Board games
Ludo
- players
- 2–4
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 5+
In the box
1 board · 16 horses, 4 per colour · 1 die
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- Dice RollingRaceRoll and MoveCaptureTake That
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
Take your horses round the board, then up your staircase to the centre. A 6 brings a horse out of the stable and earns another roll; each roll moves a single horse, and landing exactly on an opposing horse sends it back to its stable. At the end of the lap, you need the exact count to stop at the foot of the staircase, then 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 to climb the steps, and a final 6 for the centre. The first to bring all their horses home wins; in Marquoir, each horse home scores 1 for its owner.
Traditional rules, checked against reference sources · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
2 to 4 players, 4 horses each, 1 die
- 2 to 4 players, one die, a cross-shaped board: each colour has its stable in a corner, its starting square on the track and its staircase of six numbered steps leading up to the centre.
- Four horses per player, all in their stable at the start. The Djeco rules use only two, and regledujeu.fr two as a rule: the game is shorter.
- Players roll the die in turn; the horses go round clockwise.
How to play
A 6 to come out, A 6: roll again, Land exactly: send home
- You need a 6 to bring a horse out of the stable and put it on the starting square of its colour.
- A 6 also earns an extra roll. With a 6, you choose: bring out a new horse, or move a horse already on the track six squares.
- Each roll moves a single horse by the number of squares shown on the die. If no horse can move, you pass.
- Landing exactly on an opposing horse sends it back to its stable: it will need another 6 to come out again.
- You never overtake another horse: you stop on the square just behind it. Likewise, a horse that would land exactly on a horse of its own colour stops just behind it.
- Once round the board, you need the exact number to stop at the foot of your staircase; with too high a roll, you go there and move back by the extra points.
- You then climb one step at a time, rolling exactly the number of the next step: 1, then 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. A final 6 takes the horse into the centre: it is home.
Scoring
No points, Horses home counted
- No points: count the horses that have reached the centre.
- In Marquoir, each line is one horse home: enter 1 for its owner, 0 for the others. The first to 4 wins, or to 2 if you chose the two-horse game.
End of the game
All horses home, Steps 1 to 6
- The first player to bring all their horses into the centre wins.
- The others can play on to settle the remaining places.
House rules and pitfalls
A traditional game: every box has its own customs.
- A traditional game: every box has its own customs. This page follows what most sources agree on: out on a 6, sent back to the stable, exact count to the foot of the staircase, steps 1 to 6 then a 6 for the centre.
- Two horses each, as in the Djeco rules: the first to bring both horses home wins. regledujeu.fr also uses two, but ends the game with the first horse home.
- Overtaking: the Djeco rules forbid it and stop the horse on the square just before the one in the way; Règles du Jeu.net also forbids it, but the blocked horse does not move; regledujeu.fr makes a horse that runs into another move back by the extra points, and Wikipedia says nothing about it. Agree before you start.
- Other differences: Règles du Jeu.net counts a horse as home when it reaches the sixth step, with no final 6, and forbids two horses on the same step; the Djeco rules, on a junior board, have only three steps before the final 6, and send back to the stable any horse you land on exactly, whatever its colour.
- Variants: Règles du Jeu.net has each player run two stables in a two-player game; Wikipedia makes anyone who rolls three 6s in a row remove a horse of their choice.
- The die decides almost everything; the only choices are which horse to move and, on a 6, whether to bring one out or move one on.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Horses per player
Four horses
The first to get all four horses to the centre wins.
Two horses
A shorter game, as in many boxes: the first to get both horses to the centre wins.
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
How do you bring a horse out of the stable?
You must roll a 6: you then put the horse on the starting square of its colour. Without a 6, no new horse enters the track.
What happens when you roll a 6?
You roll again. Before rolling, you choose whether to bring out a new horse or move a horse already on the track six squares.
Can you capture an opposing horse?
Yes: landing exactly on its square sends it back to its stable, and it will need another 6 to come out. That is the spice of the game — and the source of great disappointments.
Can you overtake another horse?
Not under the rules followed here: you stop on the square just behind it, whether it is yours or an opponent’s. Only an opposing horse you land on exactly is sent back to the stable.
Do you need an exact count to get home?
Yes, twice. First to stop at the foot of your staircase: with too high a roll, you move back by the extra points. Then on each step, where you need the number of the next step, from 1 to 6, and a final 6 to reach the centre.
How do you win?
The first to bring all their horses into the centre wins. So you have to get every one of your horses home, not just the first.
How do you record a game in the counter?
Each time a horse reaches the centre, enter 1 for its owner and 0 for the others. The counter stops at the first player to bring four home, or two if you chose the two-horse game.