Lords of Waterdeep

2012 · Fantasy

Lords of Waterdeep

Take on the role of a masked noble pulling strings across a city of political intrigue. Players place agents on shared action spaces to recruit adventurers, complete quests for rewards, and gain influence. Purchase buildings to unlock new actions and score when others use them, and play intrigue cards to alter opponents’ plans. The game plays over a set number of rounds, after which points from quests, buildings, intrigue, and other effects determine the winner.

Players
2–5 best 4
Playing time
60–120 min
Age
12+
Complexity
2.4 / 5
7.3 on Ludoyafrom $43.89City BuildingOwnershipHidden RolesWorker Placement

On Ludoya's tables

Full stats in Ludoya
1,001
Plays logged
980
Players
1h 25m
Average play
234
In collections
55
On wishlists

7.3/10

from 148 Ludoya reviews

  • Fun8.7
  • Interaction8.7
  • Replayability8.7
  • Uniqueness8.7
  • Looks8.7
  • Accessibility8.7
  • Max7.0

    I have mixed feelings about this game. On the one hand, it is an exciting, simple, thematically fantastic game with interesting mechanics and plenty of replayability, mostly in thanks to the asymetric Lords mechanic and great expansion. On the other hand, it is lacking in many areas. The aesthetic, for example, leaves much to be desired, while the sheer size of the game, with lots of tokens, cubes, and cards, can be intimidating to new players. All in all however, I would regard this as a brilliant game, and one to be taken off the shelf again and again and again.

  • BWizard7.9

    [c] (15x) GAMING EXPERIENCE: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (5x) DEPTH / WEIGHT: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (5x) LUCK: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (10x) REPLAYABILITY: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (6x) MECHANICS: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (6x) PLAYER INTERACTION: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ (3x) SCALABILITY (PLAYER COUNT): ★★★★★★★★★★ (2x) LENGTH: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (2x) CLARITY OF RULES: ★★★★★★★★★★ (6x) COMPONENT QUALITY: ★★★★★★★★★★ [/c] Always play with the expansion!!! :thumbsup: Good entry point to the world of workerplacements.

  • Daniel7.5

    Con Expansiones: Lords of Waterdeep: Scoundrels of Skullport

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Rules questions

Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.

Can I place one of my Agents on an action space that already has another Agent?

No — you must place an Agent on an unoccupied action space; you cannot place on a space that contains another Agent. Exceptions include Buildings with multiple action spaces (e.g., Cliffwatch Inn, Waterdeep Harbor) and certain Plot Quest effects that explicitly allow assigning to an occupied space (see pages 5, 6, and clarifications on page 12).

Do I have to play an Intrigue card when I assign an Agent to Waterdeep Harbor?

Yes — assigning an Agent to Waterdeep Harbor requires you to play one Intrigue card from your hand, and if you have no Intrigue cards you cannot assign there. Also note Harbor Agents are later reassigned after all Agents are placed (pages 5–6).

Can I complete more than one Quest on my turn, or complete one after reassigning from Harbor as well?

No — you may complete at most one Quest on your turn, regardless of whether you reassigned an Agent from Waterdeep Harbor. The turn allowance is one Quest per turn (see page 6 and the rules summary on page 13).

If I purchase a Building that currently has an Agent on its action space, what happens to that Agent and owner benefits?

The action space remains occupied until that Agent is removed; purchasing the Building does not automatically remove the Agent. Owner benefits trigger when another player assigns an Agent to a Building (not simply because you purchased it), and special cases such as Sample Wares or the Ambassador are clarified in the rules (see pages 5 and 12).

How do Mandatory Quest Intrigue cards work when played on me?

A Mandatory Quest from an Intrigue card is placed in front of the chosen opponent, and that player cannot complete any non‑Mandatory Quests until they complete the Mandatory Quest. When the Mandatory Quest is completed it is placed in the Intrigue discard pile (page 6).

What scores in final scoring — do Adventurers and Gold give Victory Points?

Yes — in final scoring each Adventurer in your Tavern is worth 1 VP, and every 2 Gold in your Tavern (rounding down) is worth 1 VP; additionally score your Lord card as specified. See the final scoring rules and table on pages 6 and 13.

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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.