Splendor is a game about collecting gems in the form of poker chips, and then trading them for cards. These cards then give you discounts to help you get better cards which are worth more points or nobles, which are worth points. First to 15 wins.
That all sounds simple and even a little boring. However, Splendor is a game near the top of its weight class. The mechanisms that drive the game are smooth, and there is enough variability with end-game point scoring between the nobles and the large point cards to make the game exciting to the very end.
The components are also really good. Obviously, the tactile nature and weight of the poker chips means that they have immediate appeal. The insert is also great to help organise the box, although they could have easily halved the box size if they compacted it a bit more. The only downside is I wish more cards had unique artwork.
It says something for a game when people are still trying to claim it has been killed 4 years later. Splendor is still going strong, with enough variability and excitement in the base game alone to still make it hit the gaming table often. It just works as a gateway game and a deeper game that plays quickly.
5 out of 5 splendid waffles.
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