TAIZÉ

The game “Kellia”

Rules of the game

 

The rulebook for Kellia can be downloaded here:

- in English
- in French
- in German
- in Portuguese
- in Italian
- in Spanish
- in Catalan
- in Dutch
- in Polish
- in Czech
- in Slovenian


To learn the rules of the discovery version with video :


To learn the rules of the full version :


Here are the answers to questions that are sometimes asked about Kellia.

- What does Kellia mean?

Kellion (plural kellia) is a Greek word meaning “cell”, a kind of little house.
In them live the ammas and abbas, protagonists of the game, in around the fourth century, chose to lead a solitary life in the desert.


- How was the game made?

The conception, the rules of the game, and the artwork were worked out by some of the brothers during the course of the year 2021. Several more brothers and young people visiting Taizé helped test the game. The game is manufactured by a company in the European Union.


- What is cooperative game?

Kellia is a cooperative game, rather than a competitive one. The players have to work together to try to face the challenges set by the game. They win all together or lose all together.


- Is it possible to play several times?

Of course! There are two versions of Kellia: an introductory version, to get to know the main rules, and a full version, which requires more strategy and which makes the game more varied, with different levels of difficulty.


Concerning the rules

- I already have 7 cubes, but I don’t yet have a Water cube. Can I still collect a Water cube or beg one at the church?

No. To do that you need to make room, for example by giving a cube to another player, by placing a cube, or by discarding an Inner Life cube (which gives you 3 more actions).


- In the full version, sandstorms remover everything from one sector of the board: cubes, improvements, pathways... Do buildings have to be removed too?

Each building replaces a desert square and becomes totally integrated in the game. So building squares are mixed up with the other squares of the sector affected.


- In the full version, can I contemplate on a desert square where an Attention cube or a Work cube has been placed?

Yes, because this square has not yet been replaced: it is still a desert square.


- In the full version, after a sandstorm, an obstacle has appeared right in front of a kellion. Is it possible to avoid this?

This can be avoided by placing the new desert square in front of a kellion.
But when the throw of the die is a 6, it is possible to protect only one kellion in this way.
In that case, the players can think together about where it is best to place the desert square, according to the capacities of the players, the geography of the desert, the order in which they will play...


- In the full version, at the beginning of a game at the “difficult” level, a playing token for the calendar is placed on the Saturday square. What happens in the first round?

At the end of the first day, the players go to the church rather than to their kellia (like every Saturday evening).


To send any comments about Kellia, or to ask a question about the rules, you can use this form.