AsmodeeSplendor Board Game - Master The Art of Wealth and Prestige! - Engaging Gem Mining Strategy Game for Kids & Adults, Ages 10+, 2-4 Players, 30 Min PlaytimeThe Forest Stewardship Council

This is one of my favorite board games! It’s designed for 4 players, making it great for smaller groups. It’s also easy to teach new players. Most people pick up the rules and gameplay after just one round.The goal of the game is to reach a specific number of points before the other players. You achieve this by acquiring gem cards and merchants. Cards are purchased using gems, which you collect on your turn. Each turn, you can take one of three actions: collect gems, reserve a card, or buy a card.The game itself doesn’t take too long to play, typically around 30–60 minutes. The artwork is stunning, and the quality of the game pieces is excellent.

I got this game because it looked like what you would get if you stripped out all of the attack/defense cards from Dominion and reduced it to a simple game of "strategy to get victory points through economic planning". And that is EXACTLY what this game is! But as I thought, it's more fun than that sounds.You don't attack or defense against other players in this game. Not directly. Instead they are your competitors. There is a limited amount of "money" in the form of gems, and a limited amount of nobles (pure victory point objectives), so you have to choose which upgrades (in the form of cards that count as gems) that you want to get carefully. Since the game has almost zero setup, and the easier rules I've ever seen, this is the solution for people who want to have quick match rather than spending a whole night setting up and putting away something like Dominion.Overall, the game has a feel similar to lost cities. Both games have gorgeous artwork, are a simple matter of out-witting your opponent to make more money than them. Both are fast-paced, easy to learn, and fun, fun fun!The quality of the components is fantastic, and you literally just pop 90% of the pieces out of their plastic wrapper when you first open the game. There is only set of tiles you have to snap out of a board, and that's it. Simple to unpack, simple to play, and very fun.My wife normally doesn't like economic games (Monopoly, Acquire) but after playing many rounds of Dominion this game was easy.Likewise, if your games of Dominion often came down to people just buying up all the gold and then all the victory points, try this game instead. It's much simpler to setup, faster to play, and very fun.

OverviewSplendor is a quick strategy game where you assume the role of a wealthy merchant tasked with acquiring precious stones. I came across Splendor in my search for a good game to play with my wife, and it did not disappoint. With 2 people you can finish a game within 30 minutes, so we usually end up playing a few rounds.ComponentsThere are 3 decks of cards (going from most affordable/least valuable to most expensive/most valuable), a set of nobles cards, and 6 types of gem chips. The cards feel sturdy and are beautifully illustrated. They card designs look different (in a good way) than what is pictured on Amazon. The nobles cards are nice and thick. The chips feel very solid and have a nice weight to them. They do not feel cheap.GameplaySplendor is deceptively easy to learn and plays fairly quickly - if people are paying attention. Paying attention is key, because everyone’s cards/tokens are available for all to see at all times. Setup involves shuffling the 3 separate decks of cards (labelled I, II, and III on the back) and laying out 4 cards from each deck next to the decks. There are also nobel cards that will be shuffled and placed on the table for everyone to see. Amazon’s picture shows how the playing area is set up. The last component are the chips which are stacked up and placed in view of all players. Players take turns deciding if they want to take 2 chips of the same color, 3 chips of different colors, buying a card with chips they already have, or reserving a card. Once you buy a card, it’s value can be put toward the purchase of other cards, and you do not lose any cards you’ve purchased. Some of the cards have numbers on them which represent victory points. The first to 15 victory points wins. The nobles can be earned by obtaining the number of cards listed on the noble’s card (ex 3 blue cards, 3 red cards, 2 white cards). Whoever is the first to obtain the required cards automatically gets the noble card and the victory points along with it.While the idea of collecting chips to buy cards is simple enough, there is a bit of strategy needed if you want to win. If you don’t have a plan to buy certain colors, in order to buy other colors, in order to finally acquire a certain noble, you may very well end up losing. And even when you have a plan, sometimes the chips you want or the card you want are no longer available, and you have to make a plan B. Part of the fun comes in when you figure out what your opponent is trying to do, and reserve or buy the card they needed, just to cut them down a peg. Some might think its a jerk move (AKA my wife) but I’m playing to win!If people are paying attention and thinking about what they want to do on their turn, then turns, and games can go by pretty quickly. 15 points is not a lot once you figure out how to play the game. But if you have that person that you always have to say “hey it's your turn” then the game will take a bit longer. The game plays great with just 2 people up to the max of 4 people. There is plenty of replayability and you will have to adjust your strategy a little each time depending on the cards and nobles in play.SummaryI own a number of board games (such as Dominion, Smash Up, Munchkin, 7 Wonders, Citadels, Love Letter), most of which are more complex than Splendor. Whenever I want to relax and play a game with my wife, Splendor is one of my first choices. It’s quick enough that we can easily fit in a game or two, yet has enough strategy to make it an enjoyable game to come back to again and again. I paid around $30 for the game, which I felt was a fair price. It is a great for light gaming but people who have played heavier board games can also enjoy it.

This was quick to pick up, the games don't take too long, it works well for 3 players, and our 8 year old daughter can beat us. Solid addition to our family game rotation.

This has become one of my favorite games. Right off the bat it's a high quality box with great cardboard tiles, thick plastic tokens, and good cards.Gameplay:This is a game for almost anyone. Though I think the 10+ age suggestion is a good one. It has an excellent balance between luck and skill and strategy that makes no two games alike. The more players there are, the more complicated and difficult it is, but even with two players it is enjoyable. Some games can be up to an hour, but most are in the half-hour range.Pros:I think this is a great game to have in the game closet as it's easy to pick up, play, and put away. It is very easy to learn which makes it a great one to play with newbies. The rulebook is clear and concise which also helps.Cons:The box is way bigger than it needs to be. It could definitely fit into a smaller box like Coup or the Resistance (which are somewhat similar games) and not have such a large plastic insert.Overall this is a great game I'd recommend to anyone!