The lockdown has made you all stuck-up at home. I
can feel your discomfort in not being able to go out of the house, go to
school, cannot meet friends, even can’t visit friends’ homes. But what can we
do?
This is the pandemic that has spread across the
globe. Every country is taking precautions so that this infection does not
spread. So, we should also follow the do’s and don’ts to be safe.
Being at home some time can be spent in playing
indoor games.
Let’s talk about the game of Ludo. I think most
of you have played Ludo. For those who have, can now think about it.
So let me tell you something about the game of
Ludo.
Just a simple description: Ludo is a strategy 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 dice. Like other cross and
circle games, Ludo is derived from the Indian game Pachisi, but is much simpler.
What is needed to play this game:
Ludo is a strategy board game for two to four players.
You need a Ludo board and 16 tokens with 4 tokens each of a different colour
and a dice. The Ludo board is easily available at the toy store near your home
or you can purchase it online with the help of your parents.
The players race their four tokens from start to
finish according to the rolls of a single dice and whoever reaches the finish
first with all his or her four tokens is the winner.
How to play:
Players
take turns in a clockwise order. A piece simply moves in a
clockwise direction around the track given by the number thrown with the dice.
If no piece can legally move according to the number thrown, play passes to the
next player.
A throw of 6 gives another turn to throw the
dice.
A player must throw a 6 with the dice to move a
piece from the starting circle onto the first square on the track. And then you
move your token easily with the throw of your dice. Once the four tokens of a
player is out of his or her starting circle it becomes easy for the player to
play. The player decides which tokens to
move. The token moves around the track and crosses the others to reach home
safely. Each player gets a turn one after another. If a token lands on a token of
the opponent colour, that token of the opponent is sent back to the starting
circle.
If a piece lands upon a piece of the same
colour, this forms a block. This block cannot be passed or landed on by any
opposing piece.
The
first person to move all 4 pieces into the home triangle wins.
Young children like this game. It is simple and
easy to play. And then of course the counting is there with the throw of the
dice. Why children, even elders enjoy playing this game.
What is it about Ludo that has made it such a
longstanding game across hundreds of years? Perhaps the charm lies in its
simplicity and elegant design. Or maybe it’s about the way it brings people
together in order to spend some quality time. No matter what, one thing is for
sure – Ludo is extremely fun.
Having said about the Ludo game I want to share
some experiences. As children we used to play Ludo. Four players. The game
would be at its full swing. Suddenly someone’s token has to go back to the
starting point…then the fight would start. The board with all the tokens and
dice would be simply just messed up and the whole game and game time lost and
spoilt.
As children, such strong emotions run when losing
a game. There would be exchange of words and the game would stop. But soon with
everything patched up the game would start again with laughing and talking. At
times the quarrel among the players would be such, the Ludo board would be torn
to number of pieces and if the board was lucky the tear would be from the
middle. But home remedy was there. Gum and paper would soon fix the board into
whole.
So, friends if you have a Ludo board at home,
play the game and see what happens next.
Keep me informed about your Ludo Game adventure
so that we can have a share of your thoughts and then think whether to laugh
or…
See you again.
© Gouri Guha 2021
