
Um, that's that's a really critical element of the four-player game. And I I really it's it's become my favorite player count with this, you know.
Um,
well, it would totally change the whole vibe of the game.
Yeah.
Um, I mean, I like it at the other ones, of course, but like being able to like do that sort of, well, are you sure about that, you know, is it it games with discussion are just always more fun,
right?
You know,
right? So, this one is coming soon and it's not going to crowdfunding. It's direct to retail.
Nope. Yeah, this entire line um uh of these smallbox games. Um they are going to be direct to retail. Uh and they're going to be as competitively priced as possible. Um I believe uh this is going to be like 28 CAD. Um that's going to be true for all of the um the small boxes as far as I know right now.
And these ones are under the Burnt Island.
Yes, these ones are going to be under the Burnt Island imprint as opposed to the KTBG one. Um the uh the sort of big difference between that and like a KTBG game is, you know, uh KTBG games are really designed to be played specifically in a family context. They are for gamers still, but they are for gamers who want to be able to play with their families. These ones are more for gamers who want, you know, an accessible small box experience that punches a little bit above its weight class. And they're numbered. This is S1.
Nice. The very first one. Yeah, it's not a huge table hog. You've just got your grid. It's going to be a little bit bigger depending on if there's counted scale size. This is the two player size. So, it gets a little bit bigger.
Mhm.
Um but I also have the um a prototype of the and also context. This is a prototype that we're looking at. All of the like little coin capsule bits that you've been seeing will be nice wooden things that are going to be way way more distinctive on their like regular side versus upgraded side. So that just caveats.
Um but I have uh the uh prototype of the next one that we're going to be doing. Um and that one is going to be um released around the same time that we do a Kickstarter in the fall. So like it will likely be in the pledge manager or something to that effect. So, this one in the summer tree line is coming in the summer.
And this next one that you're going to show us, S2.
Yes, S2. S2 is called Familiar Spirits. And Familiar Spirits is a game by Yuval Grinspun. Um, I also did art on this along with Josh Capel, who is the creative director at KTBG Burnt Island Games. Um, I am so excited for this game. Uh it it's um the the game that I think about that that it has the most in common with is uh like the third game in the Sentry series. Um you know the worker placement one because it also relies on a mechanism of you send out your workers and at some point you have to call them back as like a rhythm for the game.
This game of course is not beholden to the century structure or world. Um so it's way more focused on engine and tableau building. Um, and it's like here, feel this box.
Engine building tableau worker placement. And this is a heavy box.
Yeah. Yeah.
It's a prototype. Yeah. What is you put weights in there?
No, it just it just has a lot of chipboard. Like this is I have spent
so many hours figuring out how we're going to fit this on the fewest sheets of chipboard possible.
I mean, it has to fit in this like that's part of this imprint is that it's going to fit into this little box
and also not cost more than 28 CAD. So, we have to be real efficient about our choices here. But, um, it's the sort of game where, um, we have this very minimal style, and this is like still kind of art in progress. We're going to do a bit more text.
I like the box. I, as soon as you showed me, I said, "Oh my gosh, we have to show this on a channel. It looks so fun."
Yeah, we've got we've got these fun little like houses where you go for these um for your various actions and things like that. And um you're going to be building these tableau uh because you have, as the name implies, familiars, which you know are a type of, you know, witchy wizardy like pet uh that are very finicky and they tell you what they want. And I I
So the familiars aren't the workers. They are the workers. They are the workers.
They're you're you're sort of working for your workers.
Like, have you ever owned a cat? That's a little bit what it's like.
Oh, okay. That makes sense to me, unfortunately. Um, so we have these familiars and like these are going to be wood as well. You know, this just kind of to show off the different sort of designs that they're going to come with. So like we have big big workers and small workers. Look at this kitten. He's so cute.
Okay, so there's a big cat and a small cat.
Okay.
Uh, and you're building these shelves that have potions on them and it's just going to be a really fun sort of tableau builder. Um, where you know you can see these things. They have effects here. Um, oh, sorry, camera. They have effects uh on the side and like they have little suits and things like that that tell you like how they're going to combo together for points and stuff like that and you lay them out into like this shelf on top of it, right? So that they form,
you know.
How big is the tableau that you're building?
9 by9 once somebody gets to uh or 9 by9 3x3.
Okay, I was going to say that's a long game.
No, no, no, no, no.
3x3. There are nine cards at most. Once somebody gets to like that full sort of 3x3 size.
Let me pan down. So,
which I'm just putting on top of tree lines. This is gonna be like really confusing.
Very confusing. If somebody just walks in in the middle, that's like there are these table.
Yeah. Um
but yeah, you have this this shelf that this is the end of the game for someone. Um and they have little things here that tell you what they want and where. Um that's just kind of random at the beginning of the game,
but uh yeah. So, at the beginning, you've got missions for each of your columns, each of the columns, and sort of how they relate.
Pairs. Okay, nice.
So, it's I mean, I'm I'm very excited for this one.
I like the art style, and I mean, the mechanisms of um Tableau building and engine building and worker placement are three things that I really like. And if we're talking about another game that's
quick to learn with interesting decisions,
those are are great mechanisms to do that with. Yeah, this one I I think this is going to kind of fall into that same space that you would get like a Deve game for, right? Where there's just maximum amount of game crammed into the box. Nice, you know.
Yeah.
So,
and so I need smaller games on my shelf.
We all need smaller games on our shelves. I
I'm running out of space.
Yeah, tell me about it.
Oh, well, Chris, thank you so much for coming on to talk about two games. I wasn't expecting when I came in here that we get two games, but to for talking about your two games and for talking a little bit about what's going on at KTBG, we appreciate it. If somebody had questions or wanted to get in touch with you, what would they do?
Well, uh, the best way to reach me, uh, would be probably on Blue Sky. Um, you can reach me at Exaf Chan. So, that's XO Per C. Uh, you know, as though you were abbreviating abbreviating it like Christmas, you know.
Perfect. Makes sense to me. And if you have any comments or questions, you can leave them in the comment section below the video. You can email me at briantbrainsgames.ca. brainsgames.ca is the website. That's where future episodes will go. Previous ones are already up there. Brains on games is the exhandle in the Facebook page and the Instagram feed and the blue sky feed. We're all over the place. And if you enjoyed this video, you want to learn about more designers and publishers, well, you can always hit that like button, hit that subscribe button, and join us again next time. Thanks for joining us. Hopefully we'll see you soon. Bye.