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Ludo board and equipment
A Ludo set is cheap and simple: a folding board, sixteen tokens and a die. But the board packs in a lot of design, and knowing what each part is for makes the rules easy to remember.
The board at a glance
A Ludo board is square. Think of it as a 15 by 15 grid of squares. The four corners are the coloured yards, each six squares by six, where tokens wait. Between them runs a cross-shaped track: four arms, each three squares wide and six squares long. In the middle is the finishing area, a three-by-three square that is usually drawn as four coloured triangles pointing inwards, one for each player.
Traditional colours are red, green, yellow and blue, going clockwise around the board. Playing order follows the same direction.
The outer track: 52 squares
Every token of every colour runs round the same outer track. It has 52 squares: each of the four arms contributes 13. The middle column of an arm is not part of the shared track, because it belongs to one colour as its home column. The track is the same for everyone, so tokens of different colours meet on it, and that is where captures happen.
Start squares
Each colour has one start square on the outer track, close to its yard. It is coloured, and often carries an arrow or the word "start". A token enters the game there when its owner rolls a six. The four start squares sit a quarter of the way round the track from each other: 13 squares apart.
Star squares
Four more squares are marked with a star, a globe or another symbol. Each is eight squares ahead of a start square. A token that stands on a start square or a star square is safe from capture: eight safe squares in all. Not every board prints the stars, and some house rules ignore them, so look at your board and agree on the rule. Details are in dice and safe squares.
Home columns
Each colour has a home column of coloured squares leading from the outer track to the centre. After a lap of 50 squares from its start square, a token turns into its home column and climbs six more steps, the last being the centre itself. In total a token walks 56 steps from the start square to home. Only the owner's tokens may use their home column, so it is completely safe.
Tokens
Each player has four tokens, so a four-player game uses sixteen. They have been bone discs, wooden pawns, carved pieces and today they are mostly plastic or wooden pegs and cones, in the colour of the player. Boards for children sometimes use bigger pieces with a stand that fits into holes in the board. Ludo needs nothing else, since tokens are identified by colour only.
Dice and cups
Classic Ludo uses a single six-sided die. Most sets include one or two, and many include a shaker or dice cup, which makes the roll fairer and keeps the dice from running off the board. Older Indian and Pakistani sets sometimes use two dice, and the earliest ancestor of the game, Pachisi, used cowrie shells instead of dice. For that history see the history of Ludo.
Buying a set
- Folding board: a printed board that folds in half is the standard home set. It is cheap, light and fits a bag.
- Wooden board: the heavier, drilled boards with peg tokens feel good to play on and last for decades. They are often sold as travel sets with hinged lids.
- Oversized and garden sets: floor mats and giant versions are popular for children and parties.
- Check the mark: look for a clearly marked start square for each colour and a printed star on four track squares. Boards without them will make you invent rules.
Playing on a screen
An online board has the same parts, drawn on your screen. LudoTalk's board offers a printed look and a wooden look, shows the eight safe squares, and turns the board so your own yard is the nearest corner, whichever colour you are. The die is rolled for you, and the tokens that can move are highlighted, so beginners cannot make an illegal move. You can play Ludo online without buying anything. When you are ready for the rules, read Ludo rules.
Frequently asked questions
How many squares are on a Ludo board?
The shared outer track has 52 squares. Each colour also has its own home column of six squares, the last of which is the centre of the board.
How many tokens do you need for Ludo?
Four per player, so eight for two players, twelve for three and sixteen for four. One die is enough, and a dice cup is optional.
What are the stars on a Ludo board?
They mark safe squares. A token standing on a star, or on its own colour's start square, cannot be captured.