Ludo online with friends: two dice, Naija rules

What is Ludo?

Ludo is a race. Each colour (red, green, gold and blue) has a yard of four seeds in its corner. Seeds come out onto the track, travel clockwise round the board, turn into their own coloured lane and finish in the middle. First to bring their seeds home wins.

Two to four can play. With two players each person takes two neighbouring yards, so you race eight seeds in two colours. With three or four, everyone has one yard of four.

How to play Ludo with two dice

1. Throw both dice. Who starts is drawn at random. Each die is its own move: play them with any seed, in any order, both on one seed or one each.
2. A 6 brings a seed out. Every seed waits in the yard until a die shows 6. Each 6 brings out one seed, so a double six can bring out two.
3. Race round. Seeds move clockwise round the track and into their own lane. A die that no seed can use is lost, and if nothing can move, the turn passes.
4. Send them back. Land exactly on a rival seed and it goes back to its yard.
5. Finish exactly. You need the exact number to reach home.
6. Three in a row loses the turn. Three throws in a row that earn another throw, and your turn is over.

Nigerian rules or standard rules

Pick the rules when you set up the game. Nigerian rules are the default.

Nigerian rules

• No safe squares at all. Land on a rival anywhere, even on its own starting square, and it goes home to its yard.
• The seed that sends a rival home is taken off the board and counts as home.
• Only a double six earns another throw.
• One seed out? Count it all. With only one seed on the board it must move the whole throw, both dice added up. You can play one die on its own only when a second seed is out, or a 6 brings one out.
• With nothing out, a 6 and another number count together: the seed comes out and runs on by the other die.

Standard rules

• Starting squares and starred squares are safe.
• Send a rival home and you throw again; your seed stays on the board.
• Any throw with a 6 in it, and any seed reaching home, also earn another throw.

Classic Ludo or Sprint

Classic Ludo is the full game: bring all your seeds home first. Sprint is a quick game for the bus ride, with the same rules, but you only need half your seeds home: four with two yards, two with one.

Play Ludo online with friends using a room code

Your people are far away? No wahala. Every game on PylotGames has private tables you open with a code:

1. Create a free account. Online play needs a username and password. Guests can still play the computer.
2. Open Ludo, tap Play online, then Private table. You get a four-letter table code on a yellow danfo number plate.
3. Send the code. Tap Copy code and drop it in your WhatsApp group, or just read it out.
4. Your friend joins. They open Ludo, tap Play online, type the code and tap Join.
5. Start the game. A Ludo table seats two to four. The host picks Classic or Sprint and the rules, then taps Start game. Short of people? Add a computer to any empty seat.

Games you finish at a private table show up in a friends scoreboard under the game, so you can see who is really the boss of the group. Prefer strangers? Tap Quick match to sit with whoever has been waiting longest, or open a table and wait in the live lobby list.

Play Ludo against the computer

Tap Play the computer and choose one, two or three computer players, the rules and a level: Easy, Normal or Hard, which plays to win. As a guest you can start in seconds, and the game keeps working offline after your first visit.

Ludo tips

• Get two seeds out early. Under Nigerian rules a lone seed must use the whole throw, so a second seed gives you choices.
• Split your dice. With a seed already out, a 6 and a 2 can bring a new seed out and move the other one two squares.
• Count the gap. A rival two or three squares behind you is likely to land on you. Move on or move away.
• Hunt in Nigerian rules. A capture takes your seed straight home, so sending a rival back is also a shortcut.
• Mind the finish. You need an exact throw to get home, so do not leave every seed waiting at the door.