When comparing Splendor vs Clue, the Slant community recommends Splendor for most people. In the question“What are the best Android board games?” Splendor is ranked 19th while Clue is ranked 20th. The most important reason people chose Splendor is:
It’s enjoyable to watch your trading empire grow. The game starts slowly with you gathering gems to create some basic buildings and futureproofing yourself, by the end of the game there’s quite a lot of cards on the playing surface. You can also get points for attracting nobles to your side by getting a specific combination of gem cards, which gives you a building direction and a goal to work towards.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Satisfying to see progression
It’s enjoyable to watch your trading empire grow. The game starts slowly with you gathering gems to create some basic buildings and futureproofing yourself, by the end of the game there’s quite a lot of cards on the playing surface. You can also get points for attracting nobles to your side by getting a specific combination of gem cards, which gives you a building direction and a goal to work towards.
Pro Fine-looking artwork
Splendor’s artwork is follows a Renaissance theme and is quite detailed and beautiful. The cards of the game feature depictions of ships, gem mines, and shops from the era. The coins are colorful and have stickers on them representing the type. There are also portraits of historical figures on the noble cards, for example, Henry VIII, Isabel of Castile, and Elisabeth of Austria.
Pro Scales well
The game plays very well in the designated 2-4 player range. It has some nuances that depend on the number of players, for example, the amount of coins and nobles in play.
It’s possible to go past the 4-player maximum by getting another copy for more coins. Another solution would be to add something like poker chips or other types of coins to the game.
Pro Good for beginners
The game’s rules are easy to grasp, but Splendor also features quite a bit of depth and strategy, which makes this a great gateway option for people just getting into board games, even children.
Pro Can be played aggressively or peacefully
The game is suited for both playstyles mostly due to the card reserving mechanic. This is great because you can adjust to the company you are playing with, whether they want to be fully competitive and try to deny each other’s plays or laid back and just watch the empires grow without interfering.
You can reserve a card to use it later or, even better, so your opponents can’t use it. You also get a “wild” gold piece, which can substitute any color required in buildings. You can have a maximum of three cards reserved at once.
Pro Easy to learn
The basics of the game are very straightforward and easy. You can start playing in a matter of minutes, which is great for absolutely everyone – young and old, experienced and new.
The game begins from the youngest player and continues clockwise. In their turn the players can perform one of three actions: take three different gems, take two gems of the same color, reserve a development card and take a gold gem, or purchase a development card. All development cards give permanent gem bonuses for later buys and some cards give prestige, which is required to win. Prestige is also gained from nobles, which can be attracted if specific conditions are met.
The game enters the last round when a player reaches 15 points. The game is won by the player with the most points after this round.
Pro Challenges help keep the game fresh and encourage you to optimize your strategy
In addition to being able to play the regular game of Splendor, the app also includes a challenge mode that will present you with a variety of different win conditions and play situations that can be quite valuable for refining your skills at the game.
Pro Pass and play abilities allow you to play with a friend
In addition to being able to play against the AI, the app has a pass and play mode that makes it possible to play in person with a friend.
Pro The visual design matches very closely with the actual physical version of the game
The layout of the board in the app and how you interact with it very closely mirrors how the game is laid out in real life, making the app an excellent way to learn the game and/or refine your strategies.
Pro Had a movie made out of it
There is a Hollywood movie licensed from the game Clue called Clue. It stars Tim Curry and is frankly fantastic. Go and watch it if you have not already.
Pro Worthwhile lessons for kids to learn
Through the playing of the game Clue children can potentially learn that criminals always get caught for cimes commited as well as learn the process of elimination.
Pro Different editions
There are three different editions to choose from, CLUE THE CLASSIC MYSTERY GAME, CLUE GAME 2013 EDITION
and CLUE GAME.
Cons
Con Luck of the draw
The building cards that are drawn from the decks are random, which means that the game can often boil down to top-decking a building that’s either very valuable or completely worthless to you or an opponent. The nobles are random as well, but they won’t impact the game as critically – they are there just to direct you to a goal.
Con No online mode currently
Unfortunately, the only two modes of playing the base game are pass-and-play and vs the AI, there is no option for online play against other real opponents.
Con 2013 edition has new rules and is too easy
Stay away from the 2013 edition as the board has been changed to where all rooms can be reached in a single dice roll (way too easy) as well as rules have been tweaked so more of the cards are known from the beginning (again, making the game too easy). Last but not least the character names have been changed to make them more "hip".