This week we focus on a game for families with older kids and teenagers. Lords of Waterdeep by Wizards of the Coast is a very strategic backstabbing game of deceit and chaos. Yep, this game makes YOU the villain who wants to take over the kingdom, but you must be sly about it. This is one of my very own favorites, but it is highly recommended for advanced players and players with about 2 hours of free time.
beautifully crafted with eye-popping details and colors that stand out on the table
Lords of Waterdeep is one of my favorites in tabletop Role-Playing Games (RPG) for teens and adults. The game is beautifully crafted with eye-popping details and colors that stand out on the table as if to intrigue all who pass by for even a glimpse at what's going on. Setup takes a little time and the instructions are pretty in-depth, so the learning curve may take a few tries or instructional assistance to grasp completely. Don't be surprised if you find a majority of your time spent reading the instructions or asking a lot of questions during your first run. This isn't a quick play, as the game play can be anywhere between an hour or more while everyone tries to rack up the points and complete quest objectives or stop others from completing their objectives. However, once you get over the learning curve, Lords of Waterdeep is definitely a great game for those who enjoy fantasy RPGs and tabletop entertainment and it will pull you in so fast that you won't even realize two hours have gone by.
If you're familiar with Wizards of the Coast, then you know the glory and mindset of fantasy RPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons.
According to Wizards of the Coast:You are the secret ruler of the city. Lords of Waterdeep is a strategy board game for 2-5 players. You take on the role of one of the masked Lords of Waterdeep, secret rulers of the city. Through your agents, you recruit adventurers to go on quests on your behalf, earning rewards and increasing your influence over the city. Expand the city by purchasing new buildings that open up new actions on the board, and hinder—or help—the other lords by playing Intrigue cards to enact your carefully laid plans.
Complete objectives favoring your Lord or Lady
The object of the game is to complete as many quests as possible, gaining bonus points to completing objectives that favor your Lord or Lady. In order to complete a quest, you must obtain the said amount of colored blocks the card requires along with the amount of gold (if any) as well. To obtain the colored blocks, you must place your Agent (Orange, Red, Blue, Green, White, Black) on an open spot on the board that you want to claim for that round. Claiming a spot will earn you the said color and amount of blocks attached to that claim.
Purchasing a building can earn you valuable gems along with bonus gold or blocks
You may also elect to obtain a building from the Builder's Hall. You count as having purchased a Building only if you assign an Agent to Builder's Hall and pay the Gold cost of the Building. The advantage of purchasing a building is that you gain bonus gold or colored blocks whenever anyone else enters your building for a round. Opponents may want to enter your building to gain gold or blocks attached to your building. Another advantage is that the longer a building has been sitting on the board unclaimed, the more gems get attached to that building, so when you purchase a building, you also gain the stack of gems that are with it. These gems are added towards your points at the end.
You can use Intrigue cards to help yourself or hinder opponents. Intrigue cards give you a boost to gaining gold, blocks, or preventing opponents from completing their quest objectives until they complete something else first. These cards can be played during your turn only if you place your Agent on the Waterdeep Harbor spot or the Inn.
Lords of Waterdeep is as creatively designed as it is enjoyable to play. It's an all time favorite of mine because unlike the standard "move your pawn" board game, there are many different actions to take and several different ways to win. There is always a new adventure waiting around the corner for the people of Waterdeep and a new Lord or Lady can claim his/her glory in a never ending battle of strategy and deceit.
Have you played Lords of Waterdeep? What do you enjoy about it?
Get your copy of Lords of Waterdeep: A Dungeons & Dragons Board Game
Comments