How to play
How to play Gem Merchants
Step-by-step Gem Merchants for a first table, including what the Tilehaus interface expects you to click.
Before the first tile
Open the Gem Merchants table. Choose seat count 2–4. For a first game, enable bots so empty seats still take their turns.
Do not drown in chips
Most tables cap held chips at 10. Tilehaus currently allows overflow for teaching; still, buying cards is how you score.
Point at a noble
Two bonuses that match a noble's 4/4 or 3/3/3 demand will often decide a 15-point finish. Level 2 cards are the usual path.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers to what people search — for Google, voice, and assistants.
How do you win Gem Merchants?
Reach at least 15 prestige points. Finish the current round so every player has had the same number of turns, then the highest prestige wins. Nobles are worth 3 and visit automatically when your bonuses match their cost.
How do you play Gem Merchants?
Each turn you do exactly one action: take three different gems, take two of one gem if four or more remain, buy a development card, or reserve a card and take one gold if any remain. Bought cards become permanent discounts.
What do the gold chips do?
Gold is a wild that pays any single missing gem when you buy a card. You usually get gold by reserving. Most tables allow at most three reserved cards.
How many chips can you hold?
Published tables cap held gems at 10. Tilehaus currently allows overflow on the teaching table so new players are not stuck; buying cards is still how you score.
How many players is Gem Merchants?
Two to four. Chip counts change: 4 of each gem for 2 players, 5 for 3, 7 for 4, plus 5 gold. A subset of the ten nobles is in play.
When do nobles visit?
Nobles are not a turn. After you buy a card, if your bonus gems meet a noble’s printed cost, that noble visits for 3 prestige. You cannot refuse a visit on this table.
Is Gem Merchants the same as Splendor?
Same public rules family: gem chips, development discounts, nobles, race to 15. Splendor® is a trademark. Tilehaus is an independent table named Gem Merchants, designed in the same 2014 engine-builder mold.
How long does Gem Merchants take?
About 30 minutes for 2–4 players. Two-player races to 15 are often faster; four-player tables slow down on the bank.