12 Monks 2026

The story unfolds in the 12th century, at a time when Portugal was still taking shape.

With his armies advancing southward, King Afonso Henriques could not abandon the lands newly conquered from the Moors and decided to donate a huge plot of land in the heart of the country (44,000 hectares) to a monastic order of French origin called Cistercians. This community of monks, which had already settled in other regions, would have to manage the territory and resources of this place. In order to do that, an enormous monastery was built in Alcobaça and that same monastery would go on to become one of the most important for the Order.

The Cistercians' motto was Ora et Labora (prayer and work), so their abbeys were usually in secluded locations. Silence for their prayers was paramount, as was easy access to stone (in order to build the monastery) and several other goods, such as wood in order to build boats through which the produced goods were exported, and iron (essential to build farming equipment and tools). Fertile land and access to water (necessary for food, hygiene, and agriculture) were also essential to achieve self-sufficiency. Alcobaça filled all the requirements for the task, so the Cistercians accepted the king's challenge — and this is the historical background from which this game was born.

12 MONKS, is a competitive game in which players take on the role of the Cistercians monks entrusted by the King to promote the settlement, explore and manage the goods and resources of the couto of Alcobaça while building the monumental Monastery of Alcobaça.

—description from the designer