I have started the design of a board game that is in it's infancy, and am finding myself stuck on one player interaction to which the answer has yet to reveal itself. The basics of the game are that players each of 3 cards in their hand with a number on each card from 1-6. A die is rolled and each player must then lay down the card that they have which most closely resembles the number rolled on the die. From there, each player has the opportunity to challenge another player with the hopes of gaining one of that player's tokens (each player is awarded 10 tokens at the beginning of the game). Once challenged, both players reveal the number on their played card. The player whose card is closest to the number rolled on the die receives a certain benefit for the battle which will ensue to gain victory of the token.
The problem I'm having is coming up with a fun and effective "battle interaction" between the players to gain the token. I want the game to be better than simply rolling a die to see who wins, but I don't want it so intense that a 15 minute battle takes place over each token.
Any help would be much appreciated, and remember that this game is in its extremely early childhood. There isn't even a theme associated with the game yet. And I know it seems a little backwards, but I don't like to infuse a theme until the game is sufficient enough in material to do so.
I forgot to mention that the winner is determined by who controls the most tokens at the end of the game, and there will be a set number of rounds in the game. But adding another mechanic to determining the end of the game in order to satisfy a good battle interaction isn't prohibited.