Bluff

About this board game

Bluff is a board game for 2-6 players with an approximately 30-minute playing time, first released in 1973. Players guide five pawns toward a Buddha placed on the star space, while secretly recording which pawn they hope will reach it.

The game centers on hidden intentions and card play. Each player receives around 15 playing cards, and these cards provide the motor of the game as the pawns progress across the board.

• 1 board
• 5 pawns
• 1 Buddha
• 1 block
• 60 playing cards

At the beginning, the five pawns representing the agents are located in the upper-left corner of the board. The Buddha is placed on the field marked with a star, creating the destination for the race.

Players secretly write down which pawn will reach the Buddha. The central twist is that one pawn may be a player’s secret favorite; when that pawn reaches the Buddha, the game is over.

With its concealed choices and card-powered movement, Bluff presents a compact race built around uncertainty. The board establishes the route, the pawns represent the competing agents, and the cards drive the action toward the star space.

Its simple component list and clearly defined secret objective make Bluff a focused game of hidden preferences and progress. As the pawns move from their starting position toward the Buddha, players watch the card play and the developing race while keeping their chosen favorite concealed.