Luthier

2025 · Industry / Manufacturing

Luthier

Players run a workshop crafting and repairing classical musical instruments for historical patrons during the height of Western classical music. Gameplay combines hidden bidding with worker placement as players collect resources, assign workers, and bid secretly to secure actions and commissions. Players develop skills across multiple tracks, unlock specialized worker abilities, expand the workshop, train apprentices, and pursue performances or reputation to score points. Multiple strategic paths—instrument building and repair, patron relations, apprentice development, and workshop upgrades—shape each player’s approach and final scoring.

Players
1–4 best 3
Playing time
90–150 min
Age
14+
Complexity
3.8 / 5
8.3 on Ludoyafrom $75.31Age of ReasonMusicSolo / Solitaire GameWorker Placement, Different Worker TypesAuction / Bidding

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
158
Plays logged
229
Players
2h 46m
Average play
69
In collections
22
On wishlists
3
Pre-ordered

8.3/10

from 24 Ludoya reviews

  • Fun8.0
  • Interaction8.3
  • Replayability7.7
  • Uniqueness8.0
  • Looks10.0
  • Accessibility5.4
  • israel diaz8.3

    La programación de acciones junto a la colocación de trabajadores le sienta genial al juego. El tema está un poco pegadillo, pero lo salvan unas ilustraciones geniales y un tablero colorido pero que resulta agradable. La iconografía tras un par de turnos la pillas al vuelo.

Read the reviews and rate it

Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I place more than one worker on the same location and do they all get to take the action?

Yes — you may stack multiple worker chips on a location and each worker acts independently in the Resolution Phase, so you can perform the location’s action as many times as you have workers there (resolved in priority order). (pp. 12–13)

How is priority decided when several workers are at the same location?

Priority is determined by each worker’s skill at that location (including apprentices); the highest-skill worker goes first, and ties are broken by the order the workers were placed. Multiple workers you own are treated individually under these rules. (p. 13)

If I take a patron, do I get its placement bonus right away, and how does patience/gifts work?

Taking a patron immediately grants the placement bonus shown on your workbench, and at the Start of Round you advance each patron’s patience cube and claim the gift above its new position; if the patron’s patience reaches its end you discard the patron and lose 3 prestige per unsatisfied requirement. (pp. 8, 11, 16)

When I Perform, can I spend Inspiration to improve my result and when can I reroll?

You may spend any number of Inspiration tokens to increase your performance result by +1 per token after rolling (you decide after rolling/rerolling), and additional rerolls or die upgrades are provided by steps on the Performance Skill Track. (pp. 18–19)

If I finish an instrument can I give it to a patron to satisfy their requirement, and what happens to the card?

Yes — you may give a finished instrument to an active patron to satisfy a matching requirement, tuck the instrument card under the patron (which resets their patience), and otherwise finished instruments are discarded if not given to a patron; finishing also places your instrument token in the Orchestra and grants prestige. (pp. 23–24)

If someone activates a bench, do other players’ bench workers activate too?

No — when a roughing or finishing bench location is activated, only the active player resolves that bench; other players’ bench workers are not activated by that action. (p. 12)

Opens Ludoya's rules assistant, which reads this game's rulebook.

Score sheets and play helpers

  • Luthier
  • Full Game Kit
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.