How to play

The Rules Are Simple

LudiBoards play like the classic race-and-capture game you already know — with the artwork becoming the board.

Choose your colour, roll the dice and race your four pieces around the board. Land on an opponent to send them back home. Get all four of your pieces safely to the centre before everyone else to win.

Same competitive chaos. Just a much better-looking board.

1 — PICK YOUR COLOUR

Choose your four playing pieces.

2 — ROLL TO ENTER

Roll a six to bring a piece onto the board.

3 — RACE & CAPTURE

Move around the board. Land on an opponent and send them back home.

4 — LOCK & GO HOME

Get all four pieces safely home before everyone else.

THE FULL LUDI RULES

GETTING STARTED
Ludi can be played by 2–4 players. Each player chooses a colour and starts with four pieces in their base. Roll one die to determine who goes first; the highest roll starts, then play continues clockwise.

ROLLING THE DICE
All rolls must be made on the LudiBoard. If one or both dice leave the board, the roll is invalid, and your turn is lost.

Roll a 6 to bring a piece from your base onto your starting gate. Every 6 also earns you another roll.

MOVING
On your turn, use your dice to move your pieces clockwise around the board. If you cannot legally make a move with your roll, your turn ends and play passes to the next player.

LOCKS

When two or more of your pieces occupy the same square, they create a LOCK.

A LOCK:

  • cannot be captured;

  • cannot be passed by an opponent;

  • forces opponents to stop/queue behind it;

  • can block an opponent from leaving their base if positioned on their starting gate. (great strategy to win or allow your opponent not to have a turn until you leave their gate)

CAPTURING

Land exactly on a square occupied by a single opponent’s piece to capture it. The captured piece returns to its base and must roll another 6 before it can return to the track.

GETTING HOME

A LOCK must first be formed at the entrance to your HOME. After that, those pieces—or your other pieces—may enter HOME.

And then:

You need the exact number required to enter HOME or the area leading into HOME. If you can’t make the exact move, you must move another eligible piece or forfeit the turn.

*Form the lock/block at the entrance first, then you’re able to bring your pieces home.

WINNING

First player to get all four pieces HOME wins.

HEAVENLESS — Win before an opponent gets any pieces HOME.

BORNLESS & HEAVENLESS — Win while an opponent has no pieces on the track and none HOME.

ep. These are good “Important Rules” or “Don’t Forget” rules for underneath the main instructions. I’d clean them up like this while keeping your actual rules intact:

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT LUDI RULES

LOCKING
If you lock two pieces and have no other pieces on the board, you must wait until your next throw before you can unlock and continue moving.

CAPTURING
After capturing an opponent’s piece, you cannot continue moving that same piece on the same turn. If you do, the captured opponent’s piece is returned to the board in the same spot.

DON’T PASS HOME
If you mistakenly pass your HOME entrance, you must travel all the way around the board again before you can enter HOME.

KEEP THE DICE ON THE BOARD
All dice must be rolled properly and remain on the LudiBoard. If a dice falls off the board or the roll is improper, you lose your turn.