Galilean Moons

About this board game

Galilean Moons is a 2020 board game for 1–4 players with an approximately 60-minute play time, set in an alternate-history 1895. Players voyage to Jupiter’s four largest moons to mine powerful crystals left behind by a mysterious meteor shower.

Each crystal can reveal new power and support research into ways to fend off rival nations seeking the same resource. To succeed, players must build their forces, contest sectors across the moons, and gather the crystals needed to achieve the highest point value before it is time to return home.

On a turn, players play cards from their hands to take an action on a matching moon sector. These actions create a direct struggle for control and resources:

• Invade a sector to gain control of it.
• Mine a sector you control to gain crystals.
• Enforce a controlled sector, making it harder for an opponent to invade.

Every decision contributes to the broader race across Jupiter’s moons. Controlling sectors gives you access to mining opportunities, while enforcement can help protect the areas you have claimed from competing forces.

The game ends after players have cycled through the deck of cards twice. Final points come from collecting sets of crystals, controlling the different moons, and acquiring research cards. With its combination of card-driven actions, sector control, mining, and research, Galilean Moons presents a focused race to exploit a mysterious discovery and secure the most valuable position before the journey home.