Ludo consists of a square board with four different colored bases in each corner. The first colored space outside of each base is the start position. A path leads clockwise around the board returning to a path with the same color as the base, then to the home column, which leads to the center home triangle.

There are four different colored sets of playing pieces that start off in their matching bases. Each set consists of 4 playing pieces. The included die is used to govern the movement of the pieces.

Gameplay

2 to 4 players begin by placing their respective pieces in their bases. Each takes turns throwing the die, and the player with the highest roll plays first. The players to the left follow in turn going clockwise. On each player’s turn, the player rolls the die to determine a move. The goal of the game is to move all four of the player’s pieces clockwise once around the board, up the home column, and into the home triangle.

Movement

To begin, a player must roll a six to move a piece out of the base and onto the start position. That piece is then in play. The player cannot make any other moves until at least one piece is in play.

If a player has a piece or pieces in play, they can move any one of their pieces 1 to 6 spaces along the path according to the number they roll.