Splendor

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You play as: Gem merchants working to become the most elite gem shop around.

How: This is the essence of an engine building game. You either take resource or buy cards to build your engine. Some nice pieces make this very satisfying; poker chips are used for basic resources.

Why you should get it: You like simple, flexible, tactical games. You want to introduce the concept of engine building. You often find yourself introducing new gamers to the hobby, and they aren’t that into trains, or fantasy stuff, or co-ops. You want to get in a fairly satisfying engine experience in 30-45 minutes.

Why you should skip it: You often find yourself playing Through the Ages. You like having theme tied to the mechanics. The art is well executed, but pretty boring. You enjoy chit chat at the game table (why is this game so quiet? Perhaps because its not super evocative, but my table is usually chatty regardless, and this quiets them down).