[Board Games] Splendor
As some of you may recall, I got this game at an Amish discount store. Not sure what it was doing there, but I was happy to find it for such a great price. The point of this game is to build a gemstone empire, which gets you points. The first player to 15 points is the winner.
Right away, I noticed that the components were high quality. The tokens that represent gemstones are a bit like poker chips, so they should stand up to repeated plays and nervous fidgeting fingers. Each turn, you have 1 action. You can either pick up some of these gem tokens, buy a card from the common area, or take a card from the common area into your hand to be bought later. There are some more details and nuances involved, but that's basically it.
These are the cards you can buy. They give you a continual supply of additional gems, noted on the top right. You can use these in conjunction with the gem tokens to buy more, higher powered cards. These gem cards also attract nobles, discussed below. The cost to buy the card is on the bottom left. Some of the cards also give you points, denoted on the top left.
Once you have accumulated enough of each certain type of gem, you can be visited by a noble, which gives you additional points. For example, once you have accumulated 3 cards each that supply green, blue, and red gems, you would get the noble in the upper right of the picture above. For this you would receive 3 points.
That's pretty much the extent of the play. Each player gets one action and play proceeds around the table until one player has 15 points.
Once you get the hang of the turn sequence, this game goes really fast. It's more than a filler game, but you can play in about 20 minutes if everyone knows what they're doing. I also believe it's a very accessible game. I haven't had a chance to test this theory, but I think non-gamers could get the hang of it without too much trouble, if they gave it a shot.
Splendor is a game that seems to polarize the tabletop gaming community. Fans say it's a perfect blend of strategic and tactical play, with just enough luck thrown in to make it interesting. Critics say it's very loosely themed and far too simple. After playing maybe 15 times with configurations of 2, 3 and 4 players, I'm more on the side of the fans. Ultimately, games are supposed to be fun, and I find that this one is.
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I've played this one before. It's a good game.
It's definitely become a favorite of my group.
If I ever become wealthy enough to not have to hold my normal gig, I’d like to learn and play more board games with that time. Lol.
Always loved them but just do not have the time currently. I played a few on a cruise with my buddy that we eh t on last year. He’s a big board gamer and I really wish I could do more of it.
For me it's been mostly about connecting with friends and spending time with them. We all work basically 9 to 5 so we're on similar schedules so it works out. I'd imagine owning your own shop doesn't afford you the luxury of a 40 hour work week.
That’s awesome! Yeah my hours are screwy and kinda all over the place. Not a ton of spare time. That’s the biggest downside of the small business owner. Blows.
I like the idea of this game. Thanks for showing us.
It's a fun game and a good one to start with to dip your toe into modern board games.