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What is the fastest way to get infinite mana in Historic?
I’m looking for the combo using the fewest cards from the start of the game that allows you to generate unlimited mana using Historic-legal cards. It doesn’t have to be viable or practical, but I have two restrictions:
1. No using Codie, Vociferous Codex, because I need to cast permanent spells for what I’m trying to pull off and Codie doesn’t allow that.
2. The opening hand may be assumed. If a solution requires more than 7 cards, you may assume perfect results from random events. If it requires 7 or fewer cards it must be deterministic.
I devised a method using 11 cards over 4 turns, requiring you to be on the draw and draw perfectly.
1. Play Botanical Sanctum and tap it to cast Llanowar Elves
2. Play Lotus Field, tap Sanctum to cast Stifle targeting Lotus Field’s trigger, and tap one Llanowar Elves to cast another
3. Play an untapped land, tap everything to cast Chromatic Orrery, tap it for 5 to cast Irencrag Feat, then spend that mana to cast Nyxbloom Ancient
4. Cast Circle of Dreams Druid and enchant it with Gauntlets of Light
I’m sure this can be improved.

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18/05/2025
The Treehouse Podcast for February 2019

After a trip through time, the team carefully balance their views of Tokyo Highway, fail to solve the problem of hype, and discuss the perfectly imperfect Dominion.

The Treehouse

Tokyo Highway

Stonehenge and the Sun

Gen7

KeyForge

Dominion

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18/05/2025
Two can play at that game — The Treehouse

Animal Upon Animal – If you want to ease your brain in gently or you’re simply in the mood for some good, old-fashioned fun, this is the game for you. Yes, it’s technically designed for small children and the components consist almost entirely of painted wooden animals, but that doesn’t stop it from being one of the most delightful games on our shelves. Basically reverse Jenga, Animal Upon Animal has a similar tension curve as the game progresses but is somehow much more forgiving, perhaps because with each successful move you’re left with a bigger and more awesome-looking animal tower! All the neighbouring tables will be jealous, take our word for it.

Quarto/ Pentago – These both fall firmly into the ‘abstract strategy’ category we touched on earlier, but are straightforward enough to feel like a gentle brain teaser (or gentle-ish, depending on how seriously you’re taking it and how clever your opponent is) rather than a full-blown strategic showdown. Quarto is the more sophisticated cousin of Connect-4, whilst Pentago is noughts and crosses with a (literal) twist. The two games have approximately six rules between them, but both have enough depth to get your brain ticking over and ready for whatever comes next…

Keeping things friendly

So now you’re all warmed up and ready for something with a bit more weight behind it, but you’re here to have a nice time together and want to leave on speaking terms. Here are our top choices for whiling away a companionable hour or so if you’d prefer to keep things friendly…

Patchwork – “A game of competitive quilting”. We usually open with this when we recommend Patchwork and watch the reaction, because those five words are often enough to either win someone over or put them off completely. If the description appeals, then you’re in for a treat, because as well as being about as endearing as it’s possible to be, Patchwork has enough depth to make for some really interesting decisions. On top of that, regardless of whether or not you win, you get the satisfaction of Tetrissing (yes, new word, we made it ourselves) together pieces to make your very own quilt and seeing it grow as the game goes on. Although it is a competitive game, it’s nigh-on impossible to play Patchwork aggressively, and the theme is just so soothing, so we’re pretty sure you’ll still be talking at the end. If you’re short on time, we’ve just got our hands on a copy of the newly-released Patchwork Express, which basically offers the same great game in under 20 minutes.

Jaipur – This one is a slightly harder sell for the uninitiated: players are traders in an Arabian market place, trying to win the approval of the Sultan by accumulating more goods and (mysteriously all-important) camels than the other player in each of three rounds. It looks and sounds very dry, but Jaipur consistently appears on top 10 lists of two-player games, and hopefully once you’ve played it you’ll understand why. Again, this is very much a Euro-style game in that there’s no direct conflict (although you might spot some opportunities to scupper your opponent’s plans if you keep a careful eye out). If you give it a go, keep an eye out for the special panda camel. We have no idea why it’s there, but we’re always pleased to see it!

Pandemic – If you’d prefer to remove the competitive aspect completely and work together against the game, there’s a whole world of cooperative games out there and pretty much all of them are great for two players. Pandemic helped to kickstart the whole genre when it appeared in 2008, and it has really stood the test of time. Players take on the role of a team of specialists trying to save humanity from four deadly viruses, racing against time to find the cures whilst travelling the world treating patients and trying to prevent outbreaks. The theme is so powerful that it’s impossible not to get drawn in, and it’s tricky enough to beat the game that you get to feel like heroes if you manage it, but will always have a memorable experience either way.

Head to head

Right. The gloves are off. You’re not here to mess around – there’s a score to settle. Here are our top games for times when taking part just won’t cut it.

Cobra Paw – Any game based around grabbing is guaranteed to get the competitive juices flowing, and Cobra Paw is simple enough to let you get stuck straight in. Take turns to roll a pair of dice, then look for the domino that features the two symbols they show amongst all of those on the table and try to get to it first. If you succeed, put the domino in front of you. If you can collect six of them you’ve won, but be warned: dominoes in front of other players are still fair game. Maybe move your drinks before you start playing!

Odin’s Ravens – This one doesn’t require physical speed to win, but involves a race nonetheless. Odin’s two ravens Hugin and Munin must fly around Midgard every day gathering information, and whoever gets back first to pass on their news first will be his good books. This is predominantly a card-based game with some beautiful artwork and component quality. Players discard cards to move their raven forward on a the track in the centre of the table, but can also invoke Loki to play tricks to speed their passage or slow down their opponent. A thoroughly thematic experience which always results in a nail-biting finale.

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18/05/2025
How to use the new Cart Cannon and Cart Laser in R.E.P.O.

Image via The Escapist

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Published: May 17, 2025 07:43 am

Having cemented its place as one of this year’s breakout successes, indie game R.E.P.O., celebrated for its chaotic physics-based mechanics and the unpredictable (often comical) moments, is pushing the experience even further with the game’s first big update.

Available on Beta via Steam, this update debuts the ‘Overcharge’ feature, delivers a mass of bug fixes, along with a number of new items and weapons. Two of which are the ‘Cart Cannon’ and ‘Cart Laser’. The are heavy-duty weapons that can turn your cart from a simple floating basket to an armed tank ready to one-shot some of the game’s toughest enemies. They increase the firepower you and your team can use to protect yourselves while tending to your Semibot’s repossession duties.

Image via The Escapist

How to use the Cart Cannon and Cart Laser

Like all weapons and upgrades in R.E.P.O., the new cart weapons are found in the Service Station, which you arrive at after the successful completion of each level. Due to the prices of these new items, they may not be attainable until later levels after more money has been earned. As of now, both weapons appear in the store for anywhere between 40-50k.

Both the cannon and laser will automatically attach to the C.A.R.T. once lifted and placed inside. When it’s ready to go, the light will change from red to green. Placing the weapons at the far end of the cart allows your teammate to push you around while you keep an eye out for enemies.

The normal ‘E’ function is used to activate the items; however, each version of this superpowered weapon has a very different firing style, adding a unique twist to your combat strategy.

Cart Cannon

Image via The Escapist

When fully charged, the cannon can deliver up to four shots that deal 500 damage per hit. Incredibly, this is enough to take out the slow but tough Trudge, so it is important to make every shot count. It should be noted, however, that the cannon is so powerful that it has the ability to push the cart itself backwards. While this isn’t by much, using the Cart Cannon near a hole or on a ledge isn’t recommended. Your teammates probably don’t want to search for your head after you’ve saved the day.

Cart Laser

Image via The Escapist

When fully charged, the laser has four pulse beams which deliver 65 damage every second it fires. Aim and time it right, and this will be enough to take out the biggest enemies, despite it not being able to one-shot like the cannon. An advantage of the laser over the cannon is the wide breadth of damage it delivers. Like the Clown’s nose beam, you can manoeuvre the laser to hit many targets, opposed to the cannons’ very specific area. However, be cautious of your surroundings. You wouldn’t want to take out your team with a stray laser beam. Consider your playstyle and the situation you’re in to decide which weapon is best for you.

This recent update from Semiwork showcases that so much more is to come in R.E.P.O. If the newest weapons and level items are anything to go by, they have some large plans for the future.

R.E.P.O. is available now on Steam

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17/05/2025
Are the utilities worth buying?

In Monopoly, there are two utilities. They cost 150, and rent is 4x the dice roll if one utility is owned, or 10x the dice value if both are owned.

Are the utilities something I want to purchase if possible? Or are they junk? How valuable are they compared to the other properties on the board?

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17/05/2025
The Treehouse Podcast for March 2019

After a perfect storm of randomness, the team enthuse about Dice Forge, set hypotheticals for two-player games, and become one another’s Muse.

The Treehouse

Dice Forge on BoardGameGeek

Timeline on BoardGameGeek

Go on Wikipedia

Onitama on BoardGameGeek

Twilight Struggle on BoardGameGeek

Muse on BoardGameGeek

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17/05/2025
Lead Minecraft developer finally reveals the secret behind iconic squid milk bug

As of right now, all seems well in Minecraft world. Minecraft Live was a blast, the most recent Snapshots have introduced improvements to both long-range combat and to leashes, and the Minecraft movie is an enormous success. But like any and every videogame, Mojang’s blocky builder has experienced its share of technical troubles. Veterans might recall the dancing Enderdragon. In fact, Minecraft’s most iconic enemy, the Creeper, is the result of a glitch that twisted and elongated the original character model for pigs. Now, Jens Bergensten, Mojang’s chief creative officer, explains the history of one of the best Minecraft bugs. Who here remembers squid milk?

With 2025 seemingly as busy as ever for Mojang’s building game, make sure you’re up to speed with the best Minecraft seeds and also the best Minecraft mods. Once you’ve found a new world and gotten settled, see if you can find yourself a friendly squid. Hopefully, you will notice two things: one, the squid is swimming in the water and two, no matter how hard you try, you cannot milk it, like a cow. As one of Minecraft‘s most legendary developers explains, this wasn’t always the case.

“When I started working on Minecraft, I didn’t really know exactly how everything worked,” Bergensten, who has co-developed Minecraft since 2010, explains. “I wanted to add a new mob, so I added a squid. The best way for me to do that was to copy an existing mob, so I based the squid on the cow mob, but I forgot to remove the milking behavior.

“For a while, you could actually milk the squid, which was a bit silly and also… not the intended behavior. Again, the squid was my first mob, so I managed to add more problems to it. In the way I made the movement code, the server and client wouldn’t agree on where the squid actually was. This caused a behavior where you would occasionally see squids flying around in the air, the ‘flying squid’ bug.”

Squid milking (what a wonderful combination of words) was removed from Minecraft in 2011. Maybe, though, it could make a return. I’m not saying you should be able to get cow’s milk from squids, but maybe black dye? Either way, I will agree that squids should remain in the water and not the sky.

In other Minecraft news, check out the details from the latest Snapshot, and also this in-development mod that, in theory, will let you play with 100,000 people on a single world.

Alternatively, check the best locations to find Minecraft diamond, or get yourself the best Minecraft skins.

You can follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides. We’ve also got a vibrant community Discord server, where you can chat about this story with members of the team and fellow readers.

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17/05/2025
To Infinity — The Treehouse

A game can be many things – a board on a table, a ball in a field, or even just a story. But can a game be anything? Last month I put that to the test when I acted as a moderator for the “immersive game” (or megagame, if you prefer) Bring Them Home. For the uninitiated, Bring Them Home sees three teams representing foreign space agencies work together to bring back a stranded astronaut following a disaster in deep space. It’s silly and brilliant, but how can we categorise it in gaming?

The Treehouse invited the producers to host Bring Them Home with us back in September, and I got some experience running the game then, but after two weeks of back-to-back shows I think I understand something new about the possibilities of game design. Never one to shy from a challenge, I thought I’d have a go at answering the above question. Wish me luck!

Let’s start with the basics. Bring Them Home certainly features components, strategy, social deduction, a clear objective and multiple paths to victory. Its influences are without question rooted in gaming. However, it may not be that simple. For one thing, it’s very difficult to play the game more than once, as many of the game’s secrets and revelations fall flat if you’ve known them all along. For another, it requires a full team of moderators to keep things running smoothly – six in this last run, for just twenty-one players. Those moderators inevitably have an impact on the game, even as they remain nominally neutral. You might consider that evidence enough that it isn’t a board game. So perhaps it’s a roleplaying game instead?

There’s some evidence for that too. Between games my fellow moderators and I had a lot of animated discussions about how the game could be tweaked, what had worked or not worked in the previous game, and what we could learn from it. That flexibility matches what GMs in roleplaying games experience, changing their plans on a dime. Sometimes we would enact changes that seemed drastic (like omitting entire sections of the game) in the half-hour “reset” portion between runs. Other times the players would bring their own surprises (like the game where six more people than we expected showed up!), and we had to think up solutions on the fly. In a typical board game, none of that would happen. The boundaries are set from the very beginning (that’s why the first thing you do is read the rulebook), and can’t just be fudged to make things go differently. In roleplaying games this is slightly more common, but the practice of a GM lying about their die rolls remains controversial. In short, the game isn’t fair, and we know it.

But so what? It seems to me that if you’re inclined to attend a theatrical gaming experience like Bring Them Home, you’re going to know that it’s not a typical board game anyway. The X-factor that I’ve always admired in gaming is creative thought within restricted space – the joy of taking a system and exploring all its possibilities. And thanks to the presence of the moderators, and the knowledge that this will be our players’ only shot to interact in this specific way, those possibilities appear boundless. I’ll let you in on a secret – behind the set design and hosting patter, the mechanics of Bring Them Home are very, very simple. It just so happens that because all your actions go through the mods, and because the mods are trained to “yes-and” pretty much every action you can take, you don’t need to know where all the boundaries are.

Do you want to try and bribe the press? You can do that! Do you want to use distraction tactics on the other teams? You can do that! Do you want to use the moderators to lie, sending them up to the main desk pretending to do an action while actually doing something else? You absolutely can do that. And it isn’t just limited to sneakiness either. One player brought in a box of Maltesers hoping to make friends with everyone around the room, and to make himself stand out in case that was important. As it turned out, it was absolutely vital, and his Malteser-based antics won his team the game. You won’t be surprised to learn that the (very sparse) game rules don’t include the word “Malteser” once. That was his stroke of genius, and it paid off.

Bring Them Home isn’t a board game, or a roleplaying game, or a theatre show. It’s something new, but it isn’t an island. Escape rooms touch on many of these ideas too, though the solutions to puzzles tend to be more linear. And live roleplaying games are really picking up steam, combining improv theatre with a common rules structure to tell long-form stories. On the more hardcore end, LARP is finally having its day in the sun with national projects like Empire attracting record attendance. The intersection of theatre and gaming is arguably as old as the televised game show, but the recent renaissance looks to be opening up new possibilities on all fronts. Just watch how far it can go.

by Patrick Lickman

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17/05/2025
Fortnite developer Epic accuses Apple of glockblocking its attempts to shoot the game back onto US iOS, then probably hit the griddy

Fortnite developer Epic recently suggested the game might become available on iOS in the US for the first time since 2020 soon, but it’s now looking like that won’t be happening. Why? Well, Epic’s accusing Apple, its long-time sparring partner in an ongoing legal battle, of storeblocking.

As we reported last week, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney had launched a fresh effort to get Apple to agree to re-admit the game to its App Store following a judge issuing a pretty damning verdict against the fruit company in the latest legal skirmish between the two. This is all about payment options and the cut Apple takes of them via its store, with Epic having decided five years ago that this was something it wouldn’t stand for.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has claimed it originally submitted Fortnite for Apple to review on May 9 and then resubmitted a new version on May 14 in order to include a fresh update to the game. Now, the publisher’s put out the following statement via the official Fortnite Twitter account:

“Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.”

Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union. Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it.

— Fortnite (@Fortnite) May 16, 2025

Sweeney himself has also been tweeting, declaring in one post: “Apple’s App Review team should be free to review all submitted apps promptly and accept or reject according to the plain language of their guidelines. App Review shouldn’t be weaponized by senior management as a tool to delay or obstruct competition, due process, or free speech.”

This all comes after that aforementioned court verdict, which saw Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rule that Apple was “in wilful violation” of previous court injunction that it had to allow purchases made for iOS games and apps through outside web links. It did, but then instituted a 27% commission on such purchases.

“Apple’s response to the Injunction strains credulity,” the court’s verdict read, “After two sets of evidentiary hearings, the truth emerged Apple, despite knowing its obligations thereunder, thwarted the injunction’s goals, and continued its anticompetitive conduct solely to maintain its revenue stream.”

We’ll just have to see how things go from here, as it looks like this fight is nowhere near a resolution that would see one victor left default dancing, or more realistically a bunch of suits going back to whatever else it is they do with their time.

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16/05/2025
The Treehouse Podcast for April 2019

After a trip to King’s Crossing, the team brew up a potion of excitement for Quacks of Quedlinburg, relate their favourite moments in narrative gaming, and then get as evangelical as they ever have about a game that isn’t even in the game library.

The Treehouse

Quacks of Quedlinburg on BoardGameGeek

Nemesis on BoardGameGeek

T.I.M.E. Stories on BoardGameGeek

Gloomhaven on BoardGameGeek

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16/05/2025