Board Games
How to play Splendor
Acquire permanent gem discounts, purchase prestige cards and attract nobles. Fifteen prestige triggers a last round, not an instant win.
What you need
Development cards, nobles, gem and gold pieces, first-player marker
Set up the game
- Reveal four cards per level and one more noble than players. Use four/five/seven gems per color at two/three/four players, plus all gold. Youngest starts clockwise.
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Playing Splendor
- Take one action: three different gem colors; two of one color if at least four remain; reserve one card and take a gold if available; or buy one card.
- Reserve a display card or top deck card; maximum three reservations, with no discarding them. Gold shortage does not prevent reserving.
- Buy a visible or reserved card. Reduce each color cost by permanent bonuses; pay remaining pieces, using gold as any gem. Refill display gaps.
- End with at most ten pieces including gold. Take one qualifying noble when bonuses meet its requirements; choose if several qualify.
- At fifteen prestige finish the round for equal turns. Highest prestige wins; ties favor fewer purchased development cards, then remain shared.
Discount then pay
A card costs three red and two blue. Your two red and one blue bonuses reduce that to one red and one blue. Pay pieces or substitute gold, keeping all bonus cards for future purchases.
Count turns, not just prices
A cheap card can be slow to acquire if its required colors are unavailable. Watch what opponents collect and which display cards might disappear. A modest purchase helping your next acquisition can be better than repeatedly saving pieces for a target someone else is about to buy.
Keep bonuses visible
Arrange acquired cards by color with prestige values readable. Opponents need to check noble eligibility and likely purchases without sorting through your stack. When paying, name the discounted cost first; returning pieces before applying bonuses can accidentally spend too much.
Beginner decisions
- Pick early discounts that help buy real targets. Several unrelated cheap cards may develop more slowly than two focused bonuses.
- Count free reservation slots before blocking an opponent. Three unaffordable reservations remove that option.
Common rule mix-ups
- Using loose gem pieces to qualify for a noble.
- Taking gold as part of the three-color action.
Questions about this game
Can a purchase be free?
Yes, after discounts; it still uses an action. Bonuses remain.
Do unbought reservations score?
No; they also have no end penalty.
Sources and edition notes
Space Cowboys 2024 refreshed Splendor base game, no expansions. Splendor Duel differs.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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