Ladder Game
Enter names and results, make a ladder, then tap a name to follow its path to a result. Great for picking a winner, an order or who buys coffee.
How to play
- Choose 2–8 players and type their names (blank names show as #1, #2…).
- Fill in the results, or use a preset: one winner, an order (No. 1, No. 2…), or a coffee run.
- Press Make a ladder. The rungs stay hidden until someone taps a name, then that path is traced to its result.
Why everyone gets exactly one result
Each rung swaps the two neighbouring lines, so no two paths can ever end in the same slot. Rungs never touch at the same height, and every pair of neighbouring lines gets at least one rung.
Is a ladder game fair?
Not on its own. A path moves at most one line per rung, so with more players it tends to end up near where it started and rarely reaches the far end. We built 20,000 ladders per group size with the same 10-row generator this page uses and counted where the first player landed:
| Players | If fair | Straight down | Far end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 33.3% | 32.5% | 35.0% |
| 4 | 25.0% | 27.8% | 21.8% |
| 5 | 20.0% | 27.9% | 11.6% |
| 6 | 16.7% | 28.1% | 5.5% |
| 7 | 14.3% | 27.7% | 1.9% |
| 8 | 12.5% | 27.8% | 0.6% |
That is why Semteo also shuffles the order of the result slots every time it makes a ladder. With a shuffled order, every way of matching players to results is equally likely, whatever the ladder looks like. Randomness comes from your browser's crypto.getRandomValues.
Privacy
Names and results stay in this browser. The share button shares only the page address, and Copy results copies the text to your own clipboard.
FAQ
Is a ladder game fair?
A ladder alone favours the slot straight below each player (about 28% instead of 12.5% with 8 players). Semteo also shuffles the result slots, so every outcome is equally likely.
How many players can join?
Two to eight. For a longer random order, use the Team picker's Set order mode.
Are names saved anywhere?
No. They stay on this page in your browser and are never put into share links.