You’re a Renaissance merchant collecting gem tokens, using them to buy gem cards, then using those cards to buy even better ones on your way to 15 prestige points. Splendor has almost no text and no fiddly rules, which makes it one of the easiest real strategy games to teach. You can have everyone playing in about five minutes.
Our full review: Splendor Review
Note: This is a condensed version of the rules to get you playing fast — nothing important is left out, but read the full rulebook for every edge case.
What’s In The Box
- 40 gem tokens in 5 colours (emerald, sapphire, ruby, diamond, onyx) + 5 gold (joker)
- 90 development cards in 3 tiers
- 10 noble tiles
Setup
How a Turn Works
On your turn you take exactly one of these four actions:
ACTION A
Take 3 different gems
Take one token each of three different colours.
ACTION B
Take 2 of the same gem
Only allowed if that colour's stack still has at least 4 tokens.
ACTION C
Buy a card
Pay its gem cost (using tokens and/or your card bonuses) to take a face-up card or a previously reserved one.
ACTION D
Reserve a card
Take any face-up card (or the top of a deck) into your hand for later and grab 1 gold token. Max 3 reserved at a time.
Hand limit: if you ever end your turn holding more than 10 tokens, return tokens until you’re back down to 10.
The Engine: Cards Become Discounts
This is the one idea that makes Splendor click. Every card you buy shows a gem bonus in its corner. That bonus acts as a permanent discount on the cost of future cards.
Buy a card with a green bonus, and from then on every card you buy costs one less green gem — paid by the card, not your tokens. Stack a few bonuses and expensive cards start costing you almost nothing. Gold tokens are wild and can stand in for any one gem.
Nobles
Nobles visit you automatically. At the end of your turn, if your card bonuses meet a noble’s requirement (e.g. 3 emerald + 3 ruby cards), that noble comes to you for free, worth 3 prestige points. You can only gain one noble per turn, and you never spend anything for them.
How to Win
Play continues until a player reaches 15 prestige points. Finish the current round so everyone has had an equal number of turns, then the highest score wins.
- Points are printed on the more valuable development cards.
- Each noble is worth 3 points.
- Tiebreaker: the player who bought the fewest development cards wins.
Can I take 2 of the same gem from a nearly empty stack?
No. You may only take 2 of one colour if that stack has at least 4 tokens left before you take them. Otherwise, take 3 different colours instead.
What are gold tokens for?
Gold is a wild gem — it can substitute for any one colour when buying a card. You only get gold by reserving a card, which makes reserving a sneaky way to bank flexible currency.
Do card bonuses run out?
Never. Once a card is in front of you, its gem bonus is a permanent discount for the rest of the game. That's why your purchases speed up dramatically late-game.
Do I have to do anything to earn a noble?
No — nobles are checked automatically at the end of each turn. If your bonuses meet the requirement, the noble (and 3 points) is yours for free.
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Thumbnail image artificially generated for illustrative purposes.
