- BGG rating
- 7.5
Button Men: Murderers
- 2–8 players
- 5–10 min
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,297
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Button Men: Beat People Up
2017
Rules assistance for Button Men: Beat People Up
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 10 min
- 12+
- Complexity 1.7/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Button Men: Beat People Up
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Button Men: Beat People Up is a board game released in 2017 for 2 players, 10 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by James Ernest and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Dice Rolling.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Button Men Originals
- 2 players
- 5 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2018
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About the game
In Button Men, each player selects a single character card, then uses the dice depicted on that character's card to try to capture dice owned by another player. You score points based on the size of the dice you capture (and keep), and the player with the most points wins. In more detail, each player rolls their dice, then the player with the lowest die value goes first. On a turn, you can capture one of the opponent's dice in one of two ways: • Have one die with a value equal to or higher than the value of the captured die; take the die, then reroll the die used to make the capture. • Sum the values of multiple dice to equal the value of the captured die; reroll all of the dice used to make the capture. If you can't capture a die on your turn, you pass. The game ends once no one can capture any more dice. A player's score is the sum of the sides of the dice they captured, plus half the sum of the sides of dice they own that weren't captured. Whoever has the highest score wins! Button Men: Beat People Up is a new version of Button Men that depicts characters on cards instead of stickpin buttons, but the basic gameplay is the same, and characters from the different releases can still fight one another. This game is set in Fight City, a 1950s gangster town somewhere on the Gulf Coast. The Fight City set is divided into four factions, each with a different style of play. Those from Downtown ("The Core") use normal dice only. Characters from The West Side have Shadow dice, which make attacks upside-down. Those from the Delta region use Poison dice, which are worth negative points. And characters from the Hill ("Uptown") have Rush dice, which give those characters more chances to make the first move.
Categories
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- Cheapass Games
Questions and answers
Button Men: Beat People Up supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Button Men: Beat People Up is 10 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Button Men: Beat People Up for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Button Men: Beat People Up has a complexity rating of 1.7 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Button Men: Beat People Up belongs to these categories: Dice. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers and Dice Rolling. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Button Men: Beat People Up are: James Ernest. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Button Men: Beat People Up as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.