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Splendor is an absolutely fantastic game. It is up there as one of my favourites. Combining it with Marvel to create Splendor Marvel was nothing short of a stroke of genius by the creators. It is also a touch different, not just the same game and merely an aesthetic change from the original. It makes the game well worth a go.
Infinity Stones
Somewhat similar again to the classic Splendor. The box of contents is as follows:
- 90 character cards. These are split 40, 30, 20 in 3 tiers. Each character has an infinity stone marked on the card.
- 39 infinity tokens. 7 mind, 7 space, 7 soul, 7 power and 7 reality. That leaves 4 time.
- 5 SHIELD tokens.
- 4 location tokens (double sided).
- The infinity gauntlet tile that clearly defines the victory condition.
- 1 Avengers assemble tile.
Infinity Points
Whoever achieves 16 infinity points (victory points) first will take victory. Similar to Splendor where 15 prestige points are required. However, in Marvel there is more. Not just the 16 infinity points, but also at least one character which each infinity stone printed on the card. You must have all six which includes one top tier character recruited to also pick up the time stone. Only top tier characters have these. So, there is more depth to the game than just a set amount of victory points. One thing to note, all players get an equal amount of turns. By this, I mean, should player one win, all other players get a final turn, which could result in victory being snatched away. If the final player to take their first turn wins, the game would end.
Infinity War
Let the war commence. It is your job as a player to recruit heroes and villains to your side in order to secure victory. Set the game up. Lay out three rows of four characters, one row of each tier as noted above. Characters have the infinity points printed on them in a white. Low tier characters may be worth one but generally zero, top tier characters are anything from three to five infinity points. Set out location tiles equal to the number of players in the game. Also lay out the Avengers assemble tile and the infinity gauntlet tile that clearly defines the above victory conditions. There is a pic contained within the game rules of how this should look, which is helpful.
Turn play is straight forward. Either take three different infinity tokens (not the time stone), two of the same infinity tokens (so long as there is four or more to draw at the start of the turn, and again, not the time stone), one SHIELD token and reserve a character, or recruit a character by spending infinity tokens and/or infinity stones from already recruited characters. By this, I mean all characters in the pool available for recruitment have a price printed on them for the cost of infinity tokens required. Players must first gather the required resources to be able to purchase said character.
Note. SHIELD tokens count as any infinity token. It’s incredibly useful to have one or two of these in your pocket. These also count towards the maximum of 10 tokens held.
Location tiles are like the nobles from Splendor and worth three Infinity points. Acquire the necessary characters with matching infinity stones printed on them and automatically gain the location tile and add the infinity points to the score.
There is also the Avengers assemble tile worth another three Infinity points. This is a major difference to this version and really adds to it. Heroes also have an avenger’s symbol printed on them. When you recruit hero characters and total three avenger symbols you automatically acquire this tile and gain three infinity points. However, if an opponent gathers more avengers’ symbols through their hero recruitment than you, you hand over the Avengers assemble tile to them and lose your infinity points, to which they will gain. It’s an excellent addition to the game creating additional jeopardy.
Endgame
Disappointingly, Thanos plays no part in this set, except to create an excellent cover to the game box. He plays no part. That being said, all the art work is exceptional in this game making for an undeniably pleasing game to view.
The game itself for, for me, is a much better game than the original Splendor. I love the original Splendor, that’s important to note. Marvel Splendor does Splendor and more. It asks more of the players. One more victory point required. You need each of the coloured stones which includes the time stone that can only be gathered from recruiting a top tier hero. Then there is the avengers assemble tile which players can contest in the game. Tiles in Splendor once earned cannot be taken so this avengers assemble tile is a delightful addition.
Then you have all your favourite marvel characters from the MCU. I’m not saying these characters should influence your play and detract from a good strategy, but I need to get Groot. I’m just saying. No doubt you will all also have your favourite characters that you will want to ensure are recruited to your side.
Final Thoughts
There isn’t anything for me not to like about Splendor Marvel. It’s Marvel and it is a great game. Definitely worth picking up and having a game of.
