Splendor

Overview

Players take on the role of Renaissance merchants collecting gem tokens to purchase development cards. Development cards provide permanent gem bonuses (reducing future purchase costs) and may be worth prestige points. When a player accumulates enough bonuses, they receive visits from nobles worth additional prestige points. The game ends when a player reaches 15 prestige points, after which the current round is completed so all players have an equal number of turns. The player with the most prestige points wins.

Components

Tokens (40 total)

Token	Color	Quantity
Emerald	Green	7
Diamond	White	7
Sapphire	Blue	7
Onyx	Black	7
Ruby	Red	7
Gold (Joker)	Yellow	5

Development Cards (90 total)

Level	Cards	General Characteristics
Level 1	40 cards	Cheapest; mostly provide bonuses with few or no prestige points
Level 2	30 cards	Mid-cost; moderate prestige points
Level 3	20 cards	Most expensive; highest prestige point values

Each development card shows:

• A gem bonus (top-left corner) – a permanent discount of one gem of that color for future purchases
• A prestige point value (top-left corner, may be 0)
• A cost (bottom) – the combination of gem tokens required to purchase it

Noble Tiles (10 total)

Each noble tile:

• Is worth 3 prestige points
• Shows a required combination of gem bonuses (not tokens) that a player must have to receive the noble’s visit

Setup

1. Shuffle each of the three development card decks (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3) separately.
2. Place the three decks in a column in the center of the table in increasing order from bottom to top (Level 1 at bottom, Level 2 in middle, Level 3 on top).
3. Reveal 4 cards face-up from each level, forming a 3x4 grid of available cards.
4. Shuffle the noble tiles. Reveal a number of noble tiles equal to the number of players plus one (e.g., 4 tiles for 3 players, 5 tiles for 4 players). Remove remaining noble tiles from the game – they will not be used.
5. Place the gem and gold tokens in 6 distinct piles sorted by color, within reach of all players.

Token Adjustments by Player Count

Players	Gem Tokens per Color	Gold Tokens	Noble Tiles Revealed
2	4 (remove 3 of each color)	5	3
3	5 (remove 2 of each color)	5	4
4	7 (use all)	5	5

Important: Gold tokens are never removed regardless of player count.

First Player

The youngest player goes first. Play proceeds clockwise.

Turn Structure

On their turn, a player must perform exactly one of the following four actions:

1. Take 3 gem tokens of different colors
2. Take 2 gem tokens of the same color
3. Reserve 1 development card and take 1 gold token
4. Purchase 1 development card

After performing their action, the player checks the 10-token hand limit and then checks for a noble visit. Play then passes clockwise.

Actions

1. Take 3 Gem Tokens of Different Colors

Take 1 gem token from each of 3 different color piles. You may not take gold tokens with this action. If fewer than 3 colors are available, you may only take as many different colors as remain.

2. Take 2 Gem Tokens of the Same Color

Take 2 gem tokens from a single color pile. This action is only permitted if there are at least 4 tokens of that color in the supply when the player takes them. If a color pile has 3 or fewer tokens, you cannot take 2 from it. You may not take gold tokens with this action.

3. Reserve a Development Card

Take one development card and place it in your hand (hidden from other players). You may reserve either:

• A face-up development card from the 3x4 grid (immediately replace it with a new card from the same level’s deck), or
• The top card from any one of the three level decks, without revealing it to other players.

Upon reserving, also take 1 gold token (joker) from the supply. If no gold tokens remain, you may still reserve a card but receive no gold.

Limits and restrictions:

• A player may have at most 3 reserved cards in hand at any time.
• Reserved cards cannot be discarded – the only way to remove a reserved card from your hand is to purchase it.
• Reserved cards may only be purchased by the player who reserved them.

4. Purchase a Development Card

Purchase a face-up development card from the grid or a previously reserved card from your hand by paying the gem token cost shown on the card.

Payment rules:

• Spend the required gem tokens, returning them to the supply.
• Each bonus from previously purchased development cards acts as a permanent gem of that color, reducing the tokens you need to spend. For example, if a card costs 2 blue and 1 green, and you have 2 blue bonuses, you only need to spend 1 green token.
• Gold tokens (jokers) can substitute for any single gem token. Spent gold tokens are returned to the supply.
• If you have enough bonuses, you can purchase a card without spending any tokens at all.

Card replacement: When a face-up card is purchased (or reserved) from the grid, immediately replace it with the top card from the corresponding level deck. There should always be 4 face-up cards per level (unless that level’s deck is exhausted).

Place purchased development cards face-up in front of you, sorted by bonus color and staggered so that bonuses and prestige point values are visible to all players at all times.

Token Hand Limit

A player may never have more than 10 tokens (including gold) at the end of their turn. If taking tokens causes a player to exceed 10, they must immediately return tokens of their choice to the supply until they have exactly 10. A player may return tokens they just took.

Noble Visits

At the end of their turn, a player checks whether they qualify for a noble visit. A player qualifies if they have at least the quantity and types of bonuses (from purchased development cards) shown on a noble tile.

Noble visit rules:

• A noble visit is automatic – a player cannot refuse it.
• Receiving a noble is not an action – it happens at the end of the turn after the player’s action.
• If a player qualifies for multiple nobles on the same turn, they choose one to receive. The other noble(s) remain available for future turns.
• A player can receive at most one noble per turn.
• Each noble tile is worth 3 prestige points.
• Noble visits require bonuses only (from cards), not gem tokens.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Prestige Point Sources

Source	Points
Development cards	Varies (0-5 per card, printed on each card)
Noble tiles	3 each

End-Game Trigger

When any player reaches 15 or more prestige points, the current round is completed so that every player has played the same number of turns.

Determining the Winner

The player with the most prestige points at the end of the final round wins. Noble tile points count toward the total.

Tiebreaker

In case of a tie, the player who has purchased the fewest development cards wins (i.e., greater efficiency breaks the tie).

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Token Supply Depletion

• If a gem color’s supply is empty, no tokens of that color can be taken.
• If fewer than 3 different colors are available in the supply, a player taking 3 different tokens can only take as many different colors as exist.
• The 2-tokens-of-same-color action requires at least 4 tokens of that color in the supply. With 3 or fewer, this action is unavailable for that color.

Gold Token Specifics

• Gold tokens can only be obtained by reserving a development card.
• Gold tokens are never removed from the game during setup, regardless of player count.
• If no gold remains when reserving, the player still reserves the card but gets no gold.
• Gold tokens count toward the 10-token hand limit.
• Gold tokens can substitute for any gem color when purchasing a card.

Reserved Cards

• Maximum of 3 reserved cards in hand at any time. If a player already has 3, they cannot reserve another.
• Reserved cards are hidden from other players (when taken from a face-up position, the card itself is known but once in hand it is private).
• Cards reserved from the top of a deck are never shown to other players.
• The only way to remove a reserved card from your hand is to purchase it.

Card Replacement

• Whenever a face-up card is acquired (purchased) or reserved from the grid, it is immediately replaced by the top card of the same level’s deck.
• If the corresponding deck is empty, the empty space in the grid remains empty for the rest of the game.
• There should be 4 face-up cards of each level at all times (unless a deck runs out).

Bonus Stacking

• Bonuses are cumulative. Each purchased development card adds exactly one bonus of its color permanently.
• There is no limit to the number of bonuses a player can accumulate in a single color.
• Bonuses reduce costs but never generate tokens – they simply mean fewer tokens need to be spent.
• If a player has bonuses exceeding a card’s cost in a particular color, the excess provides no benefit for that purchase (no “change” is given).

Noble Tile Mechanics

• Noble tiles require only bonuses (from purchased development cards), not gem tokens.
• A player must have at least the required number of bonuses; having more is fine.
• Nobles are checked at the end of each turn, not during.
• Only one noble may be received per turn, even if a player qualifies for multiple.
• Noble visits cannot be refused.
• Noble tiles removed during setup are out of the game permanently.

End-of-Game Clarifications

• The end-game trigger is reaching 15 prestige points, but the round is completed first.
• A player who triggers the end game may not necessarily win if another player surpasses them in the same final round.
• The tiebreaker (fewest development cards purchased) rewards efficient play.

Player Reference

Actions Summary (choose exactly 1 per turn)

Action	Details
Take 3 different gems	1 token each from 3 different color piles
Take 2 same gems	2 tokens from 1 color pile (requires 4+ in supply)
Reserve a card	Take 1 card into hand (max 3 in hand) + 1 gold token
Buy a card	Pay gem cost (reduced by bonuses, gold = wild)

Key Numbers

Item	Value
Win condition	15 prestige points (finish the round)
Tiebreaker	Fewest development cards purchased
Token hand limit	10 tokens max (including gold)
Max reserved cards	3
Noble tile value	3 prestige points each
Gem tokens per color (4p / 3p / 2p)	7 / 5 / 4
Gold tokens (all player counts)	5
Noble tiles revealed	Players + 1
Development cards	40 Level 1, 30 Level 2, 20 Level 3 (90 total)
Noble tiles in game	10 total
Same-color token threshold	Must be 4+ in supply to take 2

Turn Checklist

1. Perform exactly one action (take gems, reserve, or buy)
2. Discard down to 10 tokens if over the limit
3. Check for noble visit (automatic if you qualify)
4. Pass turn clockwise

Token Setup Quick Reference

Players	Remove per Gem Color	Gems Remaining	Gold	Nobles
2	3	4 each	5	3
3	2	5 each	5	4
4	0	7 each	5	5