Splendor: The card game

 This kind of card game is an "engine building" game, where you are jewelers trying to impress nobility.  There are three different tiers of cards.  Most of the tier 1 cards don't actually contribute to you earning points, but it is how you start building your engine.  The objective of the game is to be the first person to earn 15 points or more.  

This kind of engine building card game supports between 2 and 4 players.  If players are able to quickly make logically sound decisions, the game can go very fast.  For instance, I've played 3 entire games in about an hour of time - this was for two players however.   Essentially each game is roughly 20-40 minutes depending on the experience of the players and the number of players that are participating in the game.  

The reason that I recommend this game is because, as a person with sever dyslexia, this is a good game because there is absolutely zero reading involved in playing, not with the cards, tiles or even the tokens.  Everything is ran on symbols, so that if you can have someone explain the core concept of the game, even someone with sever disability is able to enjoy the game. In addition, the cards and individual pieces are large, heavy and extremely durable, a caveat that is very useful for people with motor skill challenges. 

In addition to this, the game displays all sorts of beautiful artwork, expressing mines, craftsmen's, laborers, jewels and jewelry, various animals and more. However, the game is still challenging, since it requires immense strategic capability.  There is a fine balance between building the engine and earning the points, while at the same time attempting to do so faster than your opponents. 

I haven't been able to play the expansion that is out at the moment, but based on my experience of playing the base game, I do want to purchase the expansion and do a future review on the differences between the two.  Overall this is an excellent game to play with the family, which was purchased for a fairly decent price.  It can be found on amazon for 55 dollars, but if you buy it from a store for about 25 dollars.   This review isn't a sponsorship of all of the Space Cowboy brand games, I just happen to enjoy this particular game which they've created.  Great game!

Until next time everybody, have a fun time playing games!