Burrec mos u zemëro is the Albanian name for Mensch ärgere dich nicht, a race game for 2 to 4 players. Each player moves four pawns once around a 40-field track and into their own finish lane. Roll a 6 to leave home, land on opponents to send them back, and be first to bring all four pawns home.

The board

Setup

• Two to four players. In this game every seat nobody takes is played by the Computer, so a game always has four colors.
• Each player puts four pawns in their home corner.
• Red starts, and turns go clockwise.

Your turn

1. Roll the dice and move one pawn forward by exactly that many fields.
2. Leaving home: a 6 lets you bring a pawn from home onto your start field. It can't come out while one of your own pawns is on the start field.
3. Rolling a 6 always gives you another roll after your move.
4. All pawns at home: you may roll up to three times in that turn to get a 6.
5. No move possible: the turn passes to the next player.

Moving and capturing

• You can jump over any pawn. There are no blockades.
• You can't land on your own pawn.
• Land exactly on an opponent's pawn on the track and it is captured: it goes back to its home and has to come out with a 6 again.
• There are no safe fields on the track. Pawns in a finish lane can't be captured.
• Capturing is never compulsory, and it doesn't give an extra roll.

The finish lane

• After a full lap, each pawn turns off the track into its own 4-field finish lane.
• You can't move past the end of the lane, so a roll that is too high leaves that pawn where it is.
• You win when all four of your pawns are in the finish lane.

Turn timer and leaving

In online rooms each turn has a 60-second timer; when it runs out, the game moves for you. Games against the Computer and Around the table games have no timer. If a player leaves a room, a Computer takes over their color with the pawns where they stand, and someone joining later can take that seat.

Common questions

Do you need a 6 to get out?

Yes. Only a 6 brings a pawn from home onto your start field, and only if none of your own pawns is standing there.

How many times can you roll when all pawns are home?

Up to three times per turn, until you roll a 6. Once any pawn is out, you get one roll per turn (plus another for every 6).

Can two of your own pawns share a field?

No. A move that would land on one of your own pawns is not allowed.

Can you jump over pawns?

Yes. Pawns never block the way, yours or anyone else's.

Is there a safe field?

Not on the track: a pawn on any track field, start fields included, can be captured. Pawns in a finish lane are safe.

Do you get an extra roll for a capture?

No. Only a 6 gives an extra roll.

Do you have to capture?

No. If several pawns can move, you choose which one.

Do you need an exact roll to finish?

You can't move past the end of your finish lane. If a roll would take a pawn too far, that pawn can't move this turn.

What if no pawn can move?

Your turn passes to the next player.

How these rules differ from Ludo

English Ludo uses a 52-square cross-shaped track with safe squares, and in many house rules a capture or three sixes changes your turn. Burrec mos u zemëro follows the German Mensch ärgere dich nicht board: a 40-field track, no safe fields, no blockades, and only a 6 earns an extra roll. See the game's names around the world.

Want a faster game? Try the Quick and First capture modes.