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Splendor was introduced to us by longtime gamer friends and it quickly became a favorite for us this summer, mostly because it was a new theme for us–economy. I don’t think we have any other games like it! In Splendor, you pick up coins to buy gems and become the most wealthy merchant. Not only are there chunky coins for tactile fun, but the art on the cards is beautiful, and the kids loved purchasing the “gems.” Splendor plays with 2-4 players, though we found it best with 3 or 4. There wasn’t enough competition between two to make it as interesting.
On your turn, you can either pick up coins (either three different colors or two of the same) or purchase a card. All the cards give you a gem resource, one of five colors–white, black, red, blue or green. Some also give you points, designated by the white number in the top left corner. The game ends when a player reaches 15 or more points, and it can come up quickly once everyone has gem resources stored in front of them.
Splendor is similar to many of our Favorite Family Games in that it’s easy to learn but plays differently each time, so it has longevity. It’s also a pretty quick play, which we always like, finishing in 20 minutes or so (unless you’re playing with 4 players, which takes a little longer).
The box suggests ages 10 and up, but of course we’ve played it with younger gamers (8 & 9), and they do just fine. It’s a great complement to any family game collection.
Splendor was published in 2014, so you may still find it in independent game stores. It’s also available at Amazon.