Snakes and Ladders — guidebook

Race three computer opponents to square 100. Ladders carry you upwards; snakes send you down. You control when to roll, while the result of the die determines where you go.

Start and objective

You are the teal counter marked Y. The other counters are A, B and C. Everyone starts off the board at position 0, and you play first. The order is always Y, A, B, C, repeating until somebody wins.

Press Roll the dice on your turn. Any die result lets you enter the board: a four from position 0 places you on square 4. You do not need a six to start. Reach exactly 100 before the other players to win.

Read the board

Square 1 is at the bottom left. The first row runs left to right; the next row reverses direction. Continue following the numbered rows to square 100 at the top left.

Brown ladders join a lower square to a higher one. Red snakes join a higher square to a lower one. The small numbers identify the squares even where paths cross. Counter letters and the Positions display help distinguish players sharing a square. Position 0 means that player has not entered yet.

The die display shows the most recent player's roll, not a roll saved for your next turn. The status message identifies whose turn comes next. The short log records the latest four moves and any climbs or slides.

Exact house rules

• Every turn uses one ordinary six-sided die.
• A six gives no extra turn. The next player takes over as usual.
• Landing on the bottom of a ladder sends you to its top. Landing on a snake's head sends you to its tail.
• Passing over a snake or ladder has no effect; only the square where the roll lands matters.
• Players may share squares. There are no captures, blockades or penalties for sharing.
• You must land exactly on 100. A roll that would pass 100 leaves your counter where it was and ends your turn.
• The first counter to reach 100 wins immediately. Nobody else rolls after the result.

Worked examples

1. From 0, rolling 3 lands on ladder 3 and carries you to 22. Your turn then ends.
2. From 14, rolling 3 lands on snake 17 and sends you to 4.
3. From 15, rolling 3 lands on 18. Passing square 17 does not trigger its snake.
4. From 98, rolling 2 wins. Rolling 3, 4, 5 or 6 leaves you on 98; rolling 1 moves you to 99.

Controls and computer turns

Tap or click Roll the dice. With a keyboard, use Tab to focus Roll and press Enter or Space. The button is disabled while a computer player takes its turn or after the game ends.

There is no separate pause button. Computer players finish their turns, then the game waits indefinitely for your next roll. Computer players roll automatically after a short delay. They use the same die and rules as you. Movement respects your browser's reduced-motion preference; the game still reports each result in text.

A small playbook

There is no move selection and no hidden winning strategy. Rolling sooner, waiting longer or clicking repeatedly does not improve the die result. Enjoy the changes in fortune, follow the move messages, and remember that being near 100 does not guarantee a quick finish.

The exact-finish rule is the main thing to watch near the top. A player far behind can still catch up through a ladder while the leader waits for the right roll.

Results, replay and progress

The winner is named in the status area and further rolls stop. Choose New game to start everybody at 0 again. During an unfinished game, New game asks before replacing the current round; Keep playing cancels that request.

There is no saved match or score history. Reloading or closing the page starts a fresh game. Keep the game tab open if you want to finish the current round. The full guidebook opens in a separate tab so reading it need not replace your game.

Install, offline and printing

Open the game online once and allow it to finish loading. Use Install if your browser offers it, or its Install app/Add to Home Screen action. On Safari for iPhone or iPad, use Share then Add to Home Screen. Installation is optional for playing in the browser.

After a complete initial load, the standalone game and this guidebook are available offline. The game needs HTTPS for service-worker installation, except localhost during development. When embedded in the common arcade, installation belongs to that host site.

Use your browser's Print command to print this guidebook or save it as PDF. Physical-phone installation is not yet verified on a device.

Troubleshooting

If Roll is disabled, read whose turn it is or check whether somebody has won. A counter staying still near 100 usually means the die overshot. A counter jumping several rows after a roll means it landed on a snake or ladder; the move log gives both endpoints.

If offline play is unavailable, load the full standalone page online again before trying without a connection. Browser data clearing removes the offline copy.