Dadu Rules — How to Play

Cowrie Throws (5 Shells)

• 1 flat up: Move 1 space + bonus throw. Mandatory: if you have any pieces in reserve, a roll of 1 must be used to enter one.
• 2, 3, 4 flat up: Move 2, 3, or 4 spaces.
• 5 flat up: Move 10 spaces + bonus throw.
• 0 flat up (bust): 0 spaces, all pending throws lost, turn ends.

Movement & Safe Squares

• Pieces travel the shared track around both oval yards. Squares marked with an X are safe.
• Friendly pieces may freely stack on the same square.
• Reaching the center home (Ghar) requires your team to have captured at least one enemy piece first.
• Bearing a piece off from the Ghar requires a roll of exactly 1, and zero pieces left in reserve.
• A player's rolls can't move any piece until they've personally rolled a 1-flat at least once in the match.

Entrenched Attack

• A roll of 1 lets you eliminate an enemy camped alongside one of your pieces, if that enemy's team has zero pieces in reserve.

King (Nakto) Mechanics

• Unprotected King (Nakto) captured → all pieces of that team return to reserve.
• King (Nakto) + friendly pawn → the pawn is sacrificed to shield the King.
• King (Nakto) captures the opposing King (Nakto) → the entire opposing force is wiped out.

How do cowrie shell throws work in Dadu?
Each turn you throw 5 cowrie shells. A 1 moves 1 space and grants a bonus throw; 2, 3, or 4 move that many spaces; a 5 moves 10 spaces plus a bonus throw; a bust (0) ends your turn with no movement.

Can I play Dadu online with friends?
Yes — Dadu's multiplayer version runs free in your browser. Create a room, share the room code, and play together in real time with no installation required.