Ludo rules: how to play, and the Bosnian version
Ludo is a family board game many people played as children around the kitchen table, with plenty of laughter and the odd sulk. In Bosnia the same game is called čovječe ne ljuti se, which means "do not get angry, friend": sound advice when someone sends your token home right before the finish.
The game has relatives all over the world. This guide explains the shared rules and what changes in ludo, which you play on Online igre against three computer opponents.
What you need
The cross shaped board has a track of squares running around it, four starting yards in the corners and four home columns in the middle. Each player has four tokens of their colour, and the game uses one die, for two to four players.
Coming out and moving
Tokens start off the track, in their corner. They enter the track only when you roll a six, landing on the start square of your colour. A player who rolls a six usually rolls again.
After that you move a token as many squares as the die shows, clockwise. With several tokens on the track, you choose which to move. In the Bosnian version, two of your own tokens may not share a square.
Sending tokens home
If your token lands exactly on an opponent’s token, theirs goes back to its corner and must wait for a six again. This is the moment the Bosnian name refers to.
Many house rules make hitting compulsory whenever it is possible. Agree before you start, because it changes the tactics a lot.
Reaching home
When a token has gone all the way around, it enters its home column of four squares. In the Bosnian version you need an exact roll: if the die shows more than the squares left, the token stays put. The first player to bring all four tokens home wins.
How ludo differs
Ludo follows the same idea. Tokens come out with a six, circle the board and send rivals back to the start, and the first to bring all four tokens to the finish wins. The differences are in details such as safe squares and the rules for entering the finish, and the game applies them for you.
In ludo on Online igre you play against three computer opponents, so a game can start any time, without gathering the family.
Tips for winning
Do not race just one token ahead. With several tokens on the track you have more choices, so it is easier to avoid danger and grab a chance to hit.
The squares right in front of opposing tokens are the most dangerous, because a small roll reaches them. When you can send home a rival who is close to finishing, nearly always do it.
Do not get angry, roll again
Ludo is a game of luck with a little tactics, which is exactly why it suits every generation. The rules are simple, and the tension before the finish never changes.
For something similar, try The Royal Game of Ur, the ancestor of all race games, or Halma. All are in the Table games world, and for a game with two dice read the backgammon rules.