To live in community on the banks of the Nile. This was the surprising idea of several men and women in the fourth century, in Egypt.
Following the inspiration of the young Pachomius, they made their home in a deserted village, which little by little came to life again. Their example inspired others to begin to do the same thing.
Thus the first koinobia  came into being: places where people left everything behind in order to live out the Gospel together.
But all these different characters living on top of each other – could it ever work?
The seasons come and go. Moods change.
Neighbours become difficult to get on with.
Would the desire of everyone for harmony be enough? The loss of one person would be failure for all.
Would it turn out to be a joyful adventure, or lead to certain disaster?

Koinobia is a strategic, simple and intriguing journey into the life of the monastic communities founded by Abba Pachomius in Egypt.

 in French
 in English
 in German
 in Spanish
 in Portuguese
 in Dutch
 in Italian
 in Polish
 in Catalan
 in Chinese

Rules of the game in video.

 a booklet with the rules in French, Anglish and German.
 a board
 6 wooden pawns
 90 wooden cubes
 16 season cards
 10 needs cards
 1 stick card
 6 screens
 6 player tiles
 6 mini-maps

□ Age: 8+
□ Length: 20-40 min
□ Number of players: 3-6
□ Price: 28,50 €

The game is available at the "exposition" shop at Taizé and it can also be ordered from the webshop.

Koinobia is a board game imagined, developed and illustrated by brothers of the Taizé Community during the years 2023-2024. As with Kellia, it has been tested and revised after feedback from different people visiting Taizé, and also from friends of the brothers in Alagoinhas, Brazil, where they have been living for many years.

Koinobia is a cooperative game: players win together or lose together. With its simple structure, it’s also a real strategy game where each game is different, with several levels of difficulty possible. It will appeal to beginners and experienced players alike.

Koinobia was inspired by the monastic communities founded by Abba Pachomius in Upper Egypt in the fourth century. The game contains many well-known historical details about these villages, the Koinobia (a word which means “places of common life” in ancient Greek) as well as elements specific to this type of life: an Abba or an Amma, the role of their decisions, some common rules, a community council....

Koinobia can be played by anyone. There are no prerequisites for entering the imaginary world of the game. However, an attentive observer will find in it the tensions inherent in all community life: between the collective and the individual, between concern for oneself and concern for others, the search for the common good, the sharing of resources, the role of the one in charge.... Koinobia can therefore be particularly interesting to play between people who are used to cooperating: a group of friends, co-workers, members of the same family, youth groups, people living under the same roof.

In addition to the basic game, Koinobia contains ten variants. Each corresponds to one of the villages founded during Pachomius’ lifetime. These variants are like little scenarios that add a new dynamic to the game. Many of them allude to questions that have been raised by monastic communities across the ages: collegiality, alternating mandates, invariable structures, consultation of all the members....

Koinobia is designed to take up very little space (15.7x12.5x7 cm). The game is made in the European Union, with materials chosen to limit the carbon footprint of its manufacture as much as possible.

For any questions or remarks on Koinobia, you can write to koinobia taize.fr.