In Notre Dame, players take on the roles of the heads of influential families in Paris at the end of the 14th century. Players compete for prosperity and reputation in the shadow of the Notre Dame cathedral. Each family controls one of the 3–5 boroughs that surround the site of Notre Dame. As head of their family, each player tries — through clever use of their action cards — to advance the power and prestige of their family, but penalties are assessed on those who do not take care of the health of the people who live in their borough. The player with the most prestige at the end wins. The "new person I & II" expansions allow for more variety during gameplay since these characters make different actions available to the players.