Lords of Waterdeep

To set up Lords of Waterdeep, first place the game board in the center of the playing area. Create a supply of adventurer cubes (orange for Fighters, purple for Wizards, white for Clerics, and black for Rogues), gold, and VP tokens in the middle of the board. Place three VP tokens on each of the eight spaces on the round track, which serves as the game's main timer. Each player then chooses a color and takes the corresponding player board, scoring marker, and a number of agents based on the player count. Additionally, each player places one additional agent on the Round 5 space of the round track. Shuffle the Lord cards and deal one face-down to each player; these are secret objectives for bonus end-game VP. Shuffle the Quest deck, deal two quests face-up to each player, and place the deck top-left. Then, reveal four quests face-up on Cliffwatch Inn. Shuffle the Intrigue cards, deal two to each player face-down, and place the deck bottom-left. Shuffle the Building stack and place it near Builder's Hall, then draw and reveal three building tiles on the three open spaces. The player who last visited another city goes first and receives four gold and the first player marker. Each subsequent player clockwise receives one additional gold more than the player to their right until all players have their starting gold. Finally, place the scoring tokens for each player on the zero space of the scoring track.

The primary objective in Lords of Waterdeep is to accumulate the most Victory Points (VP) by the end of the game. Players achieve this by strategically completing various quests, which require specific adventurer cubes or gold and reward VP. Additionally, players can construct buildings, which not only provide immediate benefits but also contribute to their overall VP. A crucial element of the objective is fulfilling the secret mission outlined on each player's Lord card, which grants significant bonus VP at the end of the game if its conditions are met. This blend of quest completion, building construction, and secret objectives creates a dynamic and competitive environment where players must balance short-term gains with long-term strategic goals.

Gameplay unfolds over eight rounds, during which Lords take turns assigning agents to various locations on the board. At the beginning of a round, players take the VP tokens from the current space on the round track and place one on each building tile in Builder's Hall. Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, players now take turns assigning agents until all agents have been assigned. During a player's turn, they may take one of their available agents and place it on a location, gaining the benefits listed. They may also complete one quest per turn by paying the indicated cost in adventurer cubes or gold and gaining the listed VP. Some quests are Plot Quests, which provide an ongoing benefit to the player throughout the rest of the game. Play then passes to the next player.

At the end of the game, in addition to Victory Points from completed quests, each player will also score one VP per adventurer in their tavern, one VP for every two gold they possess, and bonus VP from their secret Lord card, which they reveal at this time. The player with the highest total score wins the game.

The game concludes after eight full rounds have been completed. Once the eighth round has finished and all agents have been reassigned and gathered back to their respective player boards, players proceed directly to the final scoring phase. There are no additional turns or actions after the eighth round; the game transitions immediately to determining the winner based on accumulated Victory Points.