Lords of Waterdeep
Assign agents around Waterdeep, recruit adventurers, complete quests, build new action spaces and score hidden Lord objectives over eight rounds.
Place agents around Waterdeep to recruit adventurers, gain money, take quests and construct buildings.
Complete quests for points and effects while your secret Lord card rewards particular quest types at the end of the game.
Why We Love It
Lords of Waterdeep uses a clear worker-placement structure but adds hidden Lord scoring and building ownership, so the best action space can depend on both your quest plan and what opponents are likely to use.
About Lords of Waterdeep
Place agents around Waterdeep to recruit adventurers, gain money, take quests and construct buildings.
Complete quests for points and effects while your secret Lord card rewards particular quest types at the end of the game.
Game at a Glance
Place Agents
Claim limited action spaces before rivals occupy them.
Recruit Adventurers
Gather the resources required by quest cards.
Build New Spaces
Add buildings that create new action options and owner benefits.
Complete Quests
Convert resources into points while supporting your hidden Lord objective.
What is Lords of Waterdeep?
Lords of Waterdeep is a 2012 Dungeons & Dragons-themed worker-placement game by Peter Lee and Rodney Thompson for 2–5 players.
Wizards’ rules play over eight rounds, with players acting as hidden Lords who use agents to gather adventurers, gold, quests and buildings.
How the game works
On a turn, place one Agent on an open building space and resolve its action. Common rewards include adventurer cubes, gold, quest cards or intrigue cards.
Completed quests provide points and sometimes ongoing benefits. Players can also buy buildings that add new action spaces and reward the owner when other players use them.
The decisions that define it
Action-space competition is the core pressure. You want resources efficiently, but visible opponent needs make blocking and timing relevant.
Hidden Lord cards reward specific quest types at the end, creating long-term incentives that opponents can partially infer from your choices.
Who is it for?
Choose Lords of Waterdeep if you want accessible worker placement with a fantasy theme and clear quest-based goals.
Choose Viticulture for a production economy or Agricola for harsher resource pressure.
Learn Lords of Waterdeep in depth
Publisher sources & scope
Checked September 16, 2026. This hub covers the Lords of Waterdeep base game, not Scoundrels of Skullport, which can add a sixth player.