Rules

Ludo rules: points race and Classic

Ludo Cities has two rule sets. The points race scores every move and is the default. Classic is the Ludo most people grew up with: first to get every piece home wins. These rules apply to both unless a section says otherwise.

Both rule sets

• Two to four players. Each colour has four pieces, a base, a start square and a home lane of five squares.
• Each turn you roll two dice and must use both if you can. You can split them between two pieces or put both on one.
• A 6 on either die brings a piece out of base onto your start square.
• A piece moves exactly the die's number. Reaching the centre needs an exact roll; a roll that would go past it cannot be used on that piece.
• Your own pieces (and your partner's, in teams) can share a square. There are no blocks.
• Ending a move on a rival's piece kicks it back to base. The four stars are safe squares where nobody can be kicked. Start squares are not safe.
• A piece coming out of base kicks a rival standing on its start square.
• When only one of your pieces can move, it takes both dice and lands only on its final square. It does not kick or count a star on the square in between.
• If a die cannot be used by any piece, it is lost.
• Only a double six rolls again, at most twice in a turn. Other doubles, kicks and getting home do not.

Points race

Every player starts with one piece already on its start square and three in base.

A kick sends your piece home. After kicking, your piece goes straight to the centre, so one kick scores the 20 for the kick and the 50 for getting home.

Objectives. Every game has three, the same for everyone: Kick twice (+60), Three pieces out at once (+40) and Land on two stars (+50, hidden from your rivals until you finish it). Each pays once.

End. The game ends after 20 rounds, or at once when a player gets all four pieces home. The highest score wins; equal top scores are a draw.

Classic

• All four pieces start in base.
• No points and no objectives.
• After a kick your piece stays on the square where it landed.
• The first player to get all four pieces home wins, and the game ends there. There is no round limit.

1v1 with two colours

In a two-player game each player controls two opposite colours. You roll once per turn and can use each die on any piece of either colour. Your two colours never kick each other. Your score is the total of both colours, and the game ends when a player has all eight pieces home or after the rounds in the points race.

Teams (2v2)

Four players can play as two teams of two, with partners sitting opposite. Partners never kick each other, and a team's score is the sum of both players. In Classic the first team with all eight pieces home wins.

Fair dice online

Online, only the server rolls. Before a match it commits to a secret and shows its fingerprint; when the match ends the secret is revealed and the fairness page recomputes every roll, so anyone can check that no roll was changed.

New to the game? Start with how to play Ludo.