Ludo Rules and Strategy for 2 to 4 Players

The rules

1. Setup: each player has four tokens in a coloured base and a start square on the track. Players take turns rolling one die.
2. Getting out: a token leaves the base only on a roll of six (or a one as well, in the settings), landing on the player's start square.
3. Moving: move one token forward the number rolled, clockwise round the track. You choose which token.
4. Bonus rolls: a six earns another roll. In the settings, a capture or a token reaching home can earn one too, and three sixes in a row can end the turn.
5. Capturing: landing on a square occupied by a single enemy token sends that token back to its base.
6. Safe squares: tokens on a star square or on any player's start square cannot be captured (safe squares can be switched off).
7. Home: after a full lap a token turns into its own coloured home column and needs the exact roll to reach the home square at the end.
8. Winning: the first player to get all four tokens home.

Choosing which token to move

With several tokens on the track, the roll is luck but the choice is yours. In order of priority:

1. Capture if you can, unless the capturing token lands somewhere it will be captured straight back and the capture gains little.
2. Get a token home when the exact roll comes; a token at home is safe forever.
3. Move a token out of danger: a token one to six squares ahead of an enemy token can be hit next turn. Moving it onto a safe square or beyond the enemy's reach is worth more than advancing a token that is already safe.
4. Bring a new token out on a six when you have fewer than two on the track, so that bad rolls always have a use.
5. Advance the leading token when nothing else is pressing.

Counting danger

A token is in danger when an enemy token sits one to six squares behind it (the enemy needs that exact roll). Two enemy tokens behind double the danger; a safe square cancels it. Before each move, glance behind every token you might move and ask how many enemy tokens could reach its new square. Tokens just ahead of an enemy's start square are in extra danger, because a six brings a new enemy token out right behind them.

Spreading out

Having two or three tokens on the track beats having one: a single token must take every roll, good or bad, while several tokens let you choose. Keep a token near the start of your lap as a "spare" so that a roll that would push your leading token into danger can be spent elsewhere. Late in the game, the spare also lets you wait on an exact roll for the home column without wasting turns.

House rules and what they change

• One or six to get out: more tokens on the track sooner; the game is faster and more tactical.
• Bonus roll on a capture or on reaching home: rewards aggression and finishing.
• Three sixes end the turn: the traditional rule; it stops a run of sixes carrying one token round the board.
• No safe squares: every token is always vulnerable, and spreading out becomes a risk as well as a benefit.

Agree them before you start when playing with friends; the settings panel shows which are on.

Common mistakes

1. Moving the leading token every time. Choose by danger and opportunity, not by position.
2. Leaving a token just past an enemy start square. A six brings a hunter out behind it.
3. Bringing out a fourth token when three are already racing. Tokens in the base cannot be captured; sometimes leave one home.
4. Forgetting the exact roll. A token in the home column cannot overshoot; keep other tokens moving while you wait.
5. Capturing into certain recapture for a token that has barely left the start. Count what the capture costs.

Glossary

• Base: the coloured corner where tokens wait.
• Start square: where a token enters the track; a safe square.
• Star square: a safe square on the track.
• Home column: the coloured path to the centre, reached after a lap.
• Exact roll: the roll needed to land on the final home square without overshooting.