One of the best board games for IOS. A clear and pervasive D&D theme, Clean, functional visuals and easy game interface. Strong AI players. Based on a very good board game - and stays very close to the actual board game. Its a complex strategy game to play and you have to plan ahead to have any chance of winning - so best to learn by watching a net playthrough (or knowing the actual boardgame) rather than skimming the ingame text rules. A good ingame tutorial would be nice, but these seem rare in most of the computerised board games.
There is no question about the production value of the game. The graphic is excellent and the interface easy to use including a simple tutorial that teaches you the basics. But is it fun?
I enjoy playing board-games on the iPad and "Lords of the Waterdeep" is no exception. It's a strategic worker placement game that plays differently depending on the number of players. In a 2 player games you can usually do whatever you want and there is no big challenge. With more players the competition becomes tougher and you will often be blocked out of important resources. This can make the game quite intense and the AI is good enough to kick your ass.
The game itself is not too complex and can be learnt very quickly. It usually feels like a race in which you try to complete as many quests as possible to gather the most points. It's possible to play directly against your opponents but I haven't bothered yet with this strategy.
Regarding the theme I have to say that it grew on me. It's hard to imagine the different cubes as "warriors" or "mages" and I wonder why they haven't been replaced in the digital version. This simple change would improve the atmosphere a lot. After almost 20 games I slowly start to relate more to the quest types and the people (cubes) needed to complete them. It's not a D&D experience though and never will be.
"Lords of the Waterdeep" is a simple and appealing worker-placement board-game that is a lot of fun and perfectly fills the spot between the simple "Ticket to Ride" and the strategic "Puerto Rico". Average playing time is 20-30 minutes depending on the number of AI players. Online you have a time limit with a counter so that games don't go on endlessly.
UPDATE: With the new extensions and especially the addition of "corruption" the game gets more depth and I never play without it anymore. The only downside is that "long" games take an hour or more, which sometimes feels a bit dragging. It's still a great game and has lost nothing of its charm.
Compared to some of the card games Playdek has handled, Lords of Waterdeep has a less busy play area, so it works out well even on the smaller screen of the iPhone
A superb re-creation of a popular and unusual Dungeons & Dragons board game, with excellent usability, tough AI opponents and little multimedia tweaks that really add to the experience.
Lords of Waterdeep provides an intense, strategic experience that’s best played with friends, and though it can occasionally lean on the rules to the point of becoming convoluted, the varied gameplay and great potential for inter-personal interactions make for an awesome experience.
This game is only for those who like complex board games. The hotseat function allows multiple human players to play against multiple AIs. Very worth the money when you consider how much the board game costs.
it might be a great board game it doesn't seem like it), but its a pretty boring ipad game. I tried learning the game on youtube and watched an indepth review of the board game to get better acquainted before i started playing, but that didn't really enhance the experience. I got this b/c i used to be a D&D fan, and i like board games, and have bought lots of Ipad and Iphone games just to see if they live up to their reviews. This is one of those purchases, where I feel like Homer Simpson when he goes Doh! Does not give you any of that D&D feel I was anticipating. I've been playing all sorts of strategical games on the ipad like Skulls of the Shogun and Hero Academy, doesn't give you any of that feeling either. Playing other opponents feels so disconnected, you might as well be playing your foot.. Collecting wizards, fighters, and rogues **** complete quest, but not actually using them or giving them any role play value seems pointless to me, might as well call them red square and blue square, which they do. This game is not fun, and I'm kind of annoyed at the high price and don't want other people to lose their money pointlessly like I did.
SummaryWelcome to Waterdeep, the City of Splendors! A city run by a secret society of masked Lords who rule with shady back-door dealings and unmatched political power. In Lords of Waterdeep players will play as one of these masked Lords and will need to recruit adventurers to go out and complete quests for them. The more quests they complete, ...