BUTTON MEN: TAG-TEAM WRASSLIN' VARIANT

 

Button Men belongs to James Earnest and Cheapass Games.  All rights belong to them… it’s their game.  This is a fan variant by Mojo S. Po.

The basic Button Men rules can be found at… http://www.beatpeopleup.com/butnrulz.html.

BM: TTWV is a four-player (well, actually it could be played with six) version simulating the world of commercial, tag-team wrestling.  The rules are the same as the basic game with a few minor twists that open a world of alternate strategies.

Setup

Each player chooses a character for the match.  Team players sit opposite each other.  Decide who will be in the ring first.  All players roll beginning dice.

Placement

Players IN the ring set their buttons BEHIND (dice in front) their dice.  Players (partners) OUTSIDE of the ring place their buttons IN FRONT (dice behind the button) of their dice.  I find it easiest to line the dice up in a sort of square, and move the buttons as they change position.

In short, the players currently in the ring have their dice in front of their buttons, while the players outside the ring have their dice behind their buttons.

Actions in the Ring / Starting the Round and Player Turns

Just as in the basic game, the lowest rolling player goes first and may choose a power or skill attack. Play rotates to the left after each action is taken.

Actions Outside of the Ring

Unlike most games, there are actually more choices (and more going on) outside of the ring!  On an outside-of-the-ring player turn you may take one of four actions:

  1. Regain a lost die. Pick up any die that you have lost while in the ring and roll it.  This represents resting and regaining your strength, i.e., taking a breather.
  2. Re-roll any one die. Take an existing die and re-roll it.  This is useful for lowering a die in preparation for a…
  3. Tag into the ring.  IF you can make a skill strike on your in-ring partner, then you take his place, re-rolling any dice used.  The now out-of-ring partner doesn’t lose any dice.
  4. PUNK THE (opposing) PARTNER!  If you can make a skill strike on the opposing, out-of-ring player, then that player loses a die just as if they had been in the ring.  This is a sneak attack that the referee doesn’t see….

ENDING THE ROUND AND WINNING THE MATCH

No dice are actually 'captured'.  When an in-ring player loses the last die, that team is pinned and loses the round.  A 'match' is normally three rounds, but can be any number.

Notes

While the changes are simple, the strategy implications are tremendous.  What the out-of-ring player does, and when it is done, will most often win or lose the game.  Timing is everything. Selfishness (Punkin’ and regaining dice only) will be rewarded with a pinned partner.  Yet, Punkin’ is extremely useful for breaking up an opposing partner’s tag attempt.  Yet, one must have a number of dice to be competitive in the ring…. Nothing is more frustrating than watching your friend going down and you’re sitting on a bunch of high dice.  Plan ahead and choose carefully.

(untested) VARIANTS ON A VARIANT

Six Players:  Players will have to be seated alternately.  The Chaos outside the ring is almost too much to consider…. Tagging in should be a bit easier….

Fifth Wheel:  The fifth person is a celebrity referee, and chooses a button and dice.  After each of the four players has taken a turn, the Ref gets to:

Any in-ring player may strike (any) the Ref on their turn.  A Ref with no dice is knocked out and may only regain a die on his/her turn.  While the Ref has no dice, any player may make any kind of attack on ANY other player.  When the Ref regains a die, teams decide (immediately) who is in the ring… dice are not re-rolled.

Two-Player Battle Royale:  Take your collection(s) of buttons (no duplicates) and pick one each.  When a player is out, discard that button and get a new one.  You can either play to 'most buttons knocked out' or to 'whichever player is standing' wins.

Chaos Battle Royale:  Some BIG number of players, seated around a table…. Two players with the lowest dice go into the ring first.  Lowest dice player strikes first, then the player to his left chooses to tag-in (either player) or re-roll any one die.  The winning player is ANY in-ring player that takes the opposing, in-ring player’s last die.  Optionally, you may allow players to regain dice while outside of the ring.  I suggest no “punkin’”… however…. This game does have the potential to go on forever… you are warned….

 

Mojo S. Po