If you’ve never played D&D but always been intrigued by the concept, Lord’s of Waterdeep is a great tabletop board game to get you a taste. Set in the infamous Forgotten Realms city of Waterdeep, you play the role of one of the city’s mysterious masked rulers, attempting to wrangle the metropolis to your will.

Alongside Agricola, I’d call Lords of Waterdeep the premier worker placement game out there. Your workers (or “agents”) will zip around the city, rallying adventurers, collecting gold, and expanding your sphere of influence. All the while, you’ll be taking on quests, with each completed quest resulting in various rewards alongside the all-important points for the scoring track.

Each game will play out uniquely as the set of available quests, cards, and player characters changes. As secret rulers of the city, your identity is a secret until the end of the game scoring round, where your hidden agenda will determine how many bonus points you earn. A dark horse can come from the back of the pack to win if they did a better job fulfilling their “true” goal compared to their opponents.

What could be a daunting game, with all its various currencies and rewards and stacks of cardboard and decks of cards, turns out to be intuitive and seamless once you get the gist of it. Setup and breakdown are quick, helped immensely by one of the best designed boxes for any board game ever (it would be my #1 pick, but I’ll admit to not having tried every box in existence).

If you happen to be a longtime D&D player, you may appreciate the additional depth of lore consistent of Forgotten Realms storytelling, with the requirements and rewards for varying quests fitting very well into what you’d expect. But, truly, this is a game for RPG lovers and board game enthusiasts alike.

Check it out on the table or online!

Pick up a copy at your local game store or online at BoardGameGeek or Amazon.