Lords of Waterdeep Solo Mode
During my exploration for a solo mode for my favorite Board games I came across a interesting post in BGG. I am reposting the Rules mentioned in that post.
As an avid board gamer, I've always enjoyed the dynamic interaction and challenge of playing with friends and family. However, there are times when getting a group together just isn’t possible, and the itch to play remains. That’s when solo modes for board games come in handy—offering the perfect way to enjoy your favorite titles on your own.
During my exploration for solo variants of some of my favorite board games, I stumbled across a fascinating post on BoardGameGeek (BGG). For those who may not be familiar, BGG is an incredible resource for board game enthusiasts, featuring reviews, discussions, and user-created content, including solo modes for popular multiplayer games. One such post caught my eye, offering a creative and well-thought-out set of solo rules for a game I love.
In this blog, I wanted to share these solo rules from the post, as I found them to be an excellent way to enjoy the game when you're flying solo.
Why I Love Solo Gaming
While board games are often designed with social interaction in mind, solo variants open up new opportunities for play, helping you dive deep into the strategy and mechanics of a game at your own pace. It’s also a great way to practice and get better at a game you enjoy or simply have some downtime to relax and unwind.
If you’re a fan of solo gaming or just looking for new ways to enjoy your favorite board games on your own, I highly recommend checking out the vast array of solo variants available on BGG. You never know what gems you might find, like I did with this post!
Feel free to give the rules a try and let me know how your solo adventures go!
Rules:
1. Remove Attack cards from the Intrigue deck: Free Drinks!, Lack of Faith, Arcane Mishap, Assassination, and Ambush.
2. Do not use Leader cards at all (if you use one, points get super inflated due to no one being able to block you).
3. Deal 2 Quests, Intrigues, and 4 coins to yourself.
4. Grab 4 workers each of two colors (I use Yellow and Blue).
5. Do not use building ownership tokens, as you will own all buildings.
6. Play the game like normal, except on odd rounds Yellow workers are used, and on even rounds Blue workers are used. Leave each color's workers on the board until their next round.
7. If Waterdeep harbor is used (i.e.) by the Yellow color, you cannot reassign that worker until the end of the next (Blue's) round.
8. For any intrigue card that says "Gain x resources. Each opponent can give you x resources for x points," treat it as "Gain x resources. You may lose x points to gain x resources one additional time."
9. At the end of round 8, if any workers are left at Waterdeep harbor, they may be reassigned as normal and (only) one quest may be completed if you have the resources.
10. If you draw a mandatory quest from the Intrigue pile, add it to your quests immediately (as though an opponent played it against you). Alternatively, you can remove the Mandatory Quests from the deck prior to game setup.