Button Men

As much as I adore epic table top games with great components and a playing time that absorbs you fully for an hour or two, I will always have a special place in my heart for engaging yet brief games, such as Button Men. 

Designed by James Ernest and released by Cheapass Games in 1999, this wonderful little combat dice game was one of my first experiences into the world of table top games. The game play is as simple as you want it to be, and like many dice rolling games it is short but it can be prolonged if you do as I do, and turn it into a tournament of fighters!

Button Men is a game for two players who take turns rolling their dice in order to capture each other's dice. The game was originally sold as two packs of 2.25" pin back buttons (that is badges, to all you folk from the UK), but now you can download the character's cards here for printing. The characters, or fighters, all have names, unique numbers relating to their die attacks and a little bio which usually concludes with 'and she likes to beat people up'. Essentially, the fighters are rather like street fighters or prize fighters, busting each other up for the glory.

Before the game commences players select which fighter they wish to use and collect the dice equipped to that fighter. Some fighters have the 'X' symbol, which means you can choose any die between d4 and d20 to use. Players start by rolling all of their dice, then arranging them in a row in numeric order. The person who rolls the lowest number goes first. A good game for low rollers like me. 

There are two moves you can choose from during your turn, a power attack or a skill attack. A power attack allows you to use a die of your own to capture a single die of your opponent's that is equal to or less than the number you rolled on your die. A skill attack allows you to use several of your dice to capture one of your opponents, with this attack your dice must add up exactly to the value of the die you capture. I must say, this game has really helped my poor maths skills! Once you have captured a die it is taken out of the game and into your possession, then the die you used to capture it is re-rolled and placed back into the game. This process is alternated between players until one player has had all of their dice captured. After each round you add up your score to see who has won, each captured dice is worth its size in points and each of your own dice remaining is worth half its size. The first player to win three rounds is the champion!

Just to heat things up a bit and add some extra carnage, there are some special dice rules that were introduced in various expansion packs. I tend to play with speed dice and poison dice in games, they are less complicated than some of the others and quite useful. You can use one speed die to capture any number of your opponents dice, as long as the value of your speed dice adds up exactly to the captured dice. Poison dice are tricksy as they worth negative points at the end, if you keep it you must subtract its full value from your score and if you capture it then you subtract half of the value. I like to pick a lurid green colour die to represent my poison.

This intense little game becomes so addictive, and the more you play the more strategies you discover. I would always try to take out my opponents high numbers using my rolled high numbers but I have learnt that it is worth leaving your high rolls as they are, unless your opponent can use a Skill attack to combine dice! I love seeing a stupidly low number on a d20 and capturing it with a d4 - how very satisfying. Another great thing about this inexpensive game (it is by Cheapass Games, after all) is that it is really compact, you only need a handful of buttons and an assortment of dice. I have taken this to hotels and on long journeys without any fuss, just be careful rolling. you do not want to lose dice on the train! It is also available as an app on the iphone, and it makes a pleasing dice roll sound. 

Button Men is fast, furious, cheap and fun. There are loads of fighters to choose from by various popular artists and there are several expansions, even a cute Sailor Moon one. It really is an excellent duelling game that keeps me occupied for a while.

Thanks for reading

Marisa xx