Looney Ludo

From Looney Pyramid Games Wiki
Looney Ludo
Andrew Looney
Navigate an ever-changing maze and collect the right pieces to win
:Players Players: 2 - 6
:Time Length: Medium
:Complexity Complexity: Low
Trios per color: 1
Number of colors: 1 per player
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes: 1 per player
Five-color sets: 1
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
2 Six-sided dice, Treehouse die, Looney Ludo boards
Setup time: 5 minutes
Playing time: 10 minutes - 20 minutes
Strategy depth: Low
Random chance: Medium
Game mechanics: Dynamic board, Stacking
Theme: Abstract
BGG Link: Martian Coasters
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2016


Description[edit | edit source]

Looney Ludo, formerly known as Martian Coasters, is a race/maze game using Looney Ludo boards in which players attempt to collect, transport, and reassemble their scattered pieces onto their personal home squares.

Goal[edit | edit source]

Be the first player to assemble your pyramids into a nest on your goal, which is the center square of the 3×3 board matching your color. For instance, a ::LMS in the center of the :Ludo is a win for the purple player.

Materials[edit | edit source]


::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML :Aim
:Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :6
:6
The greatest amount of materials needed


You will need one nest in a unique color for each player. Colors used by the players must match the colors of the Looney Ludo boards being used. You will also need three dice: two standard six-sided dice and a black Treehouse die. The number of pyramids and Looney Ludo boards varies with the number of players.
To see the materials and setup needed for your specific player amount, click one of the links.


Setup and Materials: 2 Players[edit | edit source]

::SML ::SML :Aim
:Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :6
:6
Two-player materials needed



  • Board Setup: Arrange the Looney Ludo boards as follows.
:Ludo :Ludo
:Ludo :Ludo
Setup for 2 players


Pyramid Placement: We will assume the players are playing with ::SML and ::SML and using Looney Ludo boards in the colors shown in the setup diagram above.

  • Take the ::M and place it onto the center of the blue Looney Ludo board.
  • Take the ::M and place it onto the center of the red Looney Ludo board.
  • Take the ::S and cap the ::L with it, then place that stack onto the center of the green Looney Ludo board.
  • Take the ::S and cap the ::L with it, then place that stack in the center of the purple Looney Ludo board.

You are now ready to play.


Setup and Materials: 3 Players[edit | edit source]


::SML ::SML ::SML :Aim
:Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :6
:6
Three-player materials needed



  • Board: Arrange the Looney Ludo boards as follows.
:Ludo :Ludo
:Ludo :Ludo
Setup for 3 players


Pyramid Placement: We will assume the players are playing with ::SML ::SML ::SML and using Looney Ludo boards in the colors shown in the setup diagram above.

  • Stack up the ::M ::M ::M and place it onto the purple Looney Ludo board.
  • Take the remaining larges and stack them with non-matching smalls.
  • Place each of these stacks onto the center of the board whose color does not match either color in the stack.
For instance, if ::L got paired up with ::S then this stack would need to be placed onto the center of the blue board.
  • Each board should now have a stack of pyramids in its center that do not match the board's color.
  • Now all three players roll a six-sided die. The highest roller will go first, and play will proceed to the left. Rearrange the stack of medium pyramids such that the color of the start player is on the bottom and the color of the player going last is on the top.


You are now ready to play.


Setup and Materials: 4 Players[edit | edit source]

::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML :Aim
:Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :6
:6
Four-player materials needed



  • Board: Arrange the Looney Ludo boards as follows.
:Ludo :Ludo
:Ludo :Ludo
Setup for 4 players



Pyramid Placement: We will assume the players are playing with ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML and using Looney Ludo boards in the colors shown in the setup diagram above.

  • Make four trees whose small, medium, and large pyramids do not match each other.
  • Place each tree on the center of the Looney Ludo board whose color does not match any pyramid in that tree.
For instance, a tree consisting of ::L ::M ::S would go on the center square of the purple board.

You are now ready to play.


Setup and Materials: 5 Players[edit | edit source]

::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML :Aim
:Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :6
:6
Five-player materials needed



  • Board: Arrange the Looney Ludo boards as follows.
:Ludo
:Ludo :Ludo :Ludo
:Ludo
Setup for 5 players


Pyramid Placement: We will assume the players are playing with ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML and using Looney Ludo boards in the colors shown in the setup diagram above.

  • Make five trees whose small, medium, and large pyramids do not match each other.
  • Place each tree on the center of a Looney Ludo board whose color does not match any pyramid in that tree.
For instance, a tree consisting of ::L ::M ::S would go on the center square of the purple or orange board.

You are now ready to play.


Setup and Materials: 6 Players[edit | edit source]

::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML :Aim
:Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :Ludo :6
:6
Six-player materials needed



  • Board: Arrange the Looney Ludo boards as follows.
:Ludo :Ludo :Ludo
:Ludo :Ludo :Ludo
Setup for 6 players


Pyramid Placement: Pyramid Placement: We will assume the players are playing with ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML ::SML and using Looney Ludo boards in the colors shown in the setup diagram above.

  • Make six trees whose small, medium, and large pyramids do not match each other.
  • Place each tree on the center of a Looney Ludo board whose color does not match any pyramid in that tree.
For instance, a tree consisting of ::L ::M ::S would go on the center square of the purple, yellow, or orange board.

You are now ready to play.

Game Play[edit | edit source]

Start Player: Everyone rolls a six-sided die. The highest roller goes first.

  • On your turn, roll all three dice. :6 :6 :Aim
Choose which of the two standard six-sided dice to use and throw the other one out. If you have rolled doubles, you may roll again if you wish.
  • The chosen six-sided die determines your Movement Allowance, and the black Treehouse die determines the action you may take.


Movement Allowance: Each pip on the :6 can move one pip's worth of pyramids. Suppose the blue player rolled a four. He could make any of the moves in this table.

:4
can move
::L one space + ::S one space
::M two spaces
::M one space + ::S two spaces
::S four spaces
...or any combination that
uses fewer than four moves


More About Movement

  • A pyramid must move in the direction of the little arrows printed on the Looney Ludo board.
  • A pyramid may land on another pyramid.
  • A pyramid that has other pyramid(s) on top of it may not move, but it may spend Movement Allowance point(s) rise to the top of the stack. The cost is the same as it would be for a pyramid of that size to move one space.
  • The active player is not required to use all movement pips on the die.


Actions
:Tip Gives you 7 pips' worth of Movement Allowance no matter what you rolled on the six-sided die.
:Dig Gives you permission to move other players' pyramids as well as your own.
:Swap You may take two Looney Ludo boards and swap them. However, you cannot change their orientation as you do so.
:Hop You may move one Looney Ludo board to a different place on the board. At the end of this movement, all the boards must still be connected with one another. Unlike with SWAP, you are allowed to rotate the board, and could even choose to rotate it instead of moving the board.
:Aim You may rotate any or all Looney Ludo boards. This must be done in one fell swoop, with no pyramid movement in between rotations.
:Wild Choose one of the options above.

  • Order of Operations: Actions taken on the black die can be done before, after, or in between the player's spending of the Movement Allowance. The player chooses what order to do things in.
  • You are not required to take the action you rolled.

Game End[edit | edit source]

The game is over when one player has successfully assembled a nest in his own color in the center of his board. For instance, when the green player has assembled ::LMS on the center square of the green :Ludo, the green player has won.
It is okay for the nest be on top of other players' pyramids so long as all three pieces are touching and in the correct order.

History[edit | edit source]

Looney Ludo is based on the game Martian Coasters, which was published in November 2006. It was released as part of Pyramid Arcade and renamed to Looney Ludo because the boards included in Pyramid Arcade aren't coasters, and won't last long if you use them as such. This version has 6 boards (4 of which have a second color on the back) and supports up to 6 players.

Featured in Pyramid Arcade
Black ICE · Color Wheel · Give or Take · Hijinks
Homeworlds · Ice Dice · Ice Towers · Launchpad 23
Looney Ludo · Lunar Invaders · Martian Chess · Petal Battle
Petri Dish · Pharaoh · Powerhouse · Pyramid-Sham-Bo
Treehouse · Twin Win · Verticality · Volcano
World War 5 · Zark City