Ludo
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It's been a long time in the planning but worth the wait. Masters Traditional Games is proud to make available these unique, extremely high quality boards in two styles. Hand-made to our own commission by an experienced Marquetry craftshop - you won't find the elegant boards on this page anywhere else.
For the games enthusiast or any lover of fine wooden objects, the first board is faced entirely with natural wood. The pieces and inlays on the board are from four carefully chosen contrasting woods to distinguish the players on the board. But, it doesn't stop there - together with the backdrop, squares and other board features, there are a total of 9 different woods including Ebony, Yew, Oak and Walnut combining to make a game that is fit for a King. |
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Ludo is, in fact, the modern classic children's version of the ancient Indian game Pachisi. But, just because Ludo is designed for children doesn't mean that they should have to put up with horrible plastic pieces on a thin card board! Our other board is made in colourful pastel shades of dyed inlaid wood. It is a beautiful hand-made wooden game with bright pieces that will appeal to youngsters. Guaranteed to be passed down the family for generations to come.... Board dimensions are 36 cm (14 inches) square, rules, 16 disks and 2 dice are included. Note that this game does not come with a storage box. However, we can provide a special hand-made Oak storage box into which the board slots. See our Uckers page for a picture of how this works. This product contains small parts that represent a choking hazard for small children. Not suitable for children under 5 years old. |
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Click on the picture to enlarge.
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Change to $  Change to  |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
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Hand Made Ludo Game - Dyed Inlay |
£93.53 | £109.90 | Apologies - product is discontinued | ||
Hand Made Ludo Game - Natural wood Inlay |
£102.04 | £119.90 | Apologies - product is discontinued | ||
Solid Oak Box for hand-made board games |
£57.79 | £67.90 | Apologies - product is discontinued | ||
 | For an immediate quote & to confirm that an item will arrive before Christmas |
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| Change to $ Change to |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Spare set of hand-made natural wood disks for Ludo (19mm diam.) |
£15.23 | £17.90 | 1 + transit time | ||
Spare set of 16 colourful disks for Ludo (19mm diam.) |
£4.17 | £4.90 | 1 + transit time | ||
| | For an immediate quote & to confirm that an item will arrive before Christmas |
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Uckers
Both styles of game board were designed from the outset to meet the requirements of Uckers, the grown-up version of Ludo that is popular throughout the Royal Navy and with other military personnel around the world. The pieces are stackable and the box is nice and sturdy. The craftsman used waterproof glue and varnish in the construction of the boards and 2 dice and Uckers rules are included.
Due
to various requests, we have also made available special hand-made Oak
wooden cases that the boards can slot into thus providing a storage box
for the pieces that is convenient to carry around.
It is shown here with an Uckers board but any of the hand-made boards will slot into it.
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History of Pachisi and Ludo
Pachisi (also spelt Parcheesi, Parchisi, Parchisi, Parchesi; also known as Twenty-Five) is the National Game of India. The name comes from the Indian word "pacis" which means twenty five, the highest score that could be thrown with the cowry shells. Pachisi is, in fact, the younger sister of Chaupar (or Chausar or Chaupad), a more venerable, complex and skilful game that is still played in India.
The Indian Emperor Akbar I of the 16th century Mogul Empire, apparently played Chaupar on great courts constructed of inlaid marble. He would sit on a Dias four feet high in the centre of the court and throw the cowry shells. On the red and white squares around him, 16 beautiful women from the harem, appropriately coloured, would move around according to his directions. The origins of Pachisi and Chaupar are lost in time but uncertain evidence indicates that forms of the game were in existence in the Indian region from at least the 4th century AD. Both have hardly changed since Emperor Akbar played although the game is not as widely played in India as it once was.
Pachisi boards as played in the street are often constructed of cloth, 6 cowry shells are thrown to determine the moves and the counters are made of wood in a beehive shape. Pachisi is a 'Cross and Circle' game, variations of which appear all over the world
In 1896, a westernised version of Pachisi was published in England under the name Ludo (Latin for "I play"), a game which has been popular in that country ever since. The game however, is a simplistic version of Pachisi for children. In America, an analagous simplified version appeared called Parcheesi which was for decades, Selchow & Richter's bestselling game.
You can learn more about the history of Ludo and Pachisi from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.