Splendor Board Game (Base Game) | Family Board Game | Board Game for Adults and Family | Strategy Game | Ages 10+ | 2 to 4 players | Average Playtime 30 minutes | Made by Space Cowboys

Splendor: 2-4 Players, Ages 10+, Average Play Time = 30 Minutes In a lot of the games I play, accumulating wealth is often an uphill battle. Whether I am playing “Suburbia”, “Power Grid”, “Monopoly”, or almost any digital simulator like “SimCity”, I find myself needing more money and I often have to scheme and strategize in order to obtain it. Not the case with “Splendor”, surprisingly. While there isn’t money in this game per se’, you will need to obtain certain colored gems in order to buy various cards. The difference here is that earning gems is as simple as choosing to do so on your turn, but which gems you decide to take based on the cards currently available is where the real strategy comes into play. After all, the pool is constantly changing as players buy and reserve cards. Therein lies the appeal to this game, at least to me. It’s not only a question of whether or not I can obtain the chips I’ll need to purchase the cards, but will the cards be available by the time I have enough to buy them? The available pool of cards is constantly in flux and if you’re playing against an observant opponent, they can pull the rug right out from under you and reserve cards they see you going after. There’s also the fact that there are five different colors one can save for…if there’s a shortage on one color in the bank, it’s easy enough to switch tactics temporarily and go after another color or two. Of course, it’s tempting to keep after a particular color when the noble tiles require it in order to be won. I suppose what I’m getting at here is that “Splendor” is a game about making decisions. You’ll often spend your turn thinking about what you want to go after based on the available cards and the noble tiles available. For this reason I don’t consider “Splendor” to be “fast-paced” because the situation and card combinations are always changing. This can be good or bad, depending on what kind of games you prefer. I will come right out and say however that the game is easy to learn and teach to others. Moreover, you could technically blow through a game quickly IF you don’t mind not thinking through all of the possibilities on the table…hey, some people are fine with that (myself included, depending on my mood). “Splendor” is indeed an excellent game worth picking up. Since no two games are ever the same, it has an incredibly high replayability value. The fact that I find the game to be addicting is just icing on the cake. The components themselves are colorful and fit the theme while the instructions were an easy read. The chips were nicely weighted, which is an added bonus. It didn’t take me long to grasp everything after about ten to twenty minutes. All in all, an easy recommend for kids and adults alike.

While reading through the directions nearly scared off my early teen, it was actually refreshingly easy to pick up yet engaging enough that its been played frequently since. While recent reviews questioning the quality gave me pause, the game we received (early 2020) seems very solid. Theres definite opportunity for strategy and some impact of luck. Its been fun for 2-4 players, with a bit different dynamic resulting from each. Id highly recommend it!

I initially thought the price of this game was a bit steep since its just some cards and tokens. To first try it, I bought the iOS version and within my first play through, really enjoyed it. I decided to give the physical copy a try and realized why the cost is a bit higher. The chips themselves have quite a bit of weight to them, making the box decently heavy for a card game. It really makes you feel like youre playing a substantial card game with the heavier chips. Gameplay typically starts out slow as youre trying to just build up a bank of resources. However, once everyone has a nice supply of cards in their hands, gameplay really speeds up and everyone will be climbing the points ladder quickly. The game only takes a short time to play, but it seems longer in the beginner because its slowly building a deck and thinking of a strategy of which cards you want to purchase. The only qualm I have with the game is that the packaging is very wasteful. The box is huge considering it just has to hold some chips and a deck of cards. If youre not a fan of this, there are very compact plastic cases you can find online to hold it, which take up 1/4 of the footprint size. For a more detailed review, check out all of my board game reviews at BoardGameGreg.com.

This is my second copy of the game to use at home, and all of the components (chips, cards, plastic insert organizer) including the box are CHEAP CRAP!! The color is washed out, the materials are light plastic that is flimsy. This has to be a cheap knock-off counterfeit copy. My other copy of Spendor has heavy chips, a firm plastic organizer insert, colorful cards, and box is REAL mat textured for strength and durability, not cheap printing to make it look like it is mat textured!! Worthless junk.

This game is fantastic for a low barrier of entry board game. It is very quick and easy to learn. I have taught many people who would not consider themselves to be board game players how to play this in less than ten minutes. The rules are simple and intuitive. The strategy is not so simple. There is a ton of depth to the strategy and a few, different strategies that are all viable. Also, strategies dont go stale as they are highly fluid and you never become stuck in one no matter how you started the game. There are no guaranteed win strategies as all players are all playing from the same resource pool. This allows interactivity with very little in the way of hurt feelings. If you are looking for a light or intermediate resource strategy/collection game, this is what you are looking for. Your hardcore gaming group will get plenty of enjoyable sessions with this one, but you can also introduce new players to the hobby with a game like this. Finally, the component quality is very high. The cards are hardy and the chips are heavy and have great hand-feel.

This is a seriously light game. I cannot explain it, but I really love it. Splendor is the most simplified version of an engine building game out there. In the beginning, you cant afford anything. While playing, you get more powerful and use the gems you bought to but more powerful gems. There are some strategies that will win over others almost every time, but there is enough luck left in the game that any new player could potentially beat a seasoned player. Anyway, not only is it fun, but it is fast. If you know what you are doing, it can finish in less than 30 minutes, and very often, we decide to play again right away. Now, this belongs in the Play with the family category. I would not bring this with me to a board game night with my friends. You might, and your friends might thank you for it, but for us, this game is a waaaay far on the simple side to spend game night on. Also, there is another game called Century: Spice Road which I think is a bit more fun and feels a lot like this game. They are different enough to have both in your collection.

This is a great game. My girlfriend has been into playing board games for quite a while -- it was never my thing -- and we started going to game nights around where we lived. This game was introduced to me and is a great engine building game. Its not too difficult to learn but there are a number of strategies you can take to end up winning. I always have fun playing this one. Great gateway game to get you into other games that are more elaborate and difficult to understand.

While I was concerned it might be a bit too dry to have staying power, Splendor has turned into a staple filler (i.e. less than 20 minute) and gateway game. While its a bit pricey for what it is, the pleasure of the solid poker-style chips tends to make up for that. The game can be taught in two minutes and works just as well with 2,3 or 4 players, though weve noticed it can become much more tactical with 2 players. The object of the game is to collect the most valuable set of gems/mines/production cards. The game ends on any round that a player hits 15 points, but with each player getting an equal number of turns, the player that triggers the end, may not be the winner. A players turn is simple. They have three choices: 1) Collect different colored chips 2) Use chips to purchase cards or 3) Reserve a card for future purchase and gain a wild card chip. The cards represent the different stages of the gem production process with more expensive cards being worth more points. You can then use collected cards to replace chips when purchasing future cards. Its also possible to gain more points by currying favor with special royalty figures. You do this by collecting specific combinations of cards.

Got this game to play with my grandkids. Better for slightly older children, 6,7 yr old. It only takes about 45 min to play a game which is perfect if they have a shorter attention span! It’s fun, has the element of mystery, and a rush to the finish to beat the phantom! Highly recommend this game!

This game is so fun and the rating would be 5 star if not for the quality of this particular purchase. I made an earlier purchase of Splendor after playing with my sons family. It has been a fun game. Another son really liked it and I bought it for him and he took it to his home to open. But later he said all of the coins are very light, not weighted like my game and the cards are flimsy. There is definitely a difference. I bought both games on Amazon from the same seller. I recommend the game because it is a lot of fun. But if you buy it, check it well and make sure it is right. If I had have realized the difference soon enough I might have returned it.