Game: You're Bluffing!

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Bernd13 — 2008-09-18T20:19:16+00:00

German Boxfront FX Schmid Version (clean scan)

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ealpendre — 2008-06-11T13:08:25+00:00

Are you Bluffing ?

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Teppolainen — 2008-06-09T21:59:07+00:00

Box front, Ravensburger (Finnish) edition

Thread: Re: Ways of making Kuhhandel shorter

EndersGame — 2008-05-19T03:03:11+00:00

ronlee wrote:
Has anyone experimented with ways of shortening the game? My own idea is to auction 2 animals at a time.
As noted in the other thread, in my view this is a great fix for You're Bluffing. I used to be in the "You're-Bluffing-Is-Too-Long-For-What-It-Is" camp, but using this variant along with the one suggested in the rulebook (where each player starts with four animals) makes the game length just right. I've tried it twice now and it's a definite improvement - recommended!

Thread: Re: Bidding for two cards

EndersGame — 2008-05-18T00:58:09+00:00

Like many others, I've thought that this game went on too long for what it is. The variant suggested above solves the problem nicely, without detracting from the game-play.

We now play with the following rules, to speed up the game to an appropriate playing time:
1. start with four animals each (determined randomly, or if you want to eliminate luck: a chicken, a goose, a cat and a dog).
2. auction two animals at a time.

With the shorter and more appropriate playing time using these house rules, I expect we'll be playing this a lot more often than we have been up to now. Fun game!

Thread: Re: Are the amounts offered in "cattle trades" made verbally?

Rygel — 2008-03-31T18:44:05+00:00

Short answer - No. Money should always be kept secret.

Thread: Re: Are the amounts offered in "cattle trades" made verbally?

quozl — 2008-03-31T17:29:32+00:00

We've played that is the player's option. If you want to annouce the value, go ahead. If you want to lie about the value, go ahead. If you want to remain silent, go ahead. I don't think it changes the game so just go with whatever makes it more fun for the players.

Thread: Are the amounts offered in "cattle trades" made verbally?

EndersGame — 2008-03-31T06:13:12+00:00

I was just re-reading the rules of this and wonder if we've been playing something wrong. We've been in the habit of playing as follows: when Player A initiates a "cattle trade" with Player B, Player A puts down several cards but also verbally states an amount out loud about the value of those cards. Of course, this value might be complete bluffing, but that's the whole point of saying it out loud. Part of the bluff is to influence Player B to pay up a certain amount or more. After re-reading the rules, I can't help but think this was incorrect, since it doesn't seem to be mentioned - is nothing to be said by the players regarding the amount being offered by the player initiating the cattle trade?

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I realize that there is some difference of opinion about whether or not the actual amounts paid by both players need to be revealed after the cattle trade, as discussed in this thread (the original German rules require that this be kept secret; the English rules require that the actual bids/amounts be announced afterwards). But my question is about something different - not whether the actual amounts paid have to be announced afterwards, but whether the amount being offered or bluffed is announced, or whether only the cards are played face down with nothing said about their value.

Although I'm now suspecting we were perhaps playing incorrectly on this point, it was a fun way to play, especially being able to bluff about the specific amounts being offered. How do others play this, what is the correct way to play, and what is the best way to play?

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jsper — 2008-02-10T13:17:42+00:00

German edition back of the box (high scan resolution)

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jsper — 2008-02-10T13:11:30+00:00

Back of the cards

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jsper — 2008-02-10T13:09:08+00:00

Rulebook cover in german

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margaretha — 2008-01-08T19:11:17+00:00

Game play, Dutch version

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jsper — 2008-01-04T13:02:34+00:00

High quality scan Ravensburger edition

Thread: Re: Bidding for two cards

ronlee — 2007-11-26T17:17:33+00:00

I will add my recommendation for this approach. It seems like the perfect solution!

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Toynan — 2007-11-24T16:18:02+00:00

Aminal cards from the french edition

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Toynan — 2007-11-24T16:17:34+00:00

Animal cards from the french edition

Thread: Re: Keep the zeros?

anglotiger — 2007-08-31T18:27:02+00:00

It's always been pretty clear to me that the intent was that the zeros
are no different to any other valued cards - you just give up the cards
that you play.

The other players are supposed to get no information about how much
money is changing hands - only the two players involved should know.

If you look at the cards you receive and then have to hand some of them
back, the other players all gain valuable information, which I'm certain
was not the intent.

Imagine that player 1 puts down a stack of 3 cards and player 2 puts
down 4. After player 2 looks at the cards player 1 put down, and hands
two back, keeping just one card, the other players now have a pretty
good idea (depending upon the stage of the game) of what might have
been passed to player 2 by player 1.

By giving up the zeros you play, it really forces you to pick and
choose where you play them.

Besides, being able to bluff by using several zeros that you have
collected earlier is a really cool thing...

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

anglotiger — 2007-08-31T18:13:26+00:00

I think Ender has it right.

The problem is that you need to also call a halt to the bidding,
to allow the auctioneer to make their choice.

If the auctioneer tips his intention to keep the animal, what's
to stop you from quickly increasing your bid, just before the
auctioneer actually speaks their intentions, if only to make
them spend more?

We've played this for around 10 years now and our method of
play gets around this problem. When it appears the bidding
is over between the players, the auctioneer asks the high bidder
if that's their top bid. Once they say yes or offer an increased
amount, bidding is over, and the auctioneer can then make their
decision without having to worry that something about their
reaction causing a bidder to jump in again.

Thread: Re: Are there different versions in the English edition?

ihope2b — 2007-07-19T02:27:43+00:00

Thank you! I'm glad I didin't bid it.

Thread: Re: Are there different versions in the English edition?

fnord23 — 2007-07-19T02:17:29+00:00

Yes, there is a sturdy boxed version, and a flimsier hanger version. The contents, including the tray, are the same; just a worse box.

The flimsy version recently hit Tuesday Morning (a liquidator); most of the ones you find at this point are probably going to be the flimsy version.

Thread: Are there different versions in the English edition?

ihope2b — 2007-07-19T00:45:42+00:00

I'm trying to get a copy of this, but no success so far. I recently saw one english edition on Ebay, but its box doesn't look like sturdy cardboard box with plastic tray inside. It looked like just card deck box with hanger hole on top (I mean it looked like cheaper card games in the walmart).

I'm just wondering if there are different versions in the English edition or not.

please let me know.
thanks.

Thread: Re: Could I Do Any Worse At This Game? Apparently Not.

sharkus — 2007-06-27T00:27:20+00:00

FYI: I've seen a few copies lately floating around at my local Tuesday Morning store (in Rancho Bernardo, CA).

Thread: Re: User Review

Schroinger — 2007-05-27T21:23:56+00:00

The first edition of the game had that rule, but later editions don't.

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

EndersGame — 2007-04-15T01:17:19+00:00

For what it's worth, the English rulebook that came with my Ravensburger edition of the game states explicitly: "the two money offers are swapped and secretly counted, then the bids are announced. The player who received the most money must hand over the animal card that was being bid on."
This is the way we have played, and it does help get some idea of how much money the other players have, and it also means that everyone can share in the humor of some ridiculous horse-trading deals.

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

EndersGame — 2007-04-15T01:09:58+00:00

A few thoughts about the auction:

1. The auctioneer cannot participate. My edition of the rules specifically states: "The auctioneer may not join the bidding." The auctioneer gets the "option to buy" after the bidding is over, and part of the fun is not knowing how much he's prepared to pay for the item being auctioned until after the bidding closes!

2. The auction is anarchical, not turn based. My edition of the rules states: "all players may offer an amount for this animal as often as they wish, but each bid must be higher than the previous bid." In that respect it's chaotic just like a real auction - which makes it all the more fun and is in keeping with the character of the game!

3. It is possible to increase your bid, to prevent the auctioneer buying it too cheap. The rules do say that players may offer an amount "as often as they wish", and there is no condition requiring another player to bid first, only that the bid be "higher than the previous bid." Part of the fun of the game is to take into consideration how much the auctioneer might be prepared to pay in order to exercise his "option to buy", and ensure that your bid is slightly higher than that, even if no other player is bidding!

That's my take on the above questions and comments, anyway. Fun game, and great combination of auctioning and bluffing!

Thread: Re: Penalty for false bidding

EndersGame — 2007-04-15T00:58:47+00:00

paliakos wrote:
1.What s the penalty for bidding with money that you dont have(just to raise the price). It is only exclusion from the new bidding or you lose one round also?
My edition of the rules simply says: "If any player discovers that he can't pay the amount he bid, he must show all his money and the auction will be repeated."
Showing your money and repeating the auction seems to be the only penalty. In my opinion, this suggests that it is possible to bid higher than the amount that you have, in order to raise the price. It's also in keeping with the central element of the game: bluffing. However, there is a risk: if other players think you are bluffing (which is what the game is all about) about how much money you have, they could purposely let you win the auction and force a re-auction, and when the auction is repeated in the event that you did overbid, they have the advantage of knowing exactly how much money you have, and can bid accordingly.

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

HilkMAN — 2007-04-09T09:43:03+00:00

I would absolutely allow this possibility - I think it adds a lot of spice to the game. We even play it as follows: The auctioneer is perfectly allowed to throw in a "bid" - it has no meaning of course, but in the heat of the game such things happen:

Player A: 60!
Player B: 70!
Auctioneer: 90!
Player B: 100! Ouch!

Kuhhandel is a game of nerves after all, and this "rule" (or rather "code of conduct") fits in fine.

Thread: Re: Keep the zeros?

cornelanner — 2007-04-01T22:58:46+00:00

Yes, we also pass the zero cards to the other player. The rules (German, 2nd ed.) merely imply this, but it seems to be a reasonable interpretation.

Thread: Re: Keep the zeros?

Starsunsky — 2007-04-01T17:10:36+00:00

I play it in a way that the zero cards are passed around between players.

p.s. I have the 2nd edition.

Thread: Keep the zeros?

kimbo — 2007-04-01T15:18:34+00:00

When making a cattle trade and including '0' value cards (as a bluff), are the '0' cards kept after the deal is concluded? Or are the zero value cards passed to the other player?

The rules don't mention how zero value cards are to be managed, so I think they must be passed to the other player.

But I've played enough games with zero value cards that are kept in hand after use that at first I assumed that was how this game was played too.

But not according to the (english) rules which are mute on the subject.

How does everyone else manage zero value cards?

Thanks.

Thread: First vs. Second edition?

fmoros — 2007-02-04T05:54:56+00:00

Should I assume that the 2nd edition rules are better than the first ed ones?

or "any old rules were better than the new ones"?

I have not tried this game yet and i want to use it this week with my students, but I am not sure what set of rules to use.

There are some major differences, which may change the game dramatically:
* On the first edition the looser of a trade keeps his own money.
* And the zero cards are always returned to the owner, so everybody holds 2x zero cards at anytime.

thanks a lot and happy games!
fer
sk

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

ascendancy — 2007-01-09T22:01:43+00:00

Even the description on this site is wrong. In my german rules it is stated clearly that you don't reveal the money in the cattle trade. It wouldn't make much sense because this is the best thing in the whole game. Two players changing money, both are trading to keep their faces to give the others no hint how much money they really got. Or having to players change their money both starting immediately to laugh and dont stop. And all the others making guesses what really happened. This game is one of the most underrated games at bgg.

Thread: Re: Could I Do Any Worse At This Game? Apparently Not.

Mandrill26 — 2007-01-03T18:37:20+00:00

Hey,don't worry about your loss, I've played about 6 times thus far, and I finish last every time. I just can't keep tabs on how much money people have, and I'm a bad guesser... It's a fun game though. My cousin owns it and I'd like to buy a box but I just can't find it anywhere... Where did you get yours?

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Xa-4 — 2006-12-26T12:44:28+00:00

I asked Asmodée, the publishers of the french version. They answered that you are not allowed to bid yourself up.

I'm not sure I'd trust them though, because the FAQ on their website (which says that the auction is ordered, each player waiting for its turn to place a bid) is in total contradiction with the rules (which prescribes a more anarchical bidding process). When asked about that too, Asmodée answered that the anarchical auction is the way to go.

Hope this helps.

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Xa-4 — 2006-12-23T17:54:20+00:00

In the french version, called boursicocotte, while not in the body of the rules themselves, it is written in the example given, that players don't have to reveal the amount publicly. It is therefore their choice (so generally, they'll chose to keep it a secret)

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

ratpfink — 2006-11-27T19:37:42+00:00

We've always played with secret bids that are not announced. After looking at the rules(You're Bluffing) I see that is incorrect. Maybe we'll try it the "real" way sometime, but I like having secret bids and not being able to easily track the money.

Thread: Could I Do Any Worse At This Game? Apparently Not.

fehrmeister — 2006-10-04T05:58:25+00:00

You're Bluffing has turned out to be a better game than I expected when I bought it - but I am having big-time trouble figuring out how to do well at it myself. It's another one of those games that looks like it's only for kids, but I think would normally work better for adults.

I broke it open with my wife Heather, sister Anne-Marie, and brother Andrew, and sister-in-law Rebecca on a free night during a vacation. I thought the bluffing element might intrigue Rebecca especially, and that very much turned out to be the case.

I was hesitant to spend much money for any animals being auctioned throughout most of the game, but ended up acquiring at least one of about four different kinds. By the time the auctioning was done however, I only had pairs of two animals left: cows and dogs I think it was - so I knew I'd have a poor showing no matter what happened from that point on. To add insult to injury, I made a couple of very bad trades during the final "cattle trades" where I bid just under the amount that was handed to me. Rebecca especially seemed to have honed this skill of guessing what I was going to spend, and putting out just slightly more than that - which of course created a lot of laughs and made the game more fun for everyone.

One important lesson I learned in the course of this game was the danger of overbidding past the money I have in my hand. I was doing this deliberately mid-way through the game during one auction trying to drive the price up for someone else who otherwise was going to get a better deal, but ended up winning the auction and had to show everyone else my cards, which weren't worth very much. When I first read the rules, I thought this punishment for overbidding seemed rather weak - "Why wouldn't people overbid all the time?" I thought. Rest assured - I understand now. Armed with this knowledge of my lack of riches, Andrew and Rebecca proceeded to do cattle trades with me immediately after on their turns, knowing that I couldn't outbid anything but the smallest of amounts. I was the victim of blatant highway robbery.

In the end - and I am hesitant to even say this - I ended up with absolutely NOTHING - not even a scrawny chicken to my name. Heather had to leave the game near the end and so I took over her hand at the time when my assets were nearly gone (and we had no similar animals) and proceeded to lose one of her pairs to leave her with nothing but a set of dogs and geese. After inflicting my skills on her for a round or two, the game thankfully ended.

We made some good memories and had a lot of fun, my presence notwithstanding.

Final scores: Rebecca - 5100, Andrew - 2700, Anne-Marie - 1800, Heather - 400, and yours truly - 0

Thread: Re: Ways of making Kuhhandel shorter

ronlee — 2006-08-27T21:55:29+00:00

I should have checked more thoroughly--at least one other person has tried this to good effect:

http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/22203

Thread: Ways of making Kuhhandel shorter

ronlee — 2006-08-27T21:43:40+00:00

I played this last night and enjoyed myself. I see that I'm not alone here in thinking the game is a little long for its weight class.

Has anyone experimented with ways of shortening the game? My own idea is to auction 2 animals at a time. I don't own this game (yet), so I can't try it out, but it seems like a simple fix that won't affect the flavor of the game too much.

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

rootbeer — 2006-08-06T16:31:33+00:00

I finally went back and checked the actual rules in my copy of the game. I have the 2002 English Ravensburger edition. It says that each player counts the bid that they received, and then announces the total.

Of course, the specific values of the cards are not announced. And in a one-sided cattle trade (Bob offers x cards, Joe accepts without counter-bidding), the amount of money is still kept secret. So there's still a good deal of mystery.

I'm not saying any of the above posts are wrong, just that there are several versions of the rules out there.

This translation at the Game Cabinet mentions some of the first edition rules that were changed (for the better, it seems!):

http://gamecabinet.com/rules/Kuhhandel.html

So, play whichever way you prefer. I think I like it when the cattle trade bids are announced, but I haven't tried doing it secretly yet.

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

jack208 — 2006-07-20T17:24:13+00:00

Yes after playing it again with bids being kept secret, I've to say this is the best way to play since the other players do not know how much was exchanged!

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

rsivel — 2006-07-20T10:45:26+00:00

the rules do not state that you have to wait for a bid of another player in order to make your 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) bid. So, of course you can bid yourself up.

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

rsivel — 2006-07-20T10:43:11+00:00

yes, the bids are kept secret. I am pretty sure the german rules mention that explicitly ... (doN't have them here at the moment)

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

fortinm — 2006-07-05T22:15:40+00:00

In my dutch/french Ravensburger edition, it is stated that (my quick translation):

The "B" player puts a hidden counter-offer on the table. In this case, the two offers are exchanged and counted secretly. The one who is in possession of the higher amount given by his adversary must give away his animal.

There is no mention of "amount revelation" so we do none when we play. It is secret all the way.

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Shooter — 2006-07-05T16:22:57+00:00

We keep the bids secret. Seems like it's more fun when you can't track where all the money is. If you don't keep it secret, you may as well keep all money holdings public.

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

rootbeer — 2006-07-05T14:40:02+00:00

Note: The English rules translation here at BGG doesn't specify the answer to this question. (This translation is a reformatted PDF of the rules at the Game Cabinet.)

I have the Ravensberger English edition of the game, and I'm sure it says to announce the bid aloud.

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

rootbeer — 2006-07-05T14:34:48+00:00

I don't have the rules in front of me, but I'm certain that it's #1.

Or, to answer the subject line's question, no.

The players look at the bid they received, and announce it's value. I think the game would be a little less fun without this. With the public announcement, everyone gets to share in the joy as a player sheepishly announces, "Uh... zero."

The specific cards in the bid are kept secret, though. So you don't know if the five cards worth fifty were four zeroes and a fifty, or five tens.

It's kind of important to the game for players to track where the money is. Not down the the dollar, but players need to have a rough idea: "He's just about broke, she's rolling in money." This informs your decisions as to whether you want to try for a trade (and who with), or auction off an animal.

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

SteveK2 — 2006-07-05T10:16:12+00:00

We play that money exchanged is kept secret between the two players. I can't find this explicitly stated in the rules - horse trading just feels like a private deal that shouldn't be shared with other players.

Thread: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

jack208 — 2006-07-05T09:41:35+00:00

When a player is doing a cattle trade, and he offers x cards to one player. The other player offers y cards. Both exchange cards... cattle(s) goes to player who offered the highest dollars.

1. In this case, do both players count the card, announced the bids and then the higher player takes the cattle(s).

2. Or do they count secretly and the one who lost (between both of them, they'll know) hands over his cattle(s) to the winner.

(1) meant that it's open to everyone how much money was exchanged. (2) meant no one really knew how much the cattle was sold for; only the exchanging players have this info.

Can be important if you are trying to outbid one of these players on the next round.

How does your group play?

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Melosh007 — 2006-05-01T23:00:35+00:00

I played this this weekend, and afterwards my wife and I were asking this VERY question. We agreed that next time we play, we will exercise this new rule that a player may bid themselves up. First, this will enhance the "bluffing" theme, as if you go too low the auctioneer still gets it for a steal, but if too high then you may get stuck with a bid you had actually planned on not paying. Furthermore, this prevents the auctioneer from getting cards practically free if one of the bidders has been a little frivalous in attaining select cards and can no longer participate in the bidding as they have no more (or not enough) cash. Several times I could not vie for cards due to "cash flow shortage" and the auctioneer got away with too many great deals (I was hoping for that elusive golden donkey and spent my cash too fast). For example, as luck would have it the auctioneer had 3/4 horses and was auctioning off the 4th. Since I was low on cash, the bidding stopped at 30... 30! of course the auctioneer exercised his option to buy and got 1000 pts. for practically free! This was not always reciprocated, and the game seemed unbalanced. I think this rule will balance things better and allow players to take advantage of the bluffing theme and not be affected by other players lack of cash or interest in auctioned cards.

Thread: Re: end of game explanation

Melosh007 — 2006-04-28T16:10:38+00:00

AH HA! Got it now! Thanks for the breakdown. If I understand, at this point in the game, money is only used to determine who gets the card. If you have sets, but only one single animal card of another, on your turn you must "trade" to either win that card from another, or lose yours. Thanks guys.

Thread: Re: end of game explanation

rootbeer — 2006-04-28T03:50:04+00:00

I'm a little too tired to read the entire thread, but I'll say:

Money does still have value once the deck runs out. It just doesn't count toward your final score.

Thus, running out of money will leave you completely vulnerable to horse-trading.

Keep in mind that you can only trade with someone that has the same type of animal as you. To get that dog, you must have a dog. Thus, a trade is an offering of $x for another, with the other player accepting or countering with $y. If they accept, the trade is your $x for their dog, if they counter they player that offered the greater sum of money takes the other player's dog (or dogs, if both have a pair).

What keeps a player from holding out?

- On your turn, you MUST trade or initiate an auction. Once the deck has run out, you have no option but trading.

- If a trade is offered, you MUST accept or counter-offer.

So there's no holding out.

Thread: Re: end of game explanation

Melosh007 — 2006-04-27T23:54:14+00:00

(Ed_the_Red):
Thanks for your response. I understand what you are saying and how the game is played. What I wanted to know about wspecifically was ONCE THE DECK HAS BEEN EXHAUSTED, (i.e. before tallying points at end of game), money no longer has value. However, the rules state that "players must always trade" until all sets are together. So, if money has no value, and the person who has the last Dog card you need, but you have nothing they need, how do you get that card? Do they surrender it? In which case, what prevents someone from holding out on trades until the end of game so they can get the card they need for free? Thanks for your help. I haven't actually played this game yet (got it yesterday), I just don't quite understand.

Thread: Re: end of game explanation

Ed_the_Red — 2006-04-27T23:33:12+00:00

Basically, you 'horsetrade' until each set is together and complete. On their turn each player with an incomplete set offers to buy one or two cards from another player with card(s) from the same set. The offer is made by putting money cards face down on the table. The second player can then either accept the money and hand over the card(s) or make a counter offer, by passing over some money cards from her hand (also face down). The players look at the cards they have been given, and the one who paid the most gets the card(s) from the other. For obvious reasons you can only offer to buy cards from a set you have at least one card from, and you can only offer to buy two cards if you have two yourself.

Example: Jim has one cow card and Mary has three cow cards

On Jim's turn he offers to buy a cow card from Mary and puts some cards in front of her. She makes a counter offer in the same way. If Jim's offer is lower than Mary's, she gets the cow card from Jim; if hers if lower, he gets one of hers. In the latter case it would take at least one more round of horsetrading before one of them had all the cow cards.

There is no guarantee that the trade will be fair, except in terms of the game rules. It is quite possible that one player might offer £350 for two cards but if the counter offer is £360 they have lost their two cards for a net gain of only £10!

This process continues until all sets are complete - which doesn't usually take too long. Hope this helps!

Eddy

Thread: end of game explanation

Melosh007 — 2006-04-27T22:07:21+00:00

when there are no more animal cards left in deck (i.e. end of game) players must always trade. How is this accomplished? does the majority holder get the cards of that animal? what prevents someone from holding on to cards until the end of the game? how do you ensure fair trading?

Thread: First time for all

jdberry — 2006-02-15T16:12:42+00:00

Patrick, Barry, Phil, Greg and I were all playing for the first time. I explained the rules in about 5 minutes. The game took about an hour.

The gameplay was the nasty fun most people on BGG said it was.

I locked in some pigs early, but way overpaid to get the fourth in a horsetrade. I didn't get back on track money-wise until too late, but I did manage to get the sheep set also and finish in third.

I was on the pointy end of the stick in several trades, "feeling like a fool" as that song oldie goes. It's painful to look at the offer you just accepted for your dog and realize it's a 10 and a 0. DOH!

Some people tried random and quasi-random offers, but they didn't work out too well. It's too easy to figure out what the best counter is that way. (For example, one random card -- you counter with a 10. Either you steal it for 10 or only give up a small amount.)

Patrick won with the Horses (as is often the case, according to the reports here) and two of the smaller sets. Barry second with Donkeys and Cows.

I agree with the summation of most of the reviews here. Engaging, social, and poker-like decisions, but a little long for a card game and a little lucky for the auction draws.

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Moviebuffs — 2005-12-06T12:50:31+00:00

I haven't played yet ....

(hoping to give it a try tonight) ...

... but I would say that if you bid 10 and no one else bids, but you don;t want the auctioneer to buy it for 10, then there's nothing you can do.

In our group, the auctioneer would probably say something along the lines of "Hey! If you wanted me to pay more for it, you shoulda bid more in the first place!"

Just my thoughts ...

N.

Thread: Can you bid yourself up?

rootbeer — 2005-11-23T19:44:14+00:00

Can you increase your own bid, even if no other player bids you up?

For example, in a 3-player game I bid 10 on an item, the other declines to bid. Can the auctioneer now exercise his privilege and buy the card for 10, or can I bid myself up?

If I were to bid myself up, and the auctioneer really wants the card, I could choose a higher price to try to make more profit.

If bidding yourself up is not allowed, extra control of the price is given to the player who isn't offering the high bid. Another player bids 10, and I don't want anyone to exchange a lot of money on this, so I decline to bid. The card sells for 10.

Either option works well (it's the same level of control, just determined by a different player). I just couldn't determine from the rules which was correct.

Thanks.

Thread: Re: Variant

rootbeer — 2005-10-06T03:47:13+00:00

I've often played with this variant (in 3 player games), and it works very well. Shaves off 10-15 minutes of game time without losing anything crucial. Thanks for the variant!

Thread: First timers

Armadi — 2005-09-02T20:36:12+00:00

A portion of my regular game group (yayforme and cbdarden on the geek) played "You're Bluffing" last night. This was the first time for all of us. The rules were learned and game set up in less than 15 minutes, including everyone getting a drink.

We began by taking turns auctioning animals (cattle trade being unavailable until 2 players have the same animal type) and everyone was hesitant to spend much on the animals. I found this quality of the game to be somewhat similar to Modern Art. Some of my auctions went for so low (10 and 20) that I bought them myself- probably a mistake in retrospect because my money supply suffered.

Eventually players started to do "cattle trades" and I found that I was terrible at them. If I chose to accept a players bid it would be 2 0s or a 10. If I countered my opponents bid was inevitably just 10 higher than my own.

A few lucky bluffs at the end and I found myself in a good position with a reasonable amount of money and several quartets. Yayforme noticed that he had no chance of winning and commented that he could play kingmaker by allowing cbdarden to pick up a few animals cheaply. Not wanting to spoil the game, yayforme played to improve his score and I ended up winning.

It's a simple game of auction and bluff and my reaction was very favorable. Everyone had a good time and there were positive comments all around. Note that it appears that there could be a kingmaking problem in this game- not sure yet. Also, I believe the game would be more fun with more players.

Game: You're Bluffing!

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Thread: Re: Ways of making Kuhhandel shorter

Thread: Re: Bidding for two cards

Thread: Re: Are the amounts offered in "cattle trades" made verbally?

Thread: Re: Are the amounts offered in "cattle trades" made verbally?

Thread: Are the amounts offered in "cattle trades" made verbally?

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Thread: Re: Bidding for two cards

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Thread: Re: Keep the zeros?

Thread: Re: Can you bid *yourself* up?

Thread: Re: Are there different versions in the English edition?

Thread: Re: Are there different versions in the English edition?

Thread: Are there different versions in the English edition?

Thread: Re: Could I Do Any Worse At This Game? Apparently Not.

Thread: Re: User Review

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Can you bid *yourself* up?

Thread: Re: Penalty for false bidding

Thread: Re: Can you bid *yourself* up?

Thread: Re: Keep the zeros?

Thread: Re: Keep the zeros?

Thread: Keep the zeros?

Thread: First vs. Second edition?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Could I Do Any Worse At This Game? Apparently Not.

Thread: Re: Can you bid *yourself* up?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Could I Do Any Worse At This Game? Apparently Not.

Thread: Re: Ways of making Kuhhandel shorter

Thread: Ways of making Kuhhandel shorter

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Can you bid *yourself* up?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Are cattle trade bids kept secret?

Thread: Re: Can you bid *yourself* up?

Thread: Re: end of game explanation

Thread: Re: end of game explanation

Thread: Re: end of game explanation

Thread: Re: end of game explanation

Thread: end of game explanation

Thread: First time for all

Thread: Re: Can you bid *yourself* up?

Thread: Can you bid *yourself* up?

Thread: Re: Variant

Thread: First timers

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Thread: Re: Can you bid yourself up?

Thread: Can you bid yourself up?