You are a powerful Lord vying for control of Waterdeep. Send your workers out to collect resources, use those resources to complete quests, and earn Victory Points. The Lord with the most points after 8 rounds wins.
See our full thoughts: Lords of Waterdeep Review
Made our favourites lists: Best Board Games for Beginners · Best Worker Placement Games
Note: These simplified rules are to help you decide if the game is right for your group, or get started quickly — not all-encompassing. The full rulebook and quick play guide are available from Wizards of the Coast.
How It Works
On each turn, players place one Meeple on an open space on the game board and collect whatever that space provides: cubes (adventurers), coins, cards, or special actions. After collecting, you can spend resources to complete Quests — your primary source of Victory Points.
Play continues clockwise, each person placing one Meeple at a time, until everyone has placed all of their Meeples. That ends the round.
Setup
End of Round
After all Meeples are placed and actions taken:
- Players at Waterdeep Harbor re-assign their Meeple to a different space.
- Collect all Meeples back to hand.
- Distribute the 3 VP tokens from the round tracker onto Building tiles.
- Flip the next round card, revealing a new action space.
- In round 5, each player gains one extra permanent Meeple.
Cards
Lords
Your Secret Identity
Kept hidden all game. Your Lord has a specialty — completing Quests in that faction earns bonus VP at the end.
Quests
Your Main VP Source
Pay the required resources shown on the card to complete a Quest and claim its VP reward. Some are "Plot Quests" with an ongoing benefit for the rest of the game.
Intrigue
Bonus & Attack Cards
Gain extra resources, force opponents to take mandatory quests, or remove their cubes. Played at Waterdeep Harbor.
Buildings
Purchasable Spaces
Bought at Builder's Hall and placed on the board. You collect "rent" whenever an opponent lands on your building — and they're usually more valuable than the free spaces.
Key Board Spaces
| Space | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Cliffwatch Inn | Gain Quest cards (3 spots with different benefits) |
| Castle Waterdeep | Take First Player token + an Intrigue card |
| Builder’s Hall | Purchase Buildings and place them on the board |
| Waterdeep Harbor | Play an Intrigue card; Meeple gets re-assigned at end of round |
End of Game
The game ends after Round 8. Players tally all VP from completed Quests, then apply Lord card bonuses. Highest total wins.
The gameplay itself is clear — actions and rewards are printed on the board. The complexity lives in the cards and the intricacies of timing. Always keep the full rulebook handy for those edge cases.
