- BGG rank
- BGG #3,564
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Longhorn
- 2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #26,362
- BGG rating
- 5.5
Button Up!
2012
Rules assistance for Button Up!
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 15 min
- 8+
- Complexity 1.1/5
Rules assistant for Button Up!
For 2 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Button Up! is a board game released in 2012 for 2 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Bruno Cathala and its main mechanics are Mancala.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #98
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Five Tribes: The Djinns of Naqala
- 2–4 players
- 40–80 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #334
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Kingdomino
- 2–4 players
- 15–25 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,314
- BGG rating
- 6.6
A Game of Thrones: Hand of the King
- 2–4 players
- 15–30 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,644
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Solstis
- 1–2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,228
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Okiya
- 2 players
- 10 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,189
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Haru Ichiban
- 2 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,511
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Donuts
- 2 players
- 10–15 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,750
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Jurassic Snack
- 2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.2/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #7,527
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Kamon
- 2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2007
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,786
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Mosquito Show
- 2 players
- 10–20 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #10,693
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Jurassic Brunch
- 2 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2020
About the game
1814: Napoleon Buttonaparte and General Ludwig Von York Buttonburg wage a war without mercy, and a new battle is about to begin. The armies are deployed, awaiting orders to move, and in both headquarters the same speech is being presented: "For you, Buttons, the goal is clear: End up on top!" Soon the battle will commence, with each general trying to use the available spies as well as he possibly can to dominate the final battlefield. As you might guess from the punny names, Button Up! is a non-serious look at combat during war – so non-serious, mind you, that the pieces are buttons, none of which are eliminated due to sucking chest wounds during play. In fact, Button Up! is an abstract game in which players try to manipulate the button troops to score more points than the opponent. To set up each round of the game, randomly arrange nine buttons in a circle: three red for Buttonaparte, three black for Von York Buttonburg, and three neutral white spies. On a turn, the active player takes one stack that contains a spy, then distributes that stack clockwise one button at a time, with the buttons coming off the bottom of the stack as they're placed. Thus, the first move is a single white button being placed on its neighbor to the left; if that stack is moved on the second turn, the bottom button is placed on its left neighbor, then the white button on top placed to the left of that. If the last button placed matches color with the button it covers, the player who moved it takes another turn. (This doesn't apply if the stack being moved contains more buttons than remaining stacks; in this case, the final buttons are placed on the last stack without rearranging their order.) When only one stack remains, the round ends. Each button has strength equal to its height in the stack; players sum their strength, and the player with the most strength earns points equal to the difference between the two sums. If one player now has 15 or more points, he wins; if not, shuffle the buttons and start another round with the player who has the fewest points going first.
Questions and answers
Button 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 Up! is 15 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 Up! for ages 8 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 Up! has a complexity rating of 1.1 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 Up! belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Mancala. 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 Up! are: Bruno Cathala. 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 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.