koromban

Koromban is a fictional term encountered in speculative fiction and tabletop role-playing games, used to describe a form of communal settlement and social order. In real-world linguistics and geography, the term has no established meaning.

In settings where it appears, koromban denotes a cooperative community organized around shared property, mutual aid, and long-term stewardship of resources. Governance often relies on consensus processes, rotating councils, and deliberative assemblies that include representatives from different kin groups or guilds. Economic life emphasizes collective labor and exchange schemes such as time banks or gift economies, with limited reliance on centralized currency.

Culturally, koromban communities tend to foreground communal meals, storytelling, seasonal rituals, and repair-oriented crafts. Dwellings are often modular and arranged around a central commons or plaza to facilitate cooperation and social contact. The geography of koromban societies varies, but fiction commonly places them near reliable water sources or fertile land to support self-sufficiency.

Origin stories for koromban in literature range from an ancient tradition rediscovered after catastrophe to a modern experiment designed to counter fragmentation and inequality. The concept is widely used to explore utopian and critical themes, and its specifics differ across authors and settings.

Related ideas include cooperative movements, intentional communities, and utopian fiction.