How to play · Rules

How to play Tower of Fortune

A full guide to the racing board game: roll the die, climb the ladders, dodge the chutes and be the first to reach the top — cell 100. Read it and jump straight into a room.

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In brief

Goal
Be the first to reach cell 100
Players
2–4
Game
10–20 min
Difficulty
Easy
Randomness
High — the die

Goal of the game

“Tower of Fortune” is a fun family racing board game on a field of 100 cells. All tokens start at the entrance to the tower, on cell 1, and climb up the winding path. Whoever reaches cell 100 first at the top of the tower wins. Ladders help you move forward, while chutes roll you back, so the leader can change right up to the very end.

The outcome of a turn is decided entirely by the die, so the game requires no skill — a child and an adult both have a real chance of winning. This is a game about luck, thrills and good company.

Setup

A game has from 2 to 4 players; empty seats are filled by bots. Each has their own token figure (🐙 octopus, 🦊 fox, 🐢 turtle, 🦅 eagle) and their own colour. All tokens are placed on the starting cell 1 by the tower door 🚪, and at the top the finish 🏰 awaits — cell 100.

The board is broken up by ladders and chutes. Ladders are marked with a 🪜 icon and a green frame — step onto their bottom cell and you soar upward. Chutes are marked with a 🕳️ icon and a red frame — land on them and you slide down. These links are drawn on the board with dashed arrows, so the path is visible in advance. The human player goes first, then the turn goes around the circle.

How the game goes

Rolling the die

On your turn, press “Roll the die”. A value from 1 to 6 comes up — that is exactly how many cells your token moves forward. Bots roll the die themselves when it is their turn.

Movement

The token steps up the path by the number of cells rolled. The path snakes back and forth in every row, so the numbering runs 1 → 100 there and back. Several tokens can share the same cell.

Ladders (up)

If a token stops on the bottom cell of a ladder 🪜, it immediately climbs to its top end. One lucky roll can throw you dozens of cells closer to the top at once.

Chutes (down)

If a token lands on a cell with a chute 🕳️, it slides down to the bottom end — back along the path. Sometimes painfully close to the finish, so the outcome is not decided until the very last move.

Passing the turn

Once the token has stopped (taking any ladder or chute into account), the turn passes to the next player around the circle. There are no extra rolls for a six in this version.

Finish

The goal is cell 100 at the top. An exact landing is not required: as soon as a roll takes the token to 100 or beyond, it stands on the finish. The first to get there wins the game.

How to win

The winner is the one whose token reaches cell 100 first. If the number rolled is larger than the distance left to the finish, the extra steps are not needed — the token simply stands on the top of the tower. After the win a results window appears, and the winner is noted in the game log and chat. The others can play on for fun or start a new game right away.

Controls on muta.pro

🎲
Roll the die
The main and only move button — “🎲 Roll the die”. It is also duplicated in the right-hand panel next to the position counter.
🪜
Board and arrows
Ladders (green) and chutes (red) are shown right on the board with dashed arrows — you can see where each cell leads.
📊
Positions and log
On the right — a list of all players' positions (out of 100) and a “Game log” with the history of rolls, climbs and chutes.
💬
Chat and new game
On the left — the room chat, to talk with your opponents. The “↻ New game” button at the top resets the board and starts over.

Tips for beginners

Study the ladder map

Before rolling, look at the arrows: knowing which cells launch you up and which drop you down helps you follow the race.

Don't relax near the top

Chutes near the finish can throw the leader far back. The game is not over until someone stands on cell 100.

It's a game of luck

You can't influence the die — take the slides with humour. Sometimes a single ladder turns the whole game around.

Invite some company

Four is more fun: more tokens on the path means more surprise overtakes and more emotion in the chat.

Odds and the maths of the race

“Tower of Fortune” is a game of pure luck: the single die decides everything, and you can't influence the roll. But the maths of the board is quite clear. The average die roll equals 3.5 cells, which means that without ladders and chutes a 100-cell path is covered in roughly 28–29 turns. It is the ladders and chutes that turn this smooth distance into an unpredictable race.

Each of the six values comes up with a probability of 1/6 ≈ 16.7 % — the die does not “remember” past rolls. The key to understanding a game is not to guess the number but to see which cells ahead are dangerous and which are saving.

1
2
3
4
5
6

The six die outcomes are equally likely — each comes up on average in one roll out of six.

Average pace

Per turn the token covers an average of 3.5 cells. Use this pace to judge who is really closer to the top, not who is simply higher right now.

A ladder speeds you up

One climb can replace 5–10 ordinary turns. It is landing on ladders, not the sum of your rolls, that determines the leader.

A chute throws you back

Sliding down costs those same few turns, but with a minus sign. The cell in front of a big chute is the most unwanted on the board.

How to read the board

You can't control the die, but you can and should watch the distance. The path runs as a snake: in one row the numbers grow left to right, in the next — right to left. Because of this, cells that look adjacent can differ in number by ten. Below is a fragment of such a reversal.

20
19
18
17
16
11
12
13
14
15

The path as a snake: directly above cell 13 lies cell 18 — neighbours on screen, but not along the route.

Look at the arrows in advance

Ladders and chutes are drawn with dashed arrows. Estimate whether you'll land on a dangerous cell with a typical roll of 3–4.

Count to the finish, not to your opponent

What matters is each token's distance to cell 100. The one “ahead on screen” may be standing in front of a chute.

A closer ladder — value it

If the bottom cell of a ladder is only a couple of steps away, the chance of catching it in the next few turns is high. That is your real springboard.

Variants and modes

On muta.pro “Tower of Fortune” is a classic racing board game of 100 cells for 2–4 players, with bots on empty seats. The racing board game itself has many historical and homemade rule variants; it is useful to know them so as not to confuse them with our version.

Our version: no exact finish

You don't need to land on 100 exactly — any roll that takes you to 100 or beyond puts the token on the finish. This speeds up the ending and removes the tedious “overshoots”.

Classic: exact landing

In some board versions you must land on the finish exactly, and the “extra” steps bounce back. We don't have this rule — that makes the game shorter and friendlier to beginners.

No bonus for a six

There is no extra roll for a rolled 6 in this version — the turn always passes on around the circle. A six simply gives the maximum step.

More tokens — more thrill

With four players there are noticeably more overtakes and surprise turns than with two: one ladder for an opponent can instantly flip the picture.

If you've played “Snakes and Ladders” or a paper “racing game” from childhood — the mechanics are the same, but our specific rules for the finish and the six are our own, described above.

Myths and common mistakes

The main mistake in a game of luck is to believe that luck can be controlled. The die is fair and has no memory, so “systems” and “warmed-up” rolls exist only in the player's head. Let's go through what not to believe.

6
6
?

Two sixes in a row change nothing: the chance of a third is the same 1/6 as always.

  1. “After a chute I'm sure to get lucky now.” No. Past rolls don't affect the next one — the probability of any number is always 1/6.
  2. “There's a tactic of rolling harder/softer.” The roll is generated at random, the physics of the click doesn't affect the result. The force and speed of the press change nothing.
  3. “The leader has already won.” A chute right near the top throws you far back, so until a token stands on 100 the game is not over.
  4. “Playing solo is boring and unfair.” Bots move by the same rules and the same die — chances are equal, and you can start a game at any moment.

Take the slides with humour

A chute is part of the game, not bad luck aimed at you personally. It is exactly the up-and-down swings that make the racing game fun.

Don't look for a “roll strategy”

There isn't one and can't be. Save your nerves: enjoy the race rather than trying to outwit the die.

Frequently asked questions

How many dice are in the game?
One die with values from 1 to 6. That is how many cells the token moves per turn.
Do you have to land on 100 exactly?
No. If a roll takes the token to 100 or beyond, it simply stands on the finish and wins — no re-roll is required.
Can you play solo?
Yes. Empty seats are filled by bots that move automatically, so you can start a game at any moment.
What do ladders and chutes do?
A ladder 🪜 instantly lifts the token up, a chute 🕳️ drops it down. They trigger as soon as the token stops on such a cell.
Does the speed of pressing the button affect the roll?
No. The die value is chosen at random and does not depend on how fast or hard you pressed the button. All six outcomes are equally likely.
How many turns does the course take on average?
The average roll equals 3.5 cells, so without ladders and chutes a hundred cells are covered in roughly 28–29 turns. Ladders and chutes shift that number sharply in both directions.
Why does the cell numbering go now left, now right?
The path is laid out as a snake: the direction reverses in every next row. Because of this, cells that are neighbours on screen vertically can differ in number by about ten.
Does a six give an extra turn?
Not in this version. A six simply advances the token the maximum six cells, after which the turn passes to the next player around the circle.
Can you overtake an opponent standing higher on the board?
Yes. If they are standing in front of a chute or you land on a ladder, the picture changes instantly. What matters is the distance to cell 100, not the token's current height.
Are the bots fair and is the die the same for everyone?
Yes. Bots move by the same rules and with the same random die as humans, they have no advantages. Everyone's chances of winning are equal.
Ready for a game?
Create a room, invite a friend by code or play against a bot.

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