From the "Moshe Con" booklet

Back when Morris had his bar mitzvah, we created two buttonmen for the "family game night" party we held. I like those buttons, both for the great artwork done by our friend Laura, for the way the recipes support the theme, and for the strategic balance the buttons have.

But not many of the people at the party actually PLAYED buttonmen, and I've often regretted that the little strategy summary I wrote for the event -- brief, based on a jewish text, yet not at all bad as a general statement of the principles of buttonmen -- has never since had a chance to be seen.

Until now: Here is the relevant material, taken straight from the convention booklet. (It seems to start a bit abruptly; in the context of the booklet, it followed an exposition of the rules of the game, and a description of the new buttons):


Strategy tips: For such a simple game, there is a surprising amount of mathematics and sophisticated strategy to Button Men. You don’t need to know all this to enjoy the game! A little farther down are links to buttonmen strategy details and an online game site where players happily offer informal tutoring.

But, in keeping with the premise in Koheleth (Ecclesiastes) that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Koheleth 1:9), one can find a concise summary of buttonmen strategy in this mishnah from Pirkei Avot:

Akavia Ben Mehalalel says: Contemplate three things, and you will not come to the hands of sin. Know from where you came, and to where you are going, and before whom you will ultimately give judgment and accounting. (Avot 3.1)

In this context, this means (in reverse order):

Judgment and accounting: Know the victory conditions – they are not simply to capture your opponent’s dice! Recall how dice are scored. The player who begins with more sides of dice has fewer points available to capture (“know from where you came”). This means that the player who begins with more sides must not only capture all his opponent’s dice, but must retain a sufficient number of his own dice in order to win. Try to know from the beginning of a round what specific outcomes at the end will result in victory.


Where you are going: now that you know what you need to do, you need to think about how to get there! In early turns, skill attacks are more common and large dice are more vulnerable. Towards the end of the round, fewer dice are left. Try to steer the game to a favorable position in the end game. If your opponent begins with a high value on a powerful die, you need to try to get him to reroll it as soon as possible, while you are more likely to be able to capture it; conversely, you may need to think about how to protect your larger dice.


From where you came: As mentioned above, the number of sides you begin with determines the ultimate victory conditions. Many buttons include swing or option dice, which allow you to vary the initial size of your dice. This is a powerful tool! Understanding the effect that your choice of swing die has on your victory conditions enables you to make it easier to push the game towards endings in which you can win!

This is pretty abstract – perhaps playing a bit will make things more clear! But if you want to learn more about buttonmen strategy, check out the essays at www.beatpeopleup.com/bmstrat.html and you can find opponents and teachers from around the world at http://www.buttonmen.com