Push Their Buttons

About the Game

Everyone has a button

Walk up to anyone in a sunny little city and start talking. Somewhere under the small talk is the thing they really care about: their old garage band, a prize tomato, the drive-in that's a parking garage now. That's their button. Find it, steer the chat until they're ready to burst, then push it.

Get it right and they light up: a full-blown rant, a good cry, a misty trip down memory lane, or a big "You're right, let's do it!" Get it wrong and you'll hear about that too.

Read people, pick your line

• Ask the right questions to find someone's button. The things they mutter as you walk by are your clues.

• Pick your line before the clock runs out. Each line stirs up a different feeling: fired up, teary, nostalgic or impressed.

• Push too early and it fizzles. Push the wrong button and they burst in all the wrong ways.

• Feeling lucky? Blurt out a guess about them. It might land. It might not.

• Got someone ranting or crying? Bring them back down gently for a bonus.

Everyone you meet has their own story, their own temper and their own voice.

Play a game!

Plenty of quick games, from Rock Paper Scissors and Tic-Tac-Toe to Quick Push, Stop the Clock and Two Truths and a Lie. Challenge a rival to steal a point, win over a stranger who'd rather play than talk, or try your luck at Lucky Lou's card table. Lou plays well. Lou always plays well.

A whole town to mess around in

• Fish in the park pond or off the seafront.

• Find lost pets and carry them home to their owners.

• Pick up litter and drop it in a bin.

• Splash through the fountain or go for a swim in the pond.

• Find gifts lying around and open them.

Beat the crowd

Step into the circle to start a round. Your rivals are working the same crowd, so the person you were heading for might get talked around first. Bonus rounds put people who know each other in the same conversation, and every line you pick lands on each of them. Play every player for themselves, or split into blue and orange teams.

Go on. Push their buttons.