Complete Rules
How to Play ODULUDO
Oduludo is an advanced space-variant of the classic board game Ludo. Four alien factions race across four galaxies to reach Earth. Strategy, risk, and cunning determine the winner.
1 Objective & Setup
The Goal
Guide your fleet of alien pieces through four galaxies and be the first to get all your pieces to Earth (the center of the board). There's a critical catch: your King must arrive last. If your King is captured and sent back to the spaceship, your entire faction is eliminated.
Setup
- Each player chooses a color (Green, Red, Blue, or Purple) and places their 5 pieces on their spaceship (home base).
- A UFO is placed in the center of the board. One UFO is placed on each active player's UFO Parking field.
- The ODULUDO die is placed on top of the center UFO.
- The player who rolls the highest number goes first. In subsequent rounds, the loser of the previous round starts.
Contents
2 The Pieces
Each player commands 5 pieces: 1 King, 1 Queen, and 3 Soldiers. The player decides which piece to deploy from the spaceship — the order is entirely up to you.
The King
- Must reach Earth last (alone or with allies)
- If captured and sent to spaceship, you are eliminated
- Can be kidnapped (see Kidnapping)
- Moves forward only
The Queen
- Can move forwards and backwards
- Cannot move right past her own Moon
- When hitting a Sun, can jump in either direction
- Perfect for defense or hunting enemy Kings
Soldiers (x3)
- Standard forward-moving pieces
- Deploy first to scout the path
- Can be stacked for mutual protection
- Sacrifice them strategically
3 Movement Rules
Basic Movement
- Roll a standard 6-sided die. Move one piece forward the number of fields shown.
- Pieces move clockwise around the board and then up their colored path toward Earth.
- To deploy a piece from the spaceship to your Moon (starting field), roll a 1 or a 6.
- Rolling a 6 grants an extra roll after moving.
Additional Rules
- If all your pieces are on the spaceship or Earth (none in play), you get up to 3 attempts to roll a 1 or 6.
- Two opposing pieces cannot share the same field.
- Once you move a piece, the move is final — except when a piece is on an opponent's Moon (it must be moved next turn).
- You choose which piece to move. You are not forced to move any specific piece.
Reaching Earth
- Earth is represented by two small globe fields at the end of your colored path.
- You must land exactly on one of the globe fields. If the die shows too many, the piece bounces back the remaining steps.
- The colored path fields are safe zones — opponents cannot capture you there.
4 Special Fields
The board is filled with special fields that can help or hinder your progress. Each galaxy contains the same pattern of fields.
Moon
Your starting field and a safe zone. Landing on an opponent's Moon forces that piece to move on the next turn, blocking their deployment temporarily. Part of a 3-field safe zone at each junction.
Star
Lucky field! Landing on a Star grants an extra roll. However, if you arrived here by rolling a 6, you do NOT get an additional extra roll (the 6 already gives you one).
Sun
Landing on a Sun warps you to the next Sun — chain reactions are possible! Opponents on the Sun you jump FROM are NOT affected. If the Sun is at the apex of your colored path, you warp directly to Earth.
Lightning
Danger! Landing on Lightning sends you back to the previous Lightning field. If an opponent is on the destination Lightning, they get captured. Your own pieces on the departure Lightning are NOT affected.
ODULUDO Circle
The high-risk, high-reward field. Landing here gives you the option to roll the special ODULUDO die. You might fly directly to Earth — or get sent back to your Moon. See section 5.
UFO Parking
The first player to land on a UFO Parking field uses the UFO to fly directly to Earth (including any stacked/kidnapped pieces). Each UFO can only be used once per round — after that, it's just a safe zone.
5 The ODULUDO Die
When you land on an ODULUDO Circle, you may choose to roll the special ODULUDO die. It's always optional — but the rewards can be game-changing. The die has 6 faces, each with equal probability:
Fly directly to Earth! The best possible outcome.
Jump to the nearest Sun, then chain to the next Sun.
Same as Sun A — jump forward via two Suns.
Move 3 fields forward. If you hit Lightning, you get sent back.
Sent back to the previous Lightning field.
Sent back to your own Moon. If an opponent is there, you stay put.
6 Stacking & Kidnapping
Stacking (Own Pieces)
- Land on your own piece to stack them together.
- Stacked pieces move together as one on every roll.
- They only separate if captured and sent back to the spaceship.
- You can stack as many of your pieces as you have.
Kidnapping (Opponent Pieces)
- When you land on an opponent's piece, you choose: send them back to their spaceship, or kidnap them.
- Kidnapped pieces travel with you. If you win the round, each kidnapped piece earns you +40 bonus points.
- The downside: the opponent now needs fewer pieces to reach Earth.
- An opponent can rescue their kidnapped piece by landing on you — then YOU might get captured or kidnapped.
- A kidnapped King means that player just needs their remaining pieces at Earth to win.
7 Winning & Scoring
How to Win a Round
- Get all your pieces to Earth, with the King arriving last (alone or together with other pieces).
- Or: eliminate all opponents by capturing their Kings.
- The round continues until only one player (the loser) remains without all pieces at Earth.
Scoring
Elimination Penalty
If your King is captured and sent back to the spaceship, you are eliminated and receive negative points: -20 per piece on your spaceship, -10 per piece on the board.
8 Game Modes
Standard
Play a single round. First to get all pieces to Earth wins. Score is tallied and the game ends. A round takes about 20 minutes for 2 players, 30 for 3, and 40 for 4.
Last Piece
The ultimate variant. The winner of each round plays the next round with one fewer piece (removing Soldiers first, then Queen, then King). Play continues until someone wins 5 rounds. The player with the most total points wins the game.
Team Play
For 4 players. Pair up with the player across from you. Move only your own pieces, but you can stack with your partner. The first team to get all pieces to Earth wins. If either team loses a King, the team is eliminated.
Strategy Tips
Queen as Defender
Stack the Queen with your King for protection. The Queen's ability to move backwards makes her an excellent bodyguard.
Queen as Hunter
Send the Queen alone to hunt opponent Kings. Her backward movement lets her position strategically without overcommitting.
Kidnap Wisely
Kidnapping earns big bonus points if you win, but it means the opponent needs fewer pieces at Earth. Weigh the risk.
ODULUDO Gambles
The ODULUDO die has a 1/6 chance of flying to Earth. Use it when you're behind — the reward outweighs the risk when you're losing.
Ready to race across the galaxies?