Splendor

Splendor is ELEGANT ENGINE-BUILDING gem-collecting card game designed by FRENCH designer MARC ANDRÉ + published by SPACE COWBOYS (Asmodee subsidiary, France) in 2014. THEME: 2-4 players are RENAISSANCE-ERA JEWEL MERCHANTS in ITALY buying MINES, TRANSPORTATION, ARTISANS + JEWELERS to earn PRESTIGE. GAMEPLAY: on each turn, choose ONE of 4 ACTIONS: (1) TAKE 3 DIFFERENT gem tokens (5 colors: emerald green, sapphire blue, diamond white, onyx black, ruby red); (2) TAKE 2 IDENTICAL gem tokens (only if 4+ remain in supply of that color); (3) RESERVE 1 CARD from display (+ take 1 GOLD wildcard token, max 3 reserves); (4) PURCHASE 1 CARD by paying its gem cost (using tokens + prior card discounts). Cards are 3 TIERS with increasing cost + VP: (a) TIER 1 (green backs, 0-4 VP, cheap); (b) TIER 2 (yellow, 1-5 VP, medium); (c) TIER 3 (blue, 3-7 VP, expensive). PURCHASED CARDS give: (i) 1 PERMANENT GEM DISCOUNT for future purchases (engine-building!); (ii) VP shown on card. NOBLES (10 tile visible, count = players + 1): worth 3 VP each; automatically ATTRACT you when you have their required set of gem-card counts (e.g., '3 emerald + 3 sapphire + 3 diamond cards' = attract this noble). END TRIGGER: first player to 15 VP triggers FINAL ROUND (rest of round played); highest VP wins. Ties broken by fewest development cards. STRATEGY: BUILD ENGINE early (cheap Tier 1 cards) → transition to Tier 2 mid-game → close with Tier 3 high-VP cards. Balance nobles (bonus VP) with pure card VP. Watch opponents' reservations. TURN LENGTH: 20-30 seconds per player; FULL GAME 30-45 min. GAMEPLAY WEIGHT: LIGHT-MEDIUM (BGG weight 1.8/5) — perfect for GATEWAY into modern board games. EXPANSIONS: CITIES OF SPLENDOR (2017) — 4 mini-expansions in one box (Cities, Strongholds, Trading Posts, Orient); MARVEL SPLENDOR (2020) — Marvel Comics reskin with heroes/villains; SPLENDOR DUEL (2023) — 2-PLAYER-ONLY companion game with different mechanics (won 2023 As d'Or French award). AWARDS: 2015 SPIEL DES JAHRES nominee (Germany's top game award); 2014 GOLDEN GEEK Best Family Game nominee; multiple lists of best modern board games. 2+ MILLION UNITS SOLD; SPACE COWBOYS BEST-SELLING GAME. Marc André's other designs: MEDINA. Splendor available as APP (iOS/Android/Steam) — excellent digital version.

Victory Points from purchased cards (0-7 VP each) + attracted nobles (3 VP each). First to 15 triggers final round.

Win condition · First to 15 VP triggers final round; player with highest VP wins after round completes. Ties broken by fewest development cards.

12 development cards visible (4 per tier); 10 nobles; 40 gems (7 per color + 5 gold wilds).

• Splendor base game — $30-40 retail

  Space Cowboys publisher; widely available.

• 40 CHUNKY GEM CHIPS (poker-chip weight — beloved component)

  Physical tactile appeal.

• 90 Development Cards (40 Tier 1, 30 Tier 2, 20 Tier 3) + 10 Nobles

  Standard-size cards.

• Cities of Splendor expansion — $25-30 (4 mini-expansions)

  Optional variety.

• Splendor DIGITAL — $6 iOS/Android/Steam

  Excellent AI opponents; solo practice.

• BUILD ENGINE EARLY — buy multiple cheap Tier 1 cards for discounts

  Tier 1 cards may have 0 VP but permanent gem discount pays off.

• TARGET SPECIFIC NOBLES from turn 1 — plan card colors accordingly

  3 VP per noble is huge.

• RESERVE cards you want but can't afford yet — denies opponents

  Also gets you gold wild token.

• TAKE 3 DIFFERENT gems most turns — fastest engine growth

  2-same is situational.

• LATE GAME: Buy TIER 3 CARDS for high VP

  Tier 3 = 3-7 VP + huge card power.

• RACE TO 15 — don't overbuild engine if you can close now

  Win condition timing matters.

• AT 4 GEMS OF ONE COLOR: consider TAKING 2 SAME — only when tight on that color

  Situational aggressive gem grab.

• DON'T HOLD MORE THAN 10 TOKENS — you'll be forced to discard

  10-limit forces efficient spending.

Gem

One of 5 colors: emerald (green), sapphire (blue), diamond (white), onyx (black), ruby (red).

Gold

Wild token; replaces any color when purchasing.

Development Card

Card bought with gems; gives VP + permanent gem discount.

Tier 1/2/3

Card difficulty tiers with increasing cost + VP.

Noble

Tile auto-attracting to player with matching card colors; +3 VP.

Reserve

Take a card into hand + gain 1 gold wild; max 3 reserved.

Engine

Chain of cards providing gem discounts for future purchases.

Prestige (VP)

Victory Points; 15 triggers final round.

Gem Discount

Card provides permanent -1 gem cost of matching color.

• Board Game Arena Splendor rankings — active online competition

  continuous · worldwide online · since 2014

• IELLO / Space Cowboys demo events + occasional tournaments

  occasional · USA + Europe · since 2014

• SPIEL essen Board Game Convention demos

  annual · Germany · since 2014

• No formal esports — casual + strategy focus

  n/a · n/a

• 🇬🇱🇴🇧🇦🇱🇅𡆹🇅🇗🇲🇐🇅🇨🇴🇵🇮🇪🇸🇅🇸🇴🇱🇩🇠🇅🇵🇦🇷🇹🇮🇨🇺🇱🇦🇷🇱🇾🇅🇵🇴🇵🇺🇱🇦🇷🇅🇮🇳🇅🇫🇷🇦🇳🇨🇪🇅🇍🇭🇴🇲🇪🇎🇑🇅🇬🇪🇷🇲🇦🇳🇾🇑🇅🇺🇸🇦🇑🇅🇺🇰🇑🇅🇯🇦🇵🇦🇳🇑🇅🇳🇪🇹🇭🇪🇷🇱🇦🇳🇩🇸Global — 2M+ copies sold; particularly popular in France (home), Germany, USA, UK, Japan, Netherlands

• Space Cowboys (publisher, Asmodee subsidiary)

  Founded 2014 · France

  Official site ↗

• Marc André — Designer

  Founded 1970 · France

• Asmodee (parent group)

  Founded 1995 · France

• Days of Wonder / Marmalade Game Studio — App developers

  Founded 2013 · UK

• Wikipedia — Splendor— Wikipedia
• Board Game Geek — Splendor— BGG
• Space Cowboys — Splendor— Space Cowboys
• Board Game Arena — Splendor— BGA