Maestro's Journey — Quick Reference

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MAESTRO'S JOURNEY

Side A · Standard Game · 60–90 min · 2–4 Players

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Victory

50 Fame on Renown Track, OR
3 Masterworks completed (quality 7+ on base Fame 8+)
Tiebreaker: Masterworks → Orchestra size → Favour cubes → Composer Cards collected

Each Round

Event

Reveal top Event Card · read aloud · effect applies immediately

Actions

Each player takes full action allotment in clockwise order

Upkeep

Discard Event · refresh musician display · enforce 5-card hand limit · advance round marker · check victory

Standard: 12 rounds · no winner after 12 → most Fame wins

Actions (any order, may repeat unless noted)

Action	Cost	Effect
Study	1 act + study city	Draw 2 Style Cards, keep 1 (or pay 2♦ keep both)
Travel	1 act + route coins	Move pawn to adjacent city · pay printed cost
Network	1 act + valid venue	Gain 2 Favour (by venue type) OR spend 1 Favour → draw Composer Card
Recruit	1 act + cost on card	Hire musician from 5-card display · add meeple to Renown Track section
Accept Commission	1 act + Favour	Take commission tile from current city · hold up to 2 open commissions
Compose	1 act + open commission	Roll d12 + d8 · play Style Cards · roll d10 Quality · earn Fame · fill Masterwork Card
Perform	1 act + Masterwork Card	Roll d10 + section count → coins + Favour + Fame (see table)
Rest	1 act · anywhere	Choose one: +3♦ or +1 Favour (any) or draw 1 Style Card or +1 next Quality Roll

Orchestra Size → Actions per Round

1–3 musicians	3 actions
4–6 musicians	4 actions
7–9 musicians	5 actions
10+ musicians	6 actions

Journeyman = 2 toward size · Virtuoso = 3 · max 20 total · max 4 per section

Travel Costs

Adjacent (same region)	1–2♦
Cross-region	3–4♦
Distant capitals	5♦
Sea crossing	Dashed route on board

Carriage Network: Once/round — pay +2♦ to travel anywhere on the board. First come, first served.

Compose — 6 Steps

Roll Key + Tempo

Roll d12 (Key) and d8 (Tempo) · record on Masterwork Card

Play Style Cards

Play 1–2 Style Cards from hand · adds Fame bonus + Lyria keywords

Apply Composer Card

Apply active Composer Card effect · add any bonus to formula

Trait Activation

Roll 1d6 · 1–3 none · 4–5 one random trait activates · 6 you choose · add keyword to Lyria prompt

Generate Music (Recommended)

Build Lyria prompt → paste into Gemini AI → play audio → copy description to Masterwork Card as liner notes · attach QR sticker

Roll Quality + Calculate Fame

Roll d10 · consult Quality table · add all bonuses · advance Renown Track · check Masterwork qualification

Fame Formula

d10 roll + Style Card bonuses + Composer bonus + Trait bonus + Commission base value

Quality Die (d10) — Compose

Roll	Result
1–2	Poor reception · base Fame only, no bonuses apply
3–5	Modest success · base + Style Card bonuses only
6–8	Strong performance · full formula applies
9–10	Masterful! · full formula + 3 bonus Fame

Masterwork = quality roll 7+ AND commission base Fame 8+

Perform — Roll d10 + Orchestra Section Count

1–6

Modest receipts: 2♦

7–10

Good house: 4♦ + 1 Favour (patron type of venue)

11–14

Sold out: 6♦ + 2 Favour cubes + 2 Fame

15+

Triumph: 8♦ + 3 Favour + 4 Fame + draw 1 Composer Card

Section count = number of sections with ≥ 1 musician · Venue Style bonuses apply · may perform same work multiple times

Commission Types

Type	Patron	Favour	Base	Requirement
Opera	Noble	3	12	≥1 Vocal musician
Symphony	Public	3	10	≥3 sections represented
Concerto	Noble Pub	2	8	1 section with 2+ musicians
Sacred Mass	Clergy	3	10	Must compose in Cathedral city
Chamber Work	Any	1	5	No orchestra minimum

Dice Reference

d12 — Key

1C major

2D major

3E♭ major

4F major

5G major

6A major

7c minor

8d minor

9e minor

10f minor

11g minor

12a minor

d8 — Tempo

1–2Largo

3–4Andante

5–6Allegro

7–8Presto

d10 — Quality

1–2Poor

3–5Modest

6–8Strong

9–10Masterful +3

d6 — Style Clash

1–2Scandal −2 Fame

3–4Interesting… no effect

5–6Visionary +2 Fame

Style Clash = sacred + secular, or Renaissance + Classical without bridging Composer Card · Handel neutralises all clashes

Network — Favour by Venue

Nobility	Palace, Court	+2 Nobility Favour
Clergy	Cathedral, Basilica	+2 Clergy Favour
Public	Salon, Coffeehouse	+2 Public Favour
Alternatively: spend 1 Favour (any type) → draw 1 Composer Card

Study Cities

Naples	Conservatory di Napoli
Vienna	Imperial Academy
Leipzig	Thomasschule
Venice	Ospedale della Pietà

Composer Backgrounds

Background	City	Starting Resources
Church Choirboy	Rome	8♦ · 2 Clergy · 2 Vocal (App.)
Aristocratic Prodigy	Versailles	10♦ · 2 Noble · 1 String + 1 Continuo (App.)
Street Musician	Prague	12♦ · 3 Public · 1 String + 1 Wind (App.)
Alchemy Student	Vienna	9♦ · 1 each Favour · 1 String + 1 Perc. (App.)

Lyria Prompt Structure

"[Key] [Tempo] [Commission type] combining [Style Card 1 keywords] and [Style Card 2 keywords]. [Trait modifier if active]. [Composer influence]. Venue: [current city]."

Paste into Google Gemini → Lyria · Generate 30-sec audio · Copy AI description to Masterwork Card liner notes · Attach QR sticker

Composer Attributes (Roll 3d6 at Setup)

Roll	Temperament	Philosophy	Theory
1–2	Melancholic	Rationalist	Contrapuntalist
3–4	Choleric	Mystic	Colorist
5–6	Sanguine	Empiricist	Virtuoso

Trait activation: roll 1d6 during Compose step 4 · 4–5 one random · 6 you choose · adds keyword to Lyria prompt

Bearspray AI · Maestro's Journey · Quick Reference · Side A

d10 + Style + Composer + Trait + Base = Total Fame · Masterwork: Quality 7+ on Base Fame 8+

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MAESTRO'S JOURNEY

Side B · Orchestra · Composer Cards · Legacy

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Orchestra Sections & Bonuses

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Strings

+1 Fame per Journeyman or Virtuoso String musician (max +4)

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Woodwinds

+1 Fame when Style Card contains folk or pastoral keyword

🎺

Brass

+2 Fame at Court or Palace venues

𝅘𝅥𝅮

Percussion

+1 Public Favour per composition when orchestra has 7+ musicians

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Vocal

Required for Opera · +2 Fame for Sacred Mass

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Continuo

Reduce coin cost of next commission acceptance by 1

Musician Ranks

Apprentice ●○○	Counts as 1 toward orchestra size · cost 1–2♦
Journeyman ●●○	Counts as 2 toward orchestra size · cost 3–4♦
Virtuoso ●●●	Counts as 3 toward orchestra size · cost 5–8♦

Max 4 musicians per section · max 20 total · no ongoing upkeep cost

Composer Cards (one active at a time)

Bach

Sacred Mastery: Sacred commissions cost 1 less Clergy Favour to accept

Vivaldi

Red Priest: +3 Fame for any concerto featuring a String Virtuoso

Handel

Diplomat: Neutralise one Style Clash penalty per composition

Mozart

Elegance: Your Quality Die roll cannot be lower than 4

Haydn

Mentor: After any Compose action, draw 1 Style Card for free

Monteverdi

Father of Opera: Opera commissions auto-qualify as Masterworks

Telemann

Prolific: You may hold 3 open commissions instead of 2

Lully

Sun King's Favourite: Auto-success at Versailles regardless of orchestra

Couperin

Agréments: Continuo musicians count double for composition bonuses

C.P.E. Bach

Sensitive Style: After Quality Roll 8+, draw 2 Composer Cards, keep 1

Gain via Network (spend 1 Favour) or certain Event Cards · new card immediately replaces old one

Maestro's Legacy — Three Eras

Era I · Baroque	1600–1650 · ~60 min · Generation I
Transition I→II	1650 · Pass the Baton ceremony · 15 min
Era II · Enlightenment	1650–1720 · ~75 min · Generation II
Transition II→III	1720 · Pass the Baton ceremony · 15 min
Era III · Revolution	1720–1789 · ~60 min · Generation III

Legacy Victory: Dynasty Fame ≥ 150 · or Gen II/III completes 3 Masterworks · or Imperial Maestro (80 Fame in one era)

Pass the Baton (15 min ceremony)

Calculate Inheritance

Apprentice receives: 60% Fame (round down) · 100% coins · all Style Cards in hand

Downgrade Orchestra

Virtuoso → Journeyman · Journeyman → Apprentice · Apprentice musicians are lost

Transfer Core Traits

Keep 3 traits (player's choice) · Reroll remaining 3 with advantage (roll 2d6, take higher each)

Award Legacy Bonus → Advance Clock

Apply retiring composer's legacy bonus · swap Event deck · unlock new era venues

Legacy Bonuses (earned by retiring composer)

Achievement	Apprentice Bonus
2+ Sacred Masterworks	+2 Clergy Favour gains for life
Performed at 3+ palaces	Permanent free entry to all Palace venues
2+ Style Clashes → Visionary	Immune to first heresy or censorship Event
50+ Public Favour earned	Start with 10 Public Favour

Retirement Paths (voluntary at age 60+)

Master Teacher	Train apprentice 2 rounds · apprentice gains +2 to all composition rolls for first era
Court Elder	Sell all Favour cubes at 2× value · proceeds fund apprentice's starting resources
Legendary Recluse	Compose one free final Masterwork (no commission, no Favour) · if quality 8+, becomes Dynasty Heirloom

Dynasty Heirlooms (examples)

Bach's Inkwell	+1 to Quality Die permanently
Stradivari's Workshop	String Virtuosos cost 1♦ less to recruit
Voltaire's Salon	Double Public Favour from all Network actions

Aging Crises — Roll d12 at Age 55+ Each Era

Roll

Crisis

Mitigation

1–2

Chronic Illness
−1 all composition rolls until retirement

Pay 10♦ to physician

3–4

Debt Crisis
Lose half coins (round down)

Take loan: pay 2♦/round for 5 rounds

5–6

Deafness
Tempo die at disadvantage (roll 2, take lower)

Hire copyist for 5♦

7–8

Patron Loss
−2 Nobility Favour immediately

Compose apology cantata (1 Compose, no commission)

9–10

Creative Block
Next composition Quality Die −3

Travel to spa city (3♦ + 1 action)

11–12

Late Bloom
+1 to all trait activation rolls

No mitigation needed — a gift

Legacy Inheritance Quick Reference

Fame	60% of retiring composer's Fame (round down)
Coins	100% inherited
Style Cards	All cards in hand inherited
Orchestra	All sections drop one rank · Apprentice musicians lost
Traits	Keep 3 · reroll 3 with advantage (2d6 take higher)

Style Card Rarity

Common (60%)	+1 to +3 Fame · available throughout game
Rare (30%)	Up to +5 Fame · powerful but situational
Legendary (10%)	Gold border · game-altering effects · 1–2 copies in deck

Hand limit: 5 Style Cards · discard excess during Upkeep

Upkeep Checklist (in order)

①	Discard current Event Card (unless multi-round duration)
②	Refresh musician display to 5 face-up cards · discard unrecruited
③	Advance round marker by one
④	Each player discards to 5-card Style Card hand limit
⑤	Check victory conditions · if no winner, deal new Event Card

⚑ Storming of the Bastille (Era III)
When this Event Card is revealed, all composers holding a commission with a revolutionary or public theme gain +20 Fame immediately. Can trigger a sudden-victory finish.

Tiebreakers (in order)

1. Most Masterworks
2. Largest orchestra (by musician count)
3. Most Favour cubes remaining
4. Most Composer Cards collected during the game

Bearspray AI · Maestro's Journey · Quick Reference · Side B

"The world will remember the music. History will forget the struggles. Only the Masterwork endures."