My girlfriend and I are big fans of board games. We particularly like two-player games that go by quickly. Within the last year Splendor has become one of our favorite board games.
I was curious if anyone knows a few board games similar to Splendor? It should be a game that works for two-players and has a similar level of depth. Ideally a game is less than 45-minutes. Any ideas?
Related: Splendor Board Game Sale
I know Splendor has an expansion. Most expansions add complexity so I’m not sure if that’s exactly what you’re looking for. It sounds like you want something that is similar in complexity and play style. A few alternatives to Splendor that come to mind are:
Jaipur - It’s probably worth looking at Jaipur if you like Splendor. I’d say the main difference here is Splendor is very much about building an engine for the late-game, while Jaipur is more of a drafting game where you push your luck every turn. It is ONLY 2-player though.
Azul - If you Splendor, then you will absolutely love Azul. It’s an excellent as a 2-player board game that has very similar mechanics. You purchase tiles from suppliers. Specific patterns and sets of tiles earn you more points.
I was looking at Azul, but hadn’t heard of Jaipur.
Both of those are great recommendations. Thanks!
Lanterns is kind of similar to Splendor. You basically collect different lantern colors and turn them into points. You place a tile in the middle and depending on what direction the tiles is facing, players receive a certain color lantern. Because of that you have to be aware of what your opponents are trying to do.
I got Jaipiur yesterday. My girlfriend and I played a few rounds. Great recommendation! Think your description is pretty spot on. It’s a different type of game, but scratches a similar itch.
My only gripe is that Jaipur requires a bit more initial setup than Splendor because the tokens have to be organized from highest to lowest value. After the initial game it goes a bit faster though. With splendor the gems and cards are organized in the box. All you have to do is shuffle and flip the cards over.
All-in-all, it’s certainly going to be one of our Sunday afternoon games.