Splendor

1 Overview

Splendor is a gem-collecting and card development game for 2–4 players designed by Marc André, published in 2014. You play a Renaissance merchant acquiring gem mines, transportation routes, and artisans to attract the most prestigious nobles. The game is deceptively simple to learn but surprisingly deep: one of the best "15 minutes to teach, 100 hours to master" games ever designed.

Players take turns collecting colored gem tokens and spending them to buy development cards. Cards give you permanent gem production (reducing costs for future cards) and prestige points. First to 15 prestige points wins.

2 Components

• 90 development cards across 3 levels (40 Level 1, 30 Level 2, 20 Level 3)
• 10 noble tiles (only some used per game)
• 40 gem tokens (7 each of 5 colors + 5 gold wildcards)

The 5 gem colors are: Diamond (white), Sapphire (blue), Emerald (green), Ruby (red), Onyx (black). Gold tokens are wild: they can substitute for any gem color when paying for a card.

3 Setup

1. Shuffle each of the three development card decks separately. Place them face-down in three rows.
2. Reveal 4 cards from each level to form the visible market (4 × 3 = 12 cards face-up).
3. Randomly select and place noble tiles equal to the number of players + 1 (e.g., 4 nobles for 3 players).
4. Sort gem tokens by color. Remove some tokens based on player count:
   • 2 players: 4 of each color, 5 gold
   • 3 players: 5 of each color, 5 gold
   • 4 players: 7 of each color, 5 gold
5. Each player starts with no gems or cards.

4 Gameplay

On your turn, take exactly ONE of these four actions:

Action 1: Take 3 Different Gem Tokens

Take one token each of three different colors. You cannot take from a color with 0 tokens available.

Action 2: Take 2 Identical Gem Tokens

Take two tokens of the same color: but only if there are at least 4 tokens of that color available. You cannot stack gold tokens this way.

Action 3: Reserve a Card

Take any 1 face-up development card (or blindly from the top of a deck) and put it in your hand. This card is reserved for you: others can't buy it. You receive 1 gold token (if available). You can hold at most 3 reserved cards at any time.

Action 4: Buy a Card

Pay the gem cost of any face-up development card or one of your reserved cards. Use gem tokens (returning them to the supply) and/or bonuses from cards you've already bought. Each card you've previously purchased acts as a permanent gem of that color, reducing costs. Gold tokens are wild.

After buying: Replace the purchased card with the top card from that level's deck (if any remain).

Token Limit

You can hold a maximum of 10 gem tokens at any time (reserved card gold counts). If you'd go over 10, you must return tokens to the supply before your turn ends.

5 Development Cards

Each card also provides a permanent gem bonus of one color. This bonus applies to ALL future card purchases: it's not a token, it doesn't go away. This is the core engine of Splendor.

6 Noble Tiles

Noble tiles are not purchased: they're awarded automatically. At the END of your turn, if your card bonuses exactly meet or exceed a noble's requirements, that noble moves to your area and you gain 3 prestige points.

Example: A noble requires 3 Red + 3 White + 3 Blue bonuses. If you have at least 3 cards of each of those colors, the noble is yours. You cannot refuse a noble; it's automatic.

If multiple nobles could visit you on the same turn, you choose which one.

7 Winning

The game ends at the end of the round in which any player reaches 15 prestige points. All players finish the round so everyone has equal turns.

The player with the most prestige points wins. On a tie, the player with fewer development cards wins (they were more efficient).

8 Strategy Guide

Build Your Engine First

The biggest mistake new players make is buying Level 3 cards too early, burning too many gems. Level 1 cards cost little and give you permanent gem production. Buy 4–6 of them first, then the high-cost cards become affordable.

Pick a Color Focus

Most top players commit to 2–3 colors and dominate them. Trying to be even in all 5 colors loses to players who specialize. Find the nobles with shared color requirements and build toward those.

The Reserve-as-Block Move

If your opponent is one card away from completing a noble or winning, you can reserve the card they need (even from the face-down deck as a bluff). You get a gold token and deny them the card. Use sparingly: holding reserved cards clutters your hand.

Gold Tokens Are Power

Gold tokens are extraordinarily efficient. Reserve cards specifically to accumulate gold, then use it to buy expensive cards you otherwise couldn't afford. Two gold tokens effectively let you "skip" two gem costs.

Watch Your Opponents

In a 3–4 player game, track which nobles your opponents are targeting. If two players are racing for the same noble, you may be able to intercept by buying one of the required card colors before them: or pivot to a different noble entirely.

9 Frequently Asked Questions