How does the Runner bluff?

As Corp, you have to bluff often. You try to represent a different game state than the one that exist - whether that is dumping agendas in Archives or leaving HQ naked when you have two agendas in there, Corp play involves lots of little bluffs and some big ones.

What about Runner? When does the Runner bluff? I can think of a couple examples.

Runner holds a Stimhack in hand to try to send message that it can’t get into a remote hoping Corp tries to score.

Geist pops a Spy Cam and runs R&D hoping to force ice rez even though the card on top is not an agenda.

What other examples do you have?

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Indexing can operate similar to Spycam, especially if playing with Jackson or other shuffle effects.

It could also be considered bluffing to wait to install breakers, though that’s more just hiding information.

The stimhack example is probably the first one I ever had happen to me (and then did to someone else), eeettsa goodun.

I think for runners a bluff is more about intention. I really want to go into HQ, but I’m going to spend my resources and clicks heading into R&D for a while. As they start to defend R&D more, my “bluff” is ready to go.

I think bluffs could be categorized between “In-World Bluffs” (i.e., the example above, a thing that could tell a “story” about the game at hand) or “Game Bluffs” (i.e., feigning confusion or worry; saying things like, “Uh, there’s no way I can get in there.” or “Shoot, why can’t I draw my breaker?” [even though it’s in hand). Thematically I like the In-World Bluffs more, plus some Game Bluffs can start to teeter toward dickery.

It seems like most Runner Bluffs are about holding cards until it’s time to strike. Playing DDoS the turn you use it. Or the run into archives, “Just to Check,” though you are setting up for a notoriety.

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I mostly agree with Anthony above. Especially in the early game where the corp might score behind binary ice, holding on to the breaker to get through it until they try to play something else out of there is great.

Similarly, I played a game v biotech at worlds, and had seen data loop in my opponent’s hand. I was on 4 or 5 points. I had hunting grounds in hand, and decided to wait until my opponent put an ice down and double advance one of the many remotes to go look at what was behind a likely data loop. This definitely worked out well. In another game (at a different event) I held onto inversificator so as to not dissuade a code gate rez, and after then also forcing a data raven rez, put the invers down and switched the two, prompting a high five from my opponent.

Outside of that, the options aren’t great, I guess SMC is sort of a bluff (clot or not), same with street peddlers, but it’s mostly about feigning that you can/can’t do something that you can’t/can, be it to buy extra time, or to score agendas that the corp thought were safe

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“I swear I put money in this deck.”

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Every time you play Indexing, you should confidently move one card to the top, even if it isn’t an agenda. It’s so much better than looking disappointed that you didn’t find one. You may even bait them into using a shuffle effect like Shannon Claire or Atlas token if you’re convincing enough.

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The most basic runner bluff is to make a ton more money than you need. This creates threat and forces the corp to commit defenses in a way they may later regret.

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Hayley decks with multiple tutors and/or mid-run install/play effects (SMC, Artist Colony, DaVinci, The Shadow Net, etc.) combined with Hayley’s ability make for some pretty epic bluffs. Not just with scoring windows but all the other silver bullets they may or may not run. I mean Heartbeat? Who plays around that?

“Well, that’s my last Inside Job gone…”

Steve-recurring an Indexing, then playing Legwork after corp puts 2 ice on R&D. :stuck_out_tongue:

The Spycam trick is also an old favourite of mine, now that siphon’s gone it’s basically a mini-vamp if you force them to rez.

And I really miss playing NEH fastrobiotics against clot shapers, there were crazy bluffs going on on both sides there.

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Turn 1 install unprotected Tapwrm when you have clone chips or others in the stack. Even if they don’t purge…it’s at least solid trolling.