Buttonmen is a game by cheapass games. They released a rulebook and several sets of buttons. Each button represents a character and has several circles with numbers or letters in them. The numbers and letters represent dice and abilities. The basic rule is that each player rolls the dice, and players take turns making certain attacks and removing the other player’s dice from play. After both players are done attacking (or both pass), you total up a score (usually you total the number of SIDES on the dice you captured and half of the number of sides on the dice you keep).
The basic idea is that players will collect the buttons and wear them around to advertise that they know and play the game. The players would be expected to carry the necessary dice to use their buttons, but that’s all the equipment needed.
Anyhow, someone’s put a free implementation of the game online, and it’s become officially recognized by cheapass games. It’s sort of a play-by-email game with a web interface. You play through the Web site, but you get email notifications whenever it’s your turn.
If anyone’s interested in this sort of thing, check it out. here’s the online rulebook, and the game itself can be found at http://www.buttonmen.dhs.org/