Objective of the Game

Welcome, fellow Lords and Ladies of Waterdeep! Get ready to dive into a world of intrigue, quests, and hidden agendas. In *Lords of Waterdeep*, you're not just a simple adventurer; you're one of the city's secret rulers, vying for influence and power. Your ultimate goal? To become the most prestigious Lord of Waterdeep by accumulating the most **Victory Points (VP)**! You'll do this by recruiting adventurers, completing quests, and strategically expanding the city with new buildings. Outwit your rivals, fulfill your secret agenda, and claim your rightful place as the true master of Waterdeep!

Preparation (Setup)

Alright, let's get this city ready for some serious scheming! Here’s how to set up your game:

1. Each player chooses a color and takes a matching **player mat**. Place a number of **agents** of that color on the **agent pool area** of your player mat according to the player count:
   • 2 players: 4 agents
   • 3 players: 3 agents
   • 4 players: 2 agents
   • 5 players: 2 agents
2. Place one more agent of your color near the **round 5 space** of the **rounds track**. This is your bonus agent for later!
3. Place your **round score marker** on the 0 space of the **scoring track**.
4. Place 3 **VP tokens** on each space of the **rounds track**.
5. Each player also takes the **building control markers** of their color.
6. Shuffle the stack of **building tiles**, draw 3, and place them faceup in each of the 3 spaces in **Builder’s Hall**. Place the remaining tiles facedown in a stack near the Hall.
7. Sort the **adventurer cubes** by type: **clerics (white)**, **fighters (orange)**, **rogues (black)**, and **wizards (purple)**. Place them, along with the **gold tokens** (in denominations of 1 and 5), within easy reach of all players. This is your general supply.
8. Shuffle the **lord cards** and deal one facedown to each player. Keep your Lord secret!
9. Shuffle the **quest cards** and deal 2 cards faceup to each player as their **active quests**. Place one faceup quest card in each of the 4 spaces of **Cliffwatch Inn**. Place the remaining cards in a facedown **quest deck** near the Inn.
10. Shuffle the **intrigue cards** and deal 2 cards facedown to each player. Keep these hidden! Place the remaining cards in a facedown **intrigue deck** near **Waterdeep Harbor**.
11. The player who has most recently been to another city takes the **first player marker** and goes first.
12. Starting with the first player, distribute **starting gold**:
    • First player: 4 gold
    • Player to their left: 5 gold
    • Player to their left: 6 gold (and so on)
    Store your gold on the **Tavern** area of your player mat.

The Turn of Play

A game of *Lords of Waterdeep* unfolds over 8 rounds, with players taking turns assigning their agents to various tasks.

Start of Round

At the beginning of each round:

• Remove the 3 **VP tokens** from the current round's space on the rounds track and place 1 token on each faceup building in **Builder’s Hall**.
• If any buildings in play have "start of round" instructions, follow them.
• Important for Round 5: Each player takes the extra agent piece of their color from near the rounds track and adds it to their pool. This agent is now available for the rest of the game!

Once all start of round effects are complete, players take turns in order, one at a time, starting with the player with the **first player marker** and going clockwise.

Your Turn

During your turn, if you have agents available in your pool, you must take at least one action. You can take one or both of the following actions:

1. ASSIGN AGENT
   • Take one of your available **agents** from your pool and place it on any unoccupied **action space** of a building. This can be a basic building printed on the board or one that has been put into play.
   • You cannot place an agent on a space that already contains another agent (yours or an opponent's), on a space whose actions you cannot fulfill, or on buildings not yet in play.
   • Immediately follow the instructions for that action space. You only take that action once.
   • You cannot pass your turn if you have agents available; you *must* assign one.
   • If you have no more agents available, you're done for the round. Play skips to the next player who still has agents.
2. COMPLETE QUEST (Optional)
   • After assigning an agent, you may choose to complete one of your **active quests**.
   • Each **quest card** specifies the number and type of **adventurers** (and/or **gold**) required.
   • Remove the required adventurers and gold from your **Tavern** (on your player mat) and return them to the general supply.
   • Then, collect the specified reward from the quest card.
   • You can only complete one quest per turn, even if you assign multiple agents (which isn't usually possible in a single turn, but good to know!).
   • Once completed, turn the quest card facedown and place it on the **Completed Quests area** of your player mat.

Key Buildings and Actions

• Builder’s Hall: Assign an agent here to purchase a new building.
  • Choose one of the faceup buildings, pay its gold cost, and immediately score any VP it provides.
  • Place the building tile in an open spot on the board and attach one of your **control markers** to it – you're the owner!
  • Follow its "When Purchased" instructions.
  • Then, draw a new building tile from the stack to replace the one you bought.
  • Owner Benefit: When other players (or even you!) assign an agent to a building you own, you gain the benefit described in the tile’s "Owner" line.
• Cliffwatch Inn: This Inn has 3 action spaces. You can assign multiple agents here if spaces are open.
  • Whenever you take a faceup **quest card** from here, immediately replace it with a new card from the **quest deck**.
• Waterdeep Harbor: This location has 3 action spaces. Assign agents to available spaces in numerical order (1, 2, 3). You can assign multiple agents here if spaces are open.
  • Assigning an agent here has two effects:
    1. Play one intrigue card from your hand. If you have no intrigue cards, you cannot assign an agent here. Follow the card’s instructions immediately; its effect happens once.
    2. Reassign agent. After *all* agents have been assigned in the round, each player with an agent in Waterdeep Harbor gets to reassign that agent to *another* action space, effectively taking an additional turn with that agent! Reassign agents in order, starting with the action space numbered 1. You cannot reassign an agent back to Waterdeep Harbor.

Quest Types

There are 5 types of quests, each favoring a specific adventurer type:

• Arcana: Wizards (purple)
• Commerce: Any adventurer + gold
• Piety: Clerics (white)
• Skullduggery: Rogues (black)
• Warfare: Fighters (orange)

Your Lord card will give you bonus VP for completing specific types of quests!

End of Round

The round ends when all agents at **Waterdeep Harbor** have been reassigned (or if no one can legally assign an agent).

• All players return all their agents from the board back to their **agent pools**.
• The player with the **first player marker** begins the next round.

End of Game and Scoring

The game concludes at the end of the 8th round of play. It's time for final scoring!

Final Scoring

Each player counts up their **Victory Points (VP)** and advances their **scoring marker** on the track. If your marker passes the '0' space, use a 100 VP counter to keep track of your score.

• Adventurers in your Tavern: Each adventurer cube remaining in your **Tavern** is worth 1 VP.
• Gold in your Tavern: Every 2 gold tokens in your **Tavern** (rounding down) is worth 1 VP.
• Lords of Waterdeep card: Reveal your secret **Lord card**! Score bonus VP as specified by your card for the types of quests you completed.

The player with the most **VP** after final scoring is the winner! In case of a tie, the player with the most gold wins.

Tips for Winning

Want to be the ultimate Lord of Waterdeep? Here are a few pointers to get you started:

1. Focus on Your Lord's Agenda: Your secret **Lord card** is a huge source of end-game VP. Try to complete as many quests of your Lord's preferred types as possible. Don't neglect other quests, but prioritize those that align with your hidden agenda!
2. Build for Yourself (and Others!): Owning buildings provides ongoing benefits whenever *any* player uses them. Investing in buildings early can give you a steady stream of resources or VPs throughout the game, even if an opponent uses your building. Choose buildings that complement your strategy or deny your opponents key actions.
3. Master the Harbor Reassignment: **Waterdeep Harbor** is incredibly powerful. Not only does it let you play an **intrigue card** (which can be a game-changer!), but it also grants you an extra agent action at the end of the round. Using the Harbor effectively can give you a significant advantage in actions over your opponents, allowing you to complete more quests or grab crucial resources.

Now go forth, brave Lords, and claim your dominion over Waterdeep! May your agents be swift and your quests bountiful!