Overview

Lords of Waterdeep is a worker-placement game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Players are secret Lords of Waterdeep who assign Agents to various locations in the city to recruit Adventurers, complete Quests, and earn Victory Points. The game plays over 8 rounds, and the player with the most VP at the end wins.

Components

• 1 Game board
• 1 Rulebook
• 1 Storage tray
• 5 Player mats
• 100 Adventurer cubes: 25 Clerics (white), 25 Fighters (orange), 25 Rogues (black), 25 Wizards (purple)
• 33 Wooden pieces: 5 score markers, 25 Agents (5 per colour), 1 Ambassador, 1 Lieutenant, 1 First Player marker
• 121 Cards: 11 Lord of Waterdeep cards, 50 Intrigue cards, 60 Quest cards
• 170 Die-cut pieces: 24 Building tiles, 45 Building control markers (9 per colour), 60 Gold tokens (50x1-Gold, 10x5-Gold), 36 Victory Point tokens, 5x100 VP tokens

Setup

1. Place the game board centrally.
2. Each player chooses a colour, takes matching Agents, score marker, player mat, and control markers.
3. Place score markers on “0” of the scoring track.
4. Place Agents in Agent Pool on player mat. Number of Agents per player: 2 players = 4, 3 players = 3, 4 players = 2, 5 players = 2.
5. Each player places 1 additional Agent near the Round 5 space (available from Round 5 onward).
6. Shuffle Lord cards; deal 1 face-down to each player (secret identity). Return remaining to box.
7. Shuffle Quest cards; deal 2 face-up to each player (active Quests). Place 4 face-up at Cliffwatch Inn. Remaining form Quest deck.
8. Shuffle Intrigue cards; deal 2 face-down to each player. Remaining form Intrigue deck.
9. Draw 3 Building tiles; place face-up in Builder’s Hall. Remaining form Building stack.
10. Place 3 VP tokens on each round space of the rounds track.
11. Place Adventurer cubes and Gold as the supply.
12. First player: most recently visited another city. Starting Gold: first player gets 4 Gold, each subsequent player gets 1 more (5, 6, 7, 8).

Turn Structure

Start of Round

• Remove 3 VP tokens from the current round’s space.
• Place 1 VP token on each face-up Building tile in Builder’s Hall.
• Resolve any start-of-round Building effects.
• Round 5: Each player gains their extra Agent.

Player Turns (clockwise from First Player)

Each turn consists of:

1. Assign Agent (mandatory if you have Agents available)
2. Complete Quest (optional, after assigning Agent; max 1 per turn)

When a player has no more Agents, they are skipped. The round continues until all players have assigned all Agents.

End of Round

• Reassign Agents from Waterdeep Harbor (in numbered order 1-2-3).
• All Agents return to player pools.
• First Player marker holder begins the next round.

Actions

Assign Agent

Place 1 Agent on any unoccupied action space on any Building (basic or player-owned). Follow the space’s instructions immediately.

Basic Buildings:

Building	Action
Builder’s Hall	Purchase 1 Building tile (pay Gold cost), place it on the board, score its VP, place your control marker
Castle Waterdeep	Take First Player marker + draw 1 Intrigue card
Aurora’s Realms Shop	Take 4 Gold
Blackstaff Tower	Take 1 Wizard
Field of Triumph	Take 2 Fighters
The Grinning Lion Tavern	Take 2 Rogues
The Plinth	Take 1 Cleric
Cliffwatch Inn	3 action spaces: (1) Take 1 Quest + 2 Gold; (2) Take 1 Quest + draw 1 Intrigue; (3) Reset all 4 Quests + take 1 new Quest
Waterdeep Harbor	3 action spaces: Play 1 Intrigue card; Agent reassigned at end of round

Owner Benefit: When another player assigns an Agent to a Building you own, you gain the owner benefit shown on the tile.

Complete Quest

• After assigning an Agent, you may complete 1 Quest.
• Pay the required Adventurers and Gold from your Tavern (return to supply).
• Collect the reward (VP, Adventurers, Gold, cards, etc.).
• Place completed Quest face-down on your player mat.

Play Intrigue Card (via Waterdeep Harbor)

• Attack: Hinder opponents (e.g., remove their Adventurers).
• Utility: Gain resources or other benefits.
• Mandatory Quest: Force an opponent to complete a minor Quest before any others.

Plot Quests

Some Quests are Plot Quests with ongoing effects in addition to their one-time reward. Keep completed Plot Quests face-up as a reminder.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

During the Game

• VP from completing Quests (immediate)
• VP from purchasing Buildings
• VP from Building tile accumulation (VP tokens placed each round)
• VP from various game effects

Final Scoring (after Round 8)

| Source | VP | |——–|—–| | Each Adventurer in Tavern | 1 VP | | Every 2 Gold in Tavern | 1 VP (round down) | | Lord card bonuses | As specified (typically 4 VP per Quest of matching types) |

Winner: Highest VP total. Tiebreaker: most Gold remaining.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Mandatory Quests must be completed before any other Quests. Multiple Mandatory Quests must all be completed first (in any order).
• Ambassador and Lieutenant are neutral Agents that can be added to a player’s pool through game effects, giving that player an extra Agent.
• Waterdeep Harbor reassignment happens at end of round in numbered order (1, 2, 3). Cannot reassign back to Waterdeep Harbor.
• Empty deck: Shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck. Never shuffle completed Quests back in.
• Supply limits: If not enough Adventurers of a type, hire only what’s available.
• Cannot pass: If you have Agents available, you must assign one (unless no action is possible).
• One Quest per turn: Regardless of how many Agents you assign or reassign.

Player Reference

Quest Types & Associated Adventurers: | Quest Type | Primary Adventurer | |————|——————-| | Arcana | Wizard (purple) | | Piety | Cleric (white) | | Skullduggery | Rogue (black) | | Warfare | Fighter (orange) | | Commerce | Any + Gold |

Round Structure:

1. Start of Round (VP tokens to Builder’s Hall)
2. Player Turns (assign Agents + optional Quest completion)
3. Waterdeep Harbor reassignment
4. End of Round (return all Agents)

Agents per Player: | Players | Agents | Extra at Round 5 | |———|——–|——————-| | 2 | 4 | +1 | | 3 | 3 | +1 | | 4 | 2 | +1 | | 5 | 2 | +1 |

Starting Gold: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (in player order)