Gameplay

How a game of Galileo's Truth runs: three Periods, five Cycles, the Income, Actions and End of Cycle phases, passing, the Inquisition Token and the Prohibitions.

The game lasts three Periods made of five Cycles: Period I has Cycles 1–2, Period II Cycles 3–4, Period III only Cycle 5. Each Cycle has three phases:

1. Income — skipped in Cycle 1.
2. Actions — one Main Action each, in turn order, round after round until everyone has passed.
3. End of the Cycle — reset, update the Workshop, check the Prohibition.

After Cycle 5 comes final scoring.

Income Phase

Skipped in Cycle 1. Everyone may resolve it at once; use turn order if timing matters.

1. Inventions: activate every Income Invention you own, in any order. If one shows the Principle split, do the half that matches your Principle Coin (Principle).
2. Bookshelf: each Subject pays according to the Level its marker is on, from top to bottom:

Subject	Income
Astronomy	Victory Points (Level 1 pays nothing). Reaching a Travel space now resolves it at once
Physics	Coins onto your Desk
Mathematics	Research Tokens onto your Desk
Philosophy	How many cards you draw. Empty deck: shuffle your discard pile; still short: draw what you can

Actions Phase

Players take turns in the order on the Current Turn Order Track, one Main Action each, round after round. On your turn you must do one of:

• Pass
• Abjure
• Play Treatise Cards
• Play a Penance Card
• Use an Invention
• Upgrade your Academic Level
• Assign your Natural Philosopher

Cards you play stay face up in your play area until the end of the Cycle.

Pass

When you can’t or don’t want to act any more, you pass: move your Turn Order Marker down into the Passing Area, to the left of any markers already there. You take no more turns this Cycle. You may not pass while a Penance Card is in your hand.

End of a round

When the last player in the current order has had their turn:

• Nobody passed: start another round.
• Some passed, some still playing: if the Inquisition Token is face down, flip it face up (the Inquisition suspects). Move every marker in the Passing Area down to the Future Turn Order Track, keeping their left-to-right order, after markers already there. Start another round.
• Everyone passed: move the last markers down the same way. The Actions Phase is over.

The Inquisition suspects

While the Inquisition Token is face up, every player must increase their Suspicion by 1 at the start of each turn in which they take a Main Action. Passing costs nothing.

End of the Cycle

When everyone has passed:

1. Move the Turn Order Markers back up to the Current Turn Order Track, keeping their order.
2. Flip the Inquisition Token face down.
3. Move the Cycle Marker one step down and resolve every Turning Point it passes (below).
4. Clean up (not after Cycle 5): take your Natural Philosopher back and stand it up (one at the Stake stays there; one in Prison stays there, standing); turn your used Once per Cycle Inventions upright; put all cards from your play area and your hand on your discard pile.

Turning points

Prohibitions

Each Prohibition Tile shows something the Inquisition forbids. You obey it as long as you have fewer of the pictured things than the number on the tile.

• Obeyed: nothing happens.
• Broken: increase your Suspicion by the amount printed beside that Prohibition space for your Principle — on the board, +3 / +1 in Cycle 2, +4 / +2 in Cycle 3 and +5 / +3 in Cycle 5.

Every tile is described on the Cards & Components page.