
- BGG rank
- BGG #110
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Splendor Duel
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2022

Rules assistance for Splendor: Cities of Splendor
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Splendor: Cities of Splendor is an expansion for Splendor released in 2017 for 2–4 players, 30 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Marc André and its main mechanics are Set Collection and Open Drafting.
Cities of Splendor is a quartet of expansions for use with the Splendor base game. Each expansion is added to the basic game and they should be played separately. The Cities replaces the noble tiles with 3 different city tiles (randomly taken from a pool of 14). The city tiles are objectives (in prestige points and/or development cards) and you need to fulfill one of them in order to win. The Trading Posts are special bonuses you earn by acquiring an array of development cards: more prestige points from the 1st noble tile you receive, an extra gem of a different colour when you choose the "Take 2 gem tokens of the same color" action, and so on. The Orient adds three decks of cards (one for each level of development cards). They are added on the right side of the regular cards and you place two of them face-up on the table for each level. The new cards have special powers (like double bonus cards or joker cards which take the color of one of the developments you already own). The Strongholds expansion gives each player three towers (strongholds). When you acquire a new card, you must put a stronghold on an face-up card on the table. You're now the only player able to purchase/reserve it. You may also move one of your strongholds from one card to another one or remove another player's stronghold. When your three strongholds are on the same card, you can buy it after your regular action, allowing you to make two acquisitions in the same turn or buying that card after taking your tokens!
Splendor: Cities of Splendor supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Splendor: Cities of Splendor is 30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Splendor: Cities of Splendor for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Splendor: Cities of Splendor has a complexity rating of 2.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Splendor: Cities of Splendor belongs to these categories: Card Game, Economic, and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Set Collection and Open Drafting. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Splendor: Cities of Splendor are: Marc André. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Splendor: Cities of Splendor as an expansion for Splendor. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Splendor to use it. Check that your edition of Splendor is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.