Ludo (Pachisi) — Printable Board

The classic race game for up to four players. Print the board, grab tokens and a die, and be first to get all four pieces home.

What you need

The printed board below
16 tokens — 4 each in red, green, yellow, and blue (or any four colors)
One die (a dice tray keeps it on the table)
Two to four players

Ultra PRO - Vivid Magnetic Folding Dice Tray, Portable Compact Tabletop RPG Gaming Tool Accessory Durable Leatherette Foldable Dice Holder Mat - Yellow

Folding Leatherette Dice Tray

Snaps flat for storage, contains the roll, and stops dice from launching off the table.

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Print in color at 100% scale for the four player colors.

The goal

Each player has four pieces that start in their colored home yard. The aim is to move all four around the track and into the center home column before your opponents do. First to get all four pieces home wins.

Getting started

Players take turns rolling the die. You must roll a 6 to move a piece out of your yard onto your colored start square. Each 6 also earns you an extra roll, so sixes both free your pieces and speed you up.

Moving around the board

Move a piece clockwise around the white track by the number you roll. Work your way all the way around to your own colored home column — the row of colored squares leading into the center.

You may only enter the center home column with your matching color.
A roll of 6 lets you either bring a new piece out or move an existing one — your choice.
If you can’t make a legal move with your roll, your turn passes.

Capturing

Land a piece on a square occupied by a single opponent piece and you "capture" it — that piece goes back to its home yard and must start its journey again from a 6. Two of your own pieces on one square form a block that opponents can’t pass or land on. (Many play the colored start squares as safe.)

Getting home and winning

To finish, move each piece up your home column to the center with an exact roll — overshooting means you wait and try again. The first player to land all four pieces in the center home wins. House rules vary, so agree on safe squares and exact-roll rules before you start.

Frequently asked questions

How do you start in Ludo?

You must roll a 6 to move a piece out of your home yard onto your colored start square. Rolling a 6 also gives you an extra turn, so until you roll one, your pieces stay in the yard. After that you move pieces around the track by whatever you roll.

What happens when you land on another player in Ludo?

Landing on a square with a single opponent piece captures it — that piece returns to its owner’s yard and has to come back out on a fresh 6. Two of your own pieces on a square form a block opponents can’t pass, which is a key defensive move.

How many players can play Ludo?

Two to four. With two or three players you simply leave the unused colors out. Each player controls the four pieces of one color and races them from their yard, around the track, and into the center home.

Rules written by The Cardboard Shelf for this classic public-domain game. Print and share freely.