2-player vs 4-player Ludo: how tactics change

01Same rules, different game

The rules of Ludo do not change with the number of players, but the board does. With two players there are at most eight gotis on 52 squares, and you only ever have one opponent to watch. With four players there can be sixteen gotis, threats come from every direction, and the game becomes as much about who you upset as about your own race.

Our Ludo game supports both. Choose 2, 3 or 4 players in setup, and the computer fills any seat you do not give to a friend.

02Two players: seating matters

In a 2-player game you choose where the two colours sit. Opposite corners is the classic layout. The two start squares are half the board apart, so your gotis and your opponent's spend most of a lap away from each other and meet mainly in the middle stretches.

Side by side puts the two starts only a quarter of the board apart. Your gotis run into each other sooner and stay in contact for longer, and one player's gotis pass the other's start square early in their lap. It is a more aggressive game with more cutting.

03Two players: tactics

With one opponent, you can track every threat exactly, and that changes your priorities.

• Count precisely. You only need to watch one colour, so check the distance from each of their gotis to each of yours on every turn.
• Hunt more. A cut in a duel hurts your only rival directly, and the bonus roll is pure gain. Chasing a goti that is 3 or 4 squares ahead is often worth it.
• Spread out less. With fewer threats on the board, it is safer to run one goti a long way, especially when nothing of theirs is within six squares behind it.
• Block their start. If start squares are not safe in your rules, a goti waiting just past their start can catch new arrivals.

04Four players: tactics

A full table is crowded and noisy, and the safest goti is often the one that waits.

• Respect the crowd. Danger from several colours adds up. A square with two opponents within six behind it is roughly a one in three chance of being cut.
• Use stars and the home column. With more gotis about, safe squares are worth more. Hop from star to star rather than making long runs into the open.
• Keep more gotis out. Choice is your best defence. With three gotis on the board you can usually find a move that does not put one in danger.
• Watch the leader. If one player is close to finishing, everyone else gains by slowing them down. Cut their furthest goti even if a different capture looks juicier for you.
• Do not start feuds you cannot finish. Cutting a player who sits right behind you invites a revenge cut on their next roll.

05Three players

Three is a game of its own. One corner is empty, so one stretch of the track has no start square feeding new gotis onto it. Gotis passing that empty corner are a little safer. Otherwise play it like a four-player game with fewer threats: keep several gotis out and use safe squares, but feel free to hunt a little more.

06Team play with four

With team play on, opposite corners are partners. You cannot cut your partner, and your partner's walls never block you. Once your own gotis are home you keep rolling and move your partner's gotis, so the team finishes together.

That turns four-player Ludo into a two-against-two game. Shield your partner by sitting behind threats to their gotis, and focus your cuts on whichever opponent is closest to finishing. The team that finishes first shares first place.

07Best settings for each size

These are good starting points in our game.

• 2 players, quick break: 2 gotis each, 1 die, side by side.
• 2 players, full duel: 4 gotis, 1 die, opposite corners, kill to unlock home on for more cutting.
• 4 players, family night: 4 gotis, 1 die, default safe squares, team play on if you have two pairs.
• 4 players, short on time: Quick game on, so it ends when the first player finishes.