Serpents and Stairs
Where Fortune Favours the Bold
Serpents and Stairs
-
Awaiting the first roll...
Where Fortune Favours the Bold
The serpents coil in shadow. The stairs rise toward fortune. Enter your name, brave soul, and test your fate.
A Game of Fortune for Two Souls
Be the first to reach Square 100 and claim victory over the board. But beware — only an exact roll will secure your triumph.
Both players roll a single die to determine who shall move first. The higher roll claims the honour. In the event of a tie, both shall roll again until fate decides.
On your turn, cast the die and advance your token the number of squares shown. The path follows the ancient boustrophedon pattern — winding left to right, then right to left, ascending the board like a serpent itself.
Should your token land precisely upon the base of a stair, you must climb! Ascend immediately to the square at the stair's summit.
Should your token land precisely upon a serpent's head, you must descend! Slide down the creature's coiling body to the square where its tail rests.
Rolling a six grants a second roll immediately after completing your movement. Should you roll six again, roll again! The chain continues until fate relents.
To claim victory, you must land exactly upon Square 100. Should your roll carry you beyond, you must bounce back from 100 by the excess amount. If this backward movement lands you upon a serpent's head, you must slide down.
The first player to land exactly on Square 100 conquers the Serpents and Stairs and is declared the champion of fortune.
May the dice favour you.
Serpents and Stairs is a game of pure chance. The die alone determines your fate.
The first player holds a statistical whisper of advantage, reaching each milestone before their opponent. But in a game governed by chaos, even whispers can be silenced.
Square 99: The Great Serpent. Landing here sends you plummeting to Square 12. Square 89: The Abyssal Drop. A fall to Square 48 undoes half your progress.
Square 17: The Great Ascent vaults you to Square 53. Square 72: The Final Boost climbs to Square 93, placing victory within reach.
The bounce-back rule transforms the final approach into a gauntlet. Precision is everything.
Negotiate your house rules before the game begins. This version demands exact rolls for victory.
The victor has been declared.