Escape from Death: The Snakes and Ladders Challenge

Introduction

• You and Bill are renowned bards in the kingdom but made a mistake by insulting the king with your song.
• Before execution, the princess gifts you magic six-sided dice that can land any way you wish.
• You encounter Death, who proposes a life-sized Snakes and Ladders game to escape your fate.

Game Mechanics

• The cavern consists of 100 rooms, interconnected with snakes and ladders.
• Each player rolls a die each turn and advances by the number rolled.
• Landing at the bottom of a ladder allows you to move up, while landing on a snake’s head slides you down to its tail.
• First player to reach the exit must do so in fewer turns than Death (who takes 6 turns).

Strategies to Win

• Ladders: They allow for quick advancement but are limited. No path exclusively using ladders allows reaching the exit in 5 rolls.
  • Example: Ladders take you to position 75, requiring 5 more rolls to exit.
• Snakes: Counterintuitive to use, but provide opportunities to navigate more efficiently.
  • Example: Certain paths that appear longer can facilitate faster exit by using snakes wisely.

Paths to Victory

• Routes:
  • Two potential 5-turn routes identified:
    1. Ladder → Snake → Snake → Ladder → Exit
    2. Ladder → Ladder → Snake → Ladder → Exit
  • These routes share a snake and ladder, making them unusable for both players.
• Utilizing Disappearing Snakes and Ladders:
  • Using the snakes can create opportunities for the other player.
  • Bill can take a snake that opens up a path for you to reach the exit in 5 moves.

Conclusion

• By coordinating, both you and Bill can escape the cavern successfully.
• You re-enter the public square and dazzle the crowd and king with a song about your adventure with Death.