This is the first post in a series on fictional board games. If you want to learn more, check out the previous post, as well as the coming 2.
I think my first great experience with fictional board games was with this lovely game from Avatar: The Last Airbender, so I think it’s only right I talk about this one first.
Pai Sho is a strategy game akin to chess, checkers or go, where players take turns placing and moving pieces across a large circular board.
In-Universe
Let’s start with the way Pai Sho is used in-universe. We mostly see Pai Sho used in one place, and that is with the character of Uncle Iroh. We saw it in Book 1 during those times when Zuko was being hot-headed aboard his ship chasing the avatar. While Zuko is being his impatient self, we see Iroh in the background, calmly playing. In this way, the game of Pai Sho really serves as a highlight to Iroh’s character. Not only is he a foil for Zuko, being a calm and patient man, it also shows us that he is wise and a great thinker. Pai Sho is a strategy game after all, and Iroh used to be a fire nation general. The game also highlights another thing that I think is really important. It shows us Iroh as somewhat playful. He isn’t as stoic and serious as a lot of the other fire nation characters we’ve seen, and this helps endear him to us even more.
The other way Pai Sho is used in-universe is as a tie-in to the White Lotus. First with Iroh and Zuko in Book 2 when they meet a mysterious stranger who, after a game of Pai Sho, really helps them out. And then later again in Book 3 when master Piandao gifts Sokka a white lotus tile. In this way, the game serves to show us that there is an air of wisdom about these characters. Aang also plays Pai Sho with monk Gyatso in a flashback. Pai Sho is mysterious and old, and those that know how to play this game well must be very wise indeed.
So, whenever the game of Pai Sho is shown, it tells us something about whoever is playing. I think the show did this very well. It is yet again one of those things that make A:TLA even more great.
Gameplay
As great as Pai Sho is as a story device, it is surprisingly lacking in actual rules.
Here’s what we know from the show: Pai Sho is played on a circular board (or table) with red, white and neutral areas, with a grid of squares on top of it. Pieces, or tiles, mostly have flower designs, and can be placed or moved on a player’s turn.
…And that’s pretty much it.
There are some other things we see from the Pai Sho game on screen, but they are inconclusive or even contradictory. Sometimes there is a mention of a game pot (consisting of playing pieces) which can be won, but it is also described as a strategy game (or at least implied to be). Sometimes tiles are placed on the intersections of the grid and sometimes inside the squares. It is also not clear how many people can play at a time.
Now, in the years since the show has ended (which is 2008 so, gosh, 15 years already), the community has come up with some great rules and other ideas to complete the game. I won’t go into full detail, since explaining all the rules would take too long, and there are also different versions of the game, but here is the basic idea:
The game is very similar in concept to strategy games like (chinese) chess, checkers and go. Two players, each with the same set of tiles, face off against each other to see who has the wisest tactics. Tiles are placed on the intersections of the grid, like in go or chinese chess, to keep that eastern/oriental feel that was so present in the show. The game is themed around flowers and flower-arranging, again reminiscent of the eastern philosophy which was present in the show. All the tiles represent different flowers, and the areas of the board are called “gardens”. The object of the game is to make “harmonies” between different types of flowers, and a player wins when they make a “harmony ring” of connected harmonies.
I really like this game that the community has come up with. After I saw Iroh playing Pai Sho in the show I was like ‘how can I play this for myself?’, and I was a bit disappointed to learn the game did not have any actual rules. But what the community came up with is not only a good game, but also very true to what we see in the show. Not only visually, but also spiritually, which is a big aspect of the Avatar show.
Now where can you play Pai Sho yourself? There used to be a number of places online (all quite small), that each had their own versions of the game, but over the years I believe the community has settled somewhat. One of these online platforms has grown to become the definitive place for people looking to play Pai Sho. It is called The Garden Gate – SkudPaiSho.com (link: https://skudpaisho.com/site/)
This is a great site that has a lot of resources available. There are the many different rulesets, tools to play online, as well as links to buying physical Pai Sho sets.
Well, there we have it. I really like chess (i play in a chess club irl) and I love Avatar, so it should be no wonder that I really enjoy the concept of Pai Sho and why this was the first article in the series. I hope you enjoyed it!
Next up: Liar’s Dice
Love,
~ Sanne