Snakes and Ladders in the Toyroom. (COMIC: Relative Dimensions [+]George Mann and Cavan Scott, Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor (Titan Comics, 2015).)
Snakes and ladders was a board game that originated on Earth. It involved navigating "up the ladders, down the snakes" — a movement which Susan Foreman found "comforting" and "meaningless". (PROSE: Time and Relative [+]Kim Newman, Telos Doctor Who novellas (Telos Publishing, 2001).)
The Seventh Doctor had a snakes and ladders game from the 1930s or 1940s in Smithwood Manor. (PROSE: Cat's Cradle: Warhead [+]Andrew Cartmel, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1992).)
In the Althosian system, snakes and ladders had replaced chess as the game of intellectuals, who reasoned that its reliance on chance reflected life better. (PROSE: The Pit [+]Neil Penswick, adapted from Hostage, Virgin New Adventures (Virgin Books, 1993).)
When Mickey Smith said he was playing a game, the Ninth Doctor asked if it was a "nice bit of Snakes and Ladders, [or] something a bit more sophisticated like Snap". (PROSE: Winner Takes All [+]Jacqueline Rayner, BBC New Series Adventures (BBC Books, 2005).)
The Tenth Doctor once jokingly mentioned snakes and ladders when asked what his "game" was. (TV: Fear Her [+]Matthew Graham, Doctor Who series 2 (BBC One, 2006).) Susan Foreman enjoyed playing the game, and did so on 29 March 1963 after her Games class at Coal Hill School was called off due to frozen pipes disabling the showers. (PROSE: Time and Relative [+]Kim Newman, Telos Doctor Who novellas (Telos Publishing, 2001).)
Snakes and ladders was one of the games the Celestial Toymaker played with his victims. In the Toymaker's version, his opponents found themselves on a life-sized version of the game, having to climb actual ladders and evade giant snakes. (PROSE: Divided Loyalties [+]Gary Russell, BBC Past Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 1999)., COMIC: Endgame [+]Alan Barnes, DWM Comics (Marvel Comics UK, 1996).) The Twelfth Doctor and Clara Oswald were chased across the board by a Krampus. (COMIC: Relative Dimensions [+]George Mann and Cavan Scott, Doctor Who: The Twelfth Doctor (Titan Comics, 2015).)
Martha Jones compared the Domovoi sending the occupants of Dreamhome to the house's lower levels to playing snakes and ladders. However, Solin Tiermann did not get the reference. (PROSE: Sick Building [+]Paul Magrs, BBC New Series Adventures (BBC Books, 2007).)
Dodo Chaplet once owned a snakes and ladders set. (TV: The Celestial Toymaker [+]Brian Hayles, Doctor Who season 3 (BBC1, 1966).) She played a game with a Refusian before a Monoid, offended by the snakes, threw the board onto the floor. (PROSE: The Ark [+]Paul Erickson, adapted from The Ark (Paul Erickson and Lesley Scott), Target novelisations (Target Books, 1987).)
Vislor Turlough believed the game to be ludicrous. (PROSE: Mawdryn Undead [+]Peter Grimwade, adapted from Mawdryn Undead (Peter Grimwade), Target novelisations (Target Books, 1984).)
Behind the scenes[]
- Doctor Who The Official Annual 2007 featured a playable variant of snakes and ladders made with references to Tooth and Claw called "Werewolf Attack!"
- DWA 177 contained a playable snakes and ladders variant called "Don't Go Up the Stairs."
