Ludo rules explained

Ludo is easy to learn, which is why it has been a family favourite for generations. But ask four people how to play and you may hear four slightly different sets of rules. This guide explains the standard rules, and the exact rules used on Gamesupa.

The board

A Ludo board is a square with a cross-shaped track. Each of the four corners is a coloured yard, usually red, green, yellow and blue, where that player's four tokens start. The track runs around the cross, 52 squares in all. In the middle is the home area, split into four coloured triangles.

Each colour has:

• A start square on the track, in its own colour, next to its yard.
• A home path of five coloured squares leading from the edge of the track to the centre. Only that colour's tokens can enter it.

Starting a game

Players take turns going clockwise. On your turn you roll one die and move a token by the number shown. At the start, all your tokens are in the yard, and a token can only leave the yard when you roll a 6. It then moves onto your start square.

Moving tokens

Tokens move clockwise around the track. On each roll you choose which of your tokens to move, if more than one can. You must move if any move is possible. If no token can move, your turn passes.

Several tokens of the same colour can share a square.

Rolling a 6

A 6 gives you another roll after your move. You can use a 6 to bring a new token out of the yard or to move a token already on the track. But if you roll three 6s in a row, your turn ends at once, as a penalty for too much luck.

Capturing

If your token lands on a square with an opponent's token, the opponent's token is captured and goes back to its yard. It has to wait for a 6 to come out again. Capturing also gives you an extra roll.

Some house rules let two tokens of the same colour form a block that nobody can pass. On Gamesupa there are no blocks: tokens can always pass each other, and landing on a square with rival tokens captures them.

Safe squares

Some squares are safe, and tokens on them can't be captured. On Gamesupa, the safe squares are:

• The four coloured start squares.
• The four squares marked with a star, one on each arm of the cross.

Tokens of different colours can share a safe square without any capture.

Going home

After going almost all the way around the board, a token turns off the track into its own coloured home path and moves up to the centre. A token needs the exact number to reach home. If you need a 2 and roll a 5, that token can't move, and you'll need to move another token instead. Getting a token home gives you an extra roll.

Winning

The first player to bring all four tokens home wins. In some families the game goes on to decide second and third place. On Gamesupa the game ends as soon as the first player gets all four tokens home.

Summary of extra rolls

• You roll a 6.
• You capture an opponent's token.
• You move a token into home.

And remember: three 6s in a row ends your turn.