Ludo is a race board game for two to four players in which each player moves a set of tokens from their own starting yard, around a cross-shaped track, to a home triangle at the center, with movement determined by a die roll and opposing tokens sent back to start when captured. It is a British adaptation of the much older Indian game Pachisi, patented in England in 1896, and its simplified rules and standardized cross-shaped board have made it one of the most widely reproduced children's race games internationally, forming the direct model for many later commercial games in the same family.
Facts
Partially Attested
Originating RegionThe source says Ludo was marketed under that name in England in 1896; the game is derived from the Indian game Pachisi, so England is the origin of Ludo as a named commercial game only. Sport
Game Type (category) Game Type (category) Classification
Player CountSmall Group (3-6 Players) 1 Game TypeStrategy race board game 1 Connections
Ancestor Of
Wikipedia states the inventor is unknown and that the game may have been developed directly from Ludo.
Source Aeroplane chess (Wikipedia)
Associated With
Source Ludo (board game) (Wikipedia)
Derived From
Pachisi, Games Ludo is the British board-game adaptation (patented 1896) of the Indian cross-and-circle game Pachisi.
Source The Oxford History of Board Games
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Ludo (board game) (Wikipedia)
History, English marketing
Ludo uses a cubic die with a dice cup and was marketed as 'Ludo' in England in 1896 by Alfred Coller.
Opening sentence
is a strategy-based board game for two to four players, in which the players race their four tokens from start to finish according to the rolls of a single die.
History, marketed in England
Ludo uses a cubic die with a dice cup and was marketed as "Ludo" in England in 1896 by Alfred Coller.
History section, cross-and-circle games
Ludo shares characteristics with other cross-and-circle games from around the world; these types of games include the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican game Patolli, and the Indian game Pachisi.
Differences section, Indian Ludo
The Indian Ludo is based on the ancient game Pachisi.
Variants section, Aeroplane chess entry
Aeroplane chess: A Chinese cross-and-circle board game derived from Ludo, it uses aeroplanes as tokens, with additional features such as coloured cells, jumps, and shortcuts.
Gameplay section, entering a token
To enter a token into play from its yard to its starting square, a player must roll a six.
Rules section, overview of players
Two, three, or four can play, without partnerships.
entity record, description lead (player-count)
Ludo is a race board game for two to four players in which each player moves a set of tokens from their own starting yard, around a cross-shaped track, to a home triangle at the center, with movement determined by a die roll and opposing tokens sent back to start when captured. It is a British adaptation of the much older Indian game Pachisi, patented in England in 1896, and its simplifi
Associated With: Pachisi, Introduction, cross-and-circle games
Ludo shares characteristics with other cross-and-circle games from around the world; these types of games include the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican game Patolli, and the Indian game Pachisi
Associated With: Aeroplane chess, Variants section, Chinese subsection
Chinese cross-and-circle board game derived from Ludo
View the SourceWikidata: Ludo
Wikidata Q1030283, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source Sorry! (game), Wikipedia
Ancestor Of: Sorry!, Lead paragraph, Ludo basis
Sorry! is a board game that is based on the older game Ludo.
Ancestor Of: Sorry!, Lead paragraph, first sentence, base game Ludo
Sorry! is a board game that is based on the older game Ludo.
Associated With: Sorry!, Lead paragraph, first sentence
Sorry! is a board game that is based on the older game Ludo.
View the SourceAeroplane chess (Wikipedia)
Ancestor Of: Aeroplane chess, History and implementationQuote, Ancestor Of: Aeroplane chess, History and implementation
The inventor of aeroplane chess is not known, but it may have been developed directly from Ludo.
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