# The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth is a board game for 2–4 players. It plays in 90–120 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 6.7 out of 10 by 64 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $28.51 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–4 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 90–120 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 2.8 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2006
- **Categories:** Religious, Medieval, Economic, Novel-based
- **Mechanics:** Worker Placement, Different Worker Types, Turn Order: Random, Worker Placement, Events, Turn Order: Claim Action, Market
- **Ludoya rating:** 6.7 out of 10, from 64 reviews
- **Owned by:** 129 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 251
- **Unique players:** 214

**Designers:** Stefan Stadler, Michael Rieneck

**Artists:** Anke Pohl, Michael Menzel, Thilo Rick

**Publishers:** KOSMOS

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Curiosity Shop | 25 € | https://www.thecuriosityshop.es/products/los-pilares-de-la-tierra-segunda-mano |

## Expansions

- [The Pillars of the Earth: Expansion Set](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-pillars-of-the-earth-expansion-set)
- [The Pillars of the Earth: New Craftsmen](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-pillars-of-the-earth-new-craftsmen)

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## Rules questions

### During the resource/craftsman draft, can I take more than one card or once I pass I'm out?

Players take cards clockwise until all cards are taken or everyone has passed; you may take multiple cards as the draft proceeds, but if you pass you may not take any more cards that round (p.5).

### Do I need a stonecutter/woodworker/mortar mixer to use the market or to score with certain craftsmen?

Yes — without a stonecutter you cannot sell stones, without a woodworker you cannot buy wood, and without a mortar mixer you cannot earn victory points with a mason; these special starting craftsmen grant those market/access benefits (p.1).

### How many craftsmen can I have and what if I acquire a new one when I'm already at five?

You may have a maximum of 5 craftsmen; if you take a craftsman while already at five you must discard one of your current craftsmen to make room, and you may also pay for and immediately discard a craftsman to deny it to others (discarded craftsmen are removed from the game) (p.1, p.5).

### At the resource market, how do buying/selling rules work — prices, limits, and can I buy metal?

Players at the market may buy or sell resources in turn (there are at most four cubes of any one resource available); purchase prices are stone 4, wood 3, sand 2 gold each, you cannot buy metal at the market, and selling pays (metal 5, stone 4, wood 3, sand 2); you may not buy and sell the same resource type in the same round (p.7–p.8).

### If a master builder is drawn and I don't want or can't pay the current placement cost, what happens when I pass?

You may pass and place your drawn master builder on the cost track above the current value, the cost marker is decreased by 1, and after all builders are drawn the passed builders are placed for free in the order they were passed (leftmost/earliest passed placed first); when you do place a builder you must pay the current cost shown (p.6).

### When and how do craftsmen convert resources into victory points — are the resources consumed?

During the Cathedral phase at the end of each round you choose which resources to use and apply each craftsman's formula (resource cost → VP and capacity limits) to score VPs; the resources you use are then returned to the resource fields (removed from your supply) and craftsmen capacities limit how often each formula may be applied (p.8; craftsmen details p.1).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-pillars-of-the-earth)
- [The Pillars of the Earth in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/the-pillars-of-the-earth)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/24480)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-27. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._