My husband and I played this last night and I LOVED it! It's simple yet very strategic. It felt like Ticket to Ride, but also a little similar to 7 Wonders (both games that have a lot of play in our board game group). As you stated, this game would be even better if it could go up to 5 or even more players. I'm glad we bought it!
I have seen 3 reviews on this game including yours. Drive thru Review and Watch it played with Rodney. You all say the same thing. Fun and easy game. I will have to get it. thanks Tom.
So I just played this today and am now realizing we may have played wrong, but I prefer how we played. When we reserved cards, we reserved our choice of the face up cards rather than a random face down. I feel this adds a lot more strategy playing this way, allowing you to block other players much more easily and save something you really want for later. I'm so glad we played this way, as I probably would've hated the game otherwise, and I recommend trying it out if you think the game is too light or involves too little player interaction or strategy.
In my opinion, it looks like the game 7 wonders duel. In Duel there are 3 "ages" whereby the cards become more expensive in the higher ages. In Splendor you have also a kind of 3 ages/rows. And the "discount" mechanism is also very similar to 7 wonders Duel. The fiches in Splendor actually are the raw materials (wood, stone, clay etc.) in Duel.
It is similar, but this is much more streamlined. Duel has 3 ways to win and more intricate strategy. Splendor has tons of strategy too but more straightforward and easy to get immediately. Love them both
I saw the watch it played over view and posted in the comments that this could be the next hit. Someone disagreed, but after seeing that tom vasel loves it, I could be right...
We love this game and have played it successfully with 5 and 6 players. It drags a little at the start but even running out of chips now and again doesn't ruin it just change the strategy and force people to reserve cards a lot more than normal.
I'm thinking of buying this game because it seems like one that would come to the table fairly often (my friends like simple games). I've played it once and didn't think it was amazing, but it's so popular maybe I was wrong? Thanks for the review Tom!
I only played the game once and think I might have been wrong. Have you never played a game and disliked it and later decided you liked it? This happened to me recently with 2 games, camel cup and 7 wonders. Splendor is a good fast game that would go down well in my game group, and I thought maybe I misjudged it...is that alright with you?
Sorry guys, i'm not trying to diss the game, but, for me, there has to be some excitement factor, something where u can screw other players over and they are aware of it, like in ticket to ride, Tsuro, hell even classic ludo and UNO have that concept. Many people on forums online say "oh i don't know how so and so won, he just started hoarding all the gems and blah blah" But hey if you guys like it, then its worth the 30 dollars..
Purchased this yesterday after being shown a demo in a game shop and seeing that the hubby might actually like it ( I'm not so much a hard core gamer as some but a bigger gamer then my other half). We played best of 3 games and love it, definitely one I'll be playing again in the not so distant future...
Looks like a very good game but I have a hard time with games with no themes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it I just REALLY love games with theme especially when the theme fits the game. I might still get it if I can get it cheap though.
Really similar to "Continental Express" i think, but "Continental Express" seems to me that it has more choices and yet is simpler and fun. Try it ! =D
Yes the really sad thing is my 8 year old son has picked this game up real quick and destroyed myself and my wife in just under 15 minutes last week. We had 4 points each and suddenly realised he had changed his tactic to collect cards quickly and bank some bigger cards so cash them all in really quickly at the end...8 for gods sake...dammit!
What do you think of the fact this game can be broken so easily? Got it for my family and my brother did some math and broke it in less than a day 😞 have you done a video on games with flaws??
@@thedicetower so my brother goes for the lowest high point cards. He reserves all of them he can as soon as they come up. He goes after just coins and buys any lower low cards if he can or reserves if he still has a spare. It's just a formula - always go for the lowest # needed to buy. Is that not broken...?
There are several ways to thwart this strategy - Reserve the high point cards early - Reserve the 1-4, 2-5, and 3-6 cards, it's hard to get the 4-7 and 5-7:3 cards without at least a small engine and a couple of gold coins. If you're really feeling nasty you can reserve the 0-3 cards too - If you take 3, and only 2 are really necessary, the 3rd should be in the color he's trying to get the 7 on - If you need a gold coin and have nothing good to reserve, reserve a Tier 1 card in the gem color he's trying to get that he can get easily - Take 2 of a color or reserve cards a lot - You should be winning with 5-8 purchased cards One particular nasty strategy is to let him reserve a 4-7 and 5-7:3 card early, then reserve cards in 1st and 2nd tiers like crazy. If he doesn't have a backup plan, he's toast
I'm starting to realize that theme is the most important thing to me. I've heard so much good about this game and I always see it around, but it just seems so boring. Grab colored chips to buy cards, cool.
Weird! Listening to the description, it sounds incredibly boring! But I suppose it must have at least a decent amount of fun to offer, since so many people are praising it...
Lacertist You're right. It is kinda boring and simple. Good for non gamers or as a filler. I have it on my phone and enjoy it there for a quick mobile game, $7 in the play store I thought it was worth it. This would never hit my table though while playing board/card games.
The game plays fast, so any feeling that it is 'dry' doesn't matter much -- like most abstract games, it's pure strategy. Certainly, it's not my favorite game, but I end up playing it a lot because my non-gamer friends enjoy it also (one told me a couple of days ago that she intends to buy a copy of the game after playing it with me just once). It plays with 2 to 4, equally well, but certainly the strategies change with more people, which is interesting (at least to me). And everyone just loves the look of the game. For me, the only negative is that its theme is very weak. Obviously, if you are looking for a deeper game, or one with a stronger theme, this won't be for you. But for its category (fast-playing abstract games) it's one of the better ones around.
Has anyone else found that, in playing, the quickest strategy to win is to reserve big ticket point cards and rack up points that way? I mean, my 10 year old niece has won 5 games in a row with this strategy and half the time she is running around doing 10 other things while playing…. Is there another strategy that really stacks up? (pun….intended)
I'm confused how that would make you win. You can only hold 3 at a time until you purchase one you've reserved. It adds another layer of strategy and usually prolongs a game. Sounds like you might be playing wrong.
+Nisa Supasatit-Lash My brother uses that strategy - reserving 5 pt cards on the very first turns. He has yet to win a game using that one. It's not a surefire, let alone, effective strategy.
i look at the noble and the colors they require. i notice the nobles that have a color (hopefully 2) in common. I focus on those colors first. the noble usually requires 3 each of those colors. that is a good starting point. from there i just keep a watchful eye on what VP cards are on the board that are withing my reach over the next couple of moves, while seeing if any other players may want them too.
4 or 5 point cards are hard to get unless you have a combination of ~3-4 gold coins and gems If you reserve Tier 1 and Tier 2 cards early that deprives her of gold coins. Also reserve cards that helps him build her engine and take chips of the color he's aiming for. You can stop her dead in her tracks, if she doesn't have a plan B she is finished
You missed one major rule: if you have more than 10 tokens at any one time, you must discard down to 10. Other than that, great video, and I’m interested in this game.
Jeez how is this game 50$ CAD? Is it literally just because of the poker chips lol? It really does look like a fun game, but 50$ for a few cards and some chips? No.
I've just bought this game after hearing about it on the podcast. Sounded like a game my girlfriend might like. She's my main gaming partner so it is extremely important for me to find games we could play together. She's a big fan of Ticket To Ride Nordic and Marklin and Carcassonne. Splendor is going to hit the table tonight, I have high hopes for it. The plastic chips are really great, so nice to handle them! :)
My husband and I played this last night and I LOVED it! It's simple yet very strategic. It felt like Ticket to Ride, but also a little similar to 7 Wonders (both games that have a lot of play in our board game group). As you stated, this game would be even better if it could go up to 5 or even more players. I'm glad we bought it!
Just bought this game as a birthday gift for a friend of mine. Looking forward to trying it out.
Played this over the weekend and I loved it. So quick and simple!
I have seen 3 reviews on this game including yours. Drive thru Review and Watch it played with Rodney. You all say the same thing. Fun and easy game. I will have to get it. thanks Tom.
I'm finding it hard not to refer to it as "Splenda."
Well yeah.. the word "splenda" is derivative of the word "splendor".
So I just played this today and am now realizing we may have played wrong, but I prefer how we played. When we reserved cards, we reserved our choice of the face up cards rather than a random face down. I feel this adds a lot more strategy playing this way, allowing you to block other players much more easily and save something you really want for later. I'm so glad we played this way, as I probably would've hated the game otherwise, and I recommend trying it out if you think the game is too light or involves too little player interaction or strategy.
FYI the rules state you can do either
In my opinion, it looks like the game 7 wonders duel. In Duel there are 3 "ages" whereby the cards become more expensive in the higher ages. In Splendor you have also a kind of 3 ages/rows. And the "discount" mechanism is also very similar to 7 wonders Duel. The fiches in Splendor actually are the raw materials (wood, stone, clay etc.) in Duel.
It is similar, but this is much more streamlined. Duel has 3 ways to win and more intricate strategy. Splendor has tons of strategy too but more straightforward and easy to get immediately. Love them both
I saw the watch it played over view and posted in the comments that this could be the next hit. Someone disagreed, but after seeing that tom vasel loves it, I could be right...
That chip he dropped at the beginning of the demo straight dented the card it hit. RIP.
We love this game and have played it successfully with 5 and 6 players. It drags a little at the start but even running out of chips now and again doesn't ruin it just change the strategy and force people to reserve cards a lot more than normal.
This game started out nice and easy.
But then after a few dozen plays in, every game my pride is on the line.
This game is serious business son.
Been wanting this one for a while, was able to grab it at Walmart on clearance for $20.
The way you dump out all the pieces at the beginning of your videos always kind of makes me sick!
🖒
My girlfriend just said that right now lol
Same here... Cant get used to it even after many videos.
I agree, it stresses me out
I'm the same!
So glad you gave it a good review, Tom. We got it a couple weeks back and are completely addicted to this game. Such a genius little game!
I'm thinking of buying this game because it seems like one that would come to the table fairly often (my friends like simple games). I've played it once and didn't think it was amazing, but it's so popular maybe I was wrong?
Thanks for the review Tom!
Ashlee Cramb why? its a shit game for 30 dollars, get Tsuro: game of path, that is a great one.
Ashlee Cramb i just played splendor at a game group monday, and i bought it yesterday because it was that good.
Lokesh Thakur if you think splendor is a bad game already, why are you checking out a review for it that praises it?
I only played the game once and think I might have been wrong. Have you never played a game and disliked it and later decided you liked it? This happened to me recently with 2 games, camel cup and 7 wonders. Splendor is a good fast game that would go down well in my game group, and I thought maybe I misjudged it...is that alright with you?
Sorry guys, i'm not trying to diss the game, but, for me, there has to be some excitement factor, something where u can screw other players over and they are aware of it, like in ticket to ride, Tsuro, hell even classic ludo and UNO have that concept.
Many people on forums online say "oh i don't know how so and so won, he just started hoarding all the gems and blah blah"
But hey if you guys like it, then its worth the 30 dollars..
Purchased this yesterday after being shown a demo in a game shop and seeing that the hubby might actually like it ( I'm not so much a hard core gamer as some but a bigger gamer then my other half). We played best of 3 games and love it, definitely one I'll be playing again in the not so distant future...
Does it still play well with just two players?
Chris Mullins 2 player gameplay is not sacrificing any of the fun at all imo
Looks like a very good game but I have a hard time with games with no themes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it I just REALLY love games with theme especially when the theme fits the game. I might still get it if I can get it cheap though.
Don't know if I'd buy it, but I'd def. give it a shot if a friend or someone at my game shop had it and wanted to play
Really similar to "Continental Express" i think, but "Continental Express" seems to me that it has more choices and yet is simpler and fun. Try it ! =D
Tried this for the first time at a convention. Same day I went and bought it. :) Really an easy and sweet game to play.
Do I have to give away the card, that I used for purchasing another card?
+Evgenia Dikareva Nope.. you keep the purchased cards.
Which there was a rule for trading gems with another player. Might have to make my own rule about that
When some one gets a Noble it doesn’t get replace with another one, right?
No, nobles don't get replaced.
Yes the really sad thing is my 8 year old son has picked this game up real quick and destroyed myself and my wife in just under 15 minutes last week. We had 4 points each and suddenly realised he had changed his tactic to collect cards quickly and bank some bigger cards so cash them all in really quickly at the end...8 for gods sake...dammit!
I will add this to my coup and lover letters collection
Tom, between Splendor and Dominion, which one would be your pick for a 4 member family? Thank you!
Both can be addicting. Get both.
What is the music for the component drop? :-)
Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
Douglas Gilbert Nope.
=)
Thanks Tom Vasel, I will put it on my wishlist.
It seems like a light version of Cinque Terre. And I love Cinque Terre.
What do you think of the fact this game can be broken so easily? Got it for my family and my brother did some math and broke it in less than a day 😞 have you done a video on games with flaws??
It's not broken. :)
@@thedicetower so my brother goes for the lowest high point cards. He reserves all of them he can as soon as they come up. He goes after just coins and buys any lower low cards if he can or reserves if he still has a spare. It's just a formula - always go for the lowest # needed to buy. Is that not broken...?
@@emeraldcourt1168 No, it's not. It's just a strategy.
There are several ways to thwart this strategy
- Reserve the high point cards early
- Reserve the 1-4, 2-5, and 3-6 cards, it's hard to get the 4-7 and 5-7:3 cards without at least a small engine and a couple of gold coins. If you're really feeling nasty you can reserve the 0-3 cards too
- If you take 3, and only 2 are really necessary, the 3rd should be in the color he's trying to get the 7 on
- If you need a gold coin and have nothing good to reserve, reserve a Tier 1 card in the gem color he's trying to get that he can get easily
- Take 2 of a color or reserve cards a lot
- You should be winning with 5-8 purchased cards
One particular nasty strategy is to let him reserve a 4-7 and 5-7:3 card early, then reserve cards in 1st and 2nd tiers like crazy. If he doesn't have a backup plan, he's toast
@@emeraldcourt1168 dude are you 10 years old?
Nice explanation. Thank you for the video
I'm starting to realize that theme is the most important thing to me. I've heard so much good about this game and I always see it around, but it just seems so boring. Grab colored chips to buy cards, cool.
Weird! Listening to the description, it sounds incredibly boring! But I suppose it must have at least a decent amount of fun to offer, since so many people are praising it...
and it is.. one of the most boring euro games, no theme, almost no internaction, just a silent multiplayer puzzle
Lacertist You're right. It is kinda boring and simple. Good for non gamers or as a filler. I have it on my phone and enjoy it there for a quick mobile game, $7 in the play store I thought it was worth it. This would never hit my table though while playing board/card games.
I don't get the appeal. This seems extremely simple and basic. Is there something I am missing? Some kind of deep strategic goal?
+gus dam Yes
+gus dam same, this looks soooo dry. I would never blind buy something like this. But everyone says they love it.
The game plays fast, so any feeling that it is 'dry' doesn't matter much -- like most abstract games, it's pure strategy. Certainly, it's not my favorite game, but I end up playing it a lot because my non-gamer friends enjoy it also (one told me a couple of days ago that she intends to buy a copy of the game after playing it with me just once). It plays with 2 to 4, equally well, but certainly the strategies change with more people, which is interesting (at least to me). And everyone just loves the look of the game.
For me, the only negative is that its theme is very weak. Obviously, if you are looking for a deeper game, or one with a stronger theme, this won't be for you. But for its category (fast-playing abstract games) it's one of the better ones around.
It is, in fact, very boring.
Justin Rizzo terraforming mars looks like the latest hot game.
Has anyone else found that, in playing, the quickest strategy to win is to reserve big ticket point cards and rack up points that way? I mean, my 10 year old niece has won 5 games in a row with this strategy and half the time she is running around doing 10 other things while playing…. Is there another strategy that really stacks up? (pun….intended)
I'm confused how that would make you win. You can only hold 3 at a time until you purchase one you've reserved. It adds another layer of strategy and usually prolongs a game. Sounds like you might be playing wrong.
+Nisa Supasatit-Lash My brother uses that strategy - reserving 5 pt cards on the very first turns. He has yet to win a game using that one. It's not a surefire, let alone, effective strategy.
i look at the noble and the colors they require. i notice the nobles that have a color (hopefully 2) in common. I focus on those colors first. the noble usually requires 3 each of those colors. that is a good starting point. from there i just keep a watchful eye on what VP cards are on the board that are withing my reach over the next couple of moves, while seeing if any other players may want them too.
4 or 5 point cards are hard to get unless you have a combination of ~3-4 gold coins and gems
If you reserve Tier 1 and Tier 2 cards early that deprives her of gold coins. Also reserve cards that helps him build her engine and take chips of the color he's aiming for. You can stop her dead in her tracks, if she doesn't have a plan B she is finished
I play with my mother and we only use the secon tier strategy. Maybe you can use it
This is the only marc andre game that i love
You missed one major rule: if you have more than 10 tokens at any one time, you must discard down to 10. Other than that, great video, and I’m interested in this game.
K1naku5ana3R1ka - he mentioned the 10 token limit very quickly at 6:10
The 10 token limit is a big reason why the high tier cards are hard to get
You were so young.
I have this game and played it a lot, my wife loves it.
I feel that 5 players would make the game too long for what it is
Thomas Canning it's marked as a game for 2-4 players...
josda1000 He's talking about Tom's remark
Love this game
Jeez how is this game 50$ CAD? Is it literally just because of the poker chips lol? It really does look like a fun game, but 50$ for a few cards and some chips? No.
Hahahoho
Floop.
Watch it played explain the game better just say in
Jump to 1:00. you're welcome
Hands down one of the most boring games I've ever played. what a nap.
Obviously you are not very good at it, maybe Uno is more for you.
Hands down is for the video, not the game. And it's a fine review. Hands up!
I've just bought this game after hearing about it on the podcast. Sounded like a game my girlfriend might like. She's my main gaming partner so it is extremely important for me to find games we could play together. She's a big fan of Ticket To Ride Nordic and Marklin and Carcassonne. Splendor is going to hit the table tonight, I have high hopes for it.
The plastic chips are really great, so nice to handle them! :)
How did it go? DId she like it? If you are still togheter of course.
Love this game