Official rules · Classic / Ludox / Deluxe
Ludox™
Ludo, with one tile that changes every decision on the board. Land on a Square Tile and you go home the long way.
ObjectiveGoal
- Be the first player to move all of your tiles from Base, around the board, and into Home.
- Home is the center of the board. Your Base is the corner block in your own color.
Players and tilesSetup
- 2 players: each controls 8 tiles — 4 tiles of each of two colors.
- 3–4 players: each controls 4 tiles of a single color.
- Each player has exactly one Square Tile. All remaining tiles are Round Tiles.
- All tiles begin in their own Base.
EquipmentSetup
- Ludox board and playing tiles.
- Two dice: Ludox Black and Ludox White, or two standard six-sided dice.
Starting playTurn order
- Each player rolls to decide who starts. Play then continues clockwise.
- Both dice must be rolled on the board.
Leaving BaseMovement
- A tile leaves Base only on a roll of 6, and is placed on that color's starting square.
Rolling and movingMovement
- You may use the value of both dice on your turn.
- Tiles travel clockwise.
- Double six earns one extra turn, taken after the current move is finished.
- A tile must complete one full circuit before it can enter its Home Path.
- Entering Home requires an exact count.
CapturingCalled pecking
- A capture happens only when a move ends exactly on a space held by an opponent's tile.
- Passing over a tile mid-count captures nothing.
- While movement from either die is still outstanding, no capture occurs — the step has to be complete.
- A captured tile returns to its Base immediately.
Safe SquaresBoard
- The colored spaces are Safe Squares. A tile sitting on one cannot be captured.
- Four Star Squares sit along the tracks. They are shared ground — any player's tile may use any Star.
- In Ludox a Star Square is a Safe Square. A tile resting on one cannot be captured.
- Only one tile may occupy a Star Square at a time.
- An occupied Star is blocked. You cannot end a move there, whoever holds it — use your other die instead, or forfeit that part of the move if neither die works.
Square TileLudox rule
- A Round Tile that lands on an opponent's Square Tile is captured and returns to Base.
- A Square Tile that lands on an opponent's Round Tile captures it and sends it to Base.
- A Square Tile that lands on an opponent's Square Tile captures it and sends it to Base.
- The Square Tile is both a defensive and an offensive piece.
Telling the tiles apartPhoto
WinningEnd
- The first player to get all of their tiles Home wins.
ObjectiveGoal
- Be the first player to move all of your tiles from Base, around the board, and into Home.
- Home is the center of the board. Your Base is the corner block in your own color.
Players and tilesSetup
- 2 players: each controls 8 tiles — 4 tiles of each of two colors.
- 3–4 players: each controls 4 tiles of a single color.
- All tiles begin in their own Base.
EquipmentSetup
- Ludox board and playing tiles.
- Two standard six-sided dice.
Starting playTurn order
- Each player rolls to decide who starts. Play then continues clockwise.
- Both dice must be rolled on the board.
Leaving BaseMovement
- A tile leaves Base only on a roll of 6, and is placed on that color's starting square.
Rolling and movingMovement
- You may use the value of both dice on your turn.
- Tiles travel clockwise.
- Double six earns one extra turn, taken after the current move is finished.
- A tile must complete one full circuit before it can enter its Home Path.
- Entering Home requires an exact count.
CapturingCalled pecking
- A capture happens only when a move ends exactly on a space held by an opponent's tile.
- Passing over a tile mid-count captures nothing.
- While movement from either die is still outstanding, no capture occurs.
- A captured tile returns to its Base immediately.
Safe SquaresBoard
- The colored spaces are Safe Squares. A tile sitting on one cannot be captured.
- The four Star Squares along the tracks are not in play in Classic. Treat them as ordinary spaces.
- There is no Square Tile in Classic. All tiles are Round Tiles and capture normally.
WinningEnd
- The first player to get all of their tiles Home wins.
Start hereBase rules
- Deluxe uses every Ludox rule — Square Tile, Safe Squares, pecking, dice — and adds the card system below.
- Play with Ludox Black and White dice, or two standard dice.
Providence cardsDealt at start
- Every player starts the game holding two Providence cards.
- Play a Providence card as its printed text instructs, then discard it.
Paragon cardsEarned on the board
- Land exactly on any of the four shared Star Squares to earn one Paragon card.
- Star Squares remain Safe Squares in Deluxe, and still hold one tile at a time. The tile that collects the card is protected while it sits there, and blocks the Star until it moves on.
- Draw it immediately and add it to your hand.
Pinnacle cardsEarned by finishing
- Earn a Pinnacle card whenever one of your tiles reaches Home the hard way — no card and no other special effect helped it get there.
- Pinnacle cards are the strongest cards in the game.
Card priorityConflicts
- When a card contradicts a standard rule, the card text wins — unless the card says otherwise.
WinningEnd
- The first player to get all of their tiles Home wins.
If you already play Ludo
Three things to unlearnQuick read
- One of your four tiles is square, and it captures in both directions — attacking it is as dangerous as being attacked by it. Classic has no Square Tile.
- Capture is settled per die, not per turn. Nothing is captured until that die's movement is finished.
- Four Star Squares sit along the tracks and belong to nobody, but hold one tile at a time. Out of play in Classic, shared safe ground in Ludox, and in Deluxe they also pay a Paragon card.
The game
What's in the boxPhotos
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