Lutèce

About this board game

Lutèce is a strategic card game for 2–5 players that plays in about 90 minutes, challenging you to win majorities in four valuable resources: beer, bread, swords, and wine.

Build your collection by acquiring character and building cards from a central market. Some cards cost nothing and provide one resource, while others cost one, two, or three coins to deliver more resources or victory points connected to a resource category. Other cards produce coins when purchased, based on the cards you already own.

Each player begins with cards that allow them to select a character and a building from those available. During selection, you place two cards facedown that correspond to your desired market card by number or letter. You may add coins to your concealed cards before choices are revealed, increasing their value—but also making your intentions more visible.

• If two players target the same card, it is discarded and neither player receives it.
• If increased bids tie, the contested card is also discarded.
• If you fail to win a card on your turn, you receive two coins.

At the end of each round, players score the four resource majorities: first place earns 10 points, second place earns 4, and last place earns none. Because every resource matters, focusing too narrowly can be costly.

Unselected market cards gain a coin when the market is replenished, making them increasingly tempting while awarding those coins to whoever eventually claims them. Two hand cards can also be played for three coins each, and every set of three coins remaining at the end of the game is worth one victory point. With its concealed bids, shifting incentives, and careful resource balance, Lutèce rewards both planning and reading the competition.