Button Men

Button Men is a quick-playing dice game for one or two players. You can play against another live player, or you can fight against the built-in AI.

Each Button Man has a unique mix of dice, including at least one die of variable size, called a “swing die.” For example, Avis is 4 4 10 12 X. Her “X” can be any size between 4 and 20.

Players start by rolling all of their dice, and the single lowest number goes first. After that, players take turns capturing each other’s dice using Power and Skill attacks.

Each die is worth its size in points (for example, a d12 is worth 12 points). Dice that you keep are worth half their size (for example, your d12 is worth 6 to you). The goal is to score more points than your opponent by capturing, or keeping, more points.

The loser of each round can change his or her swing die, and the first player to win three rounds wins the match. It takes a great deal of strategy as well as good luck to win a game of Button Men.

Button Men won the Origins Award Best Abstract Board Game of 1999, and the paper version spawned dozens of expansions with hundreds of different characters. This edition includes 24 characters and special rules for Shadow Dice and Poison Dice, with expansions soon to come.

Source: The Game Website.