Monastery

About this board game

Monastery is a tile-laying board game for 2–4 players, with games lasting about 60 minutes. Players construct different parts of a medieval monastery using their monks, working independently or collaborating when required.

Monks can move from tile to tile and devote their time to several aspects of monastic life. Alongside building, they may study, toil, or pray, creating important choices as the monastery takes shape.

• Lay tiles ranging from 1-point fields and paths to 5-point Chapter Houses and Libraries.
• Commit the required number of monks to construct higher-value tiles.
• In the “icon” game, use the special properties of certain tiles.
• Collect the letters of the abbey’s motto to pursue victory.

The game covers two days of monastic life. Turns are allocated as time for study and toil or as services in the abbey. At each service, a new abbot is elected. The abbot goes first and also has significant powers, adding another consideration to the changing rhythm of play.

Victory depends on collecting the letters of the motto “Libera Nos Quaesumus Ab Omnibus Malis Amen”. These letters become progressively more expensive, so players must decide whether to spend resources on letters or recruit extra monks instead.

Points are also awarded at the end of the game for the blessings gathered throughout play. With construction, movement, shared work, monastic activities, and evolving priorities all competing for attention, Monastery makes the development of the abbey a carefully managed communal endeavor.