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Pai Sho Rules Page

This version was saved 11 years, 10 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by Osuji
on April 12, 2013 at 2:50:50 pm
 

Minor formatting changes. Added outline for sample game, actual moves will have to be devised for each described move. Made refinements to the harmony section. Separated harmony chain descriptions from Harmony Ring descriptions. Harmony section and most of the playing section is still being revised. The entire section will probably need to be reordered.

1.0 Table of Contents


 

 


Version Notes

 

Ideas that Need Discussion 

    • Why do we have two different flowers that do the same thing? shouldn't each player just have a White Rose and a Red Rose instead of a Jasmine and a Rose? Wouldn't that be simpler to understand? 

 

Pai Sho Rules

 

The Pai Sho Ban

  

Regions of the Board 

   

Playable Points

Tiles are placed on intersections. All intersections that fall completely inside the circle of the board are playable. Intersections that seem to fall directly on the edge of the circle or just outside it, are marked with star points if they are playable. Intersections can be red, white, yellow, neutral, or piebald.

Red Intersections

All intersections that fall completely inside either of the red central gardens

Red Intersections give White Flowers one point of disharmony

White Intersections

All intersections that fall completely inside either of the white central gardens

White intersections give Red Flowers one point of disharmony

Yellow Intersections

All intersections that fall completely inside the outer yellow gardens

Yellow intersections have no effect on harmony or disharmony

Piebald Intersections

Piebald intersections are considered part of all gardens with which they share a color. Any intersection that falls along a line or corner of a wall, fence, or path is a piebald intersection and takes on the color of all gardens it touches. All intersections that lie between two or more gardens are Piebald. A tile on a piebald intersection may move to any adjacent garden.

Piebald Intersections have no effect on harmony or disharmony

Neutral Intersections

Intersections that are open to all tiles are considered neutral

Neutral Intersections have no effect on harmony or disharmony

Gardens

The 12 colored regions on the board are called gardens. There are are 4 central gardens (2 red central gardens, 2 white central gardens), 4 yellow gardens, and 4 special gardens called Torii or gates (small red triangular regions at the edge of the board near the compass points).

Natural / Unnatural Gardens

White Central Gardens

White Central Gardens are the Natural Gardens for White Flower Tiles and have no effect on the harmony or disharmony of White Flowers

White Central Gardens are the Unnatural Gardens for Red Flower Tiles and give each Red Flower completely inside the garden one point of disharmony

Red Central Gardens

Red Central Gardens are the Natural Gardens for Red Flower Tiles and have no effect on the harmony or disharmony of Red Flowers

Red Central Gardens are the Unnatural Gardens for White Flower Tiles and give each White Flower completely inside the garden one point of disharmony

Neutral Gardens

A Neutral Garden has no natural association with any flower tiles. Any flower tile may be placed in a Neutral Garden. All intersections completely within a Neutral Garden are themselves Neutral. All tiles may be moved to, or dropped within neutral gardens. Neutral Gardens have no effect on harmony or disharmony

Yellow Gardens

The outer Yellow Gardens are Neutral Gardens

Torii

(Japanese for bird gate)

The Torii are Neutral Gardens. Even though Torii are red in color, they are not Natural Gardens nor are they Red Central Gardens. Intersections completely within Torii are Neutral. Torii are gateways to the central gardens. Tiles may move from a yellow gardens to a central garden without pausing as long as they cross at least one intersection that touches or is contained within a torii, even if doing so causes them to also cross a garden wall.

Walls, Fences and Paths

Walls

The borders which separate the yellow gardens from the central gardens are called walls. Tiles may not cross from a yellow garden to a central garden without stopping on a wall intersection for one turn, or passing through a torii. Tiles that start their movement on a wall may move directly to either garden. No tile may be dropped directly on a wall unless that intersection touches a torii. Tiles with Knight based movement can't leap over a wall but must land on a wall intersection and wait a turn before moving off of it. Tiles with diagonal movement must stop their movement on an labeled intersection. If their path does not cross a wall intersection they cannot stop on the wall and cannot cross the wall. Hopper tiles like the Spirit Wheel may treat a wall as a tile for the purposes of hopping movement

Fences

The borders which separate the Torii from the yellow gardens are called fences. Tiles moving between a yellow garden and a torii do not need to pause on fences. All tiles may be dropped on the fences. The piebald intersections on a fence count as part of all the gardens then touch including the torii. Tiles do not therefore need to pause on a fence if their movement would cause them to cross one.

Paths  

(Budao or Yongdao in Chinese)

The borders which separate the central gardens from each other (10c to 10q and 3j to 17j) are called paths. Tiles do not need to pause on a path when crossing between central gardens

 


 

The Pai Sho Tiles 

The Flower Tiles 

White Flower Tiles

White flowers receive one disharmony point while standing on a completely red intersection (wholly inside an unnatural garden)

Lily

(6 tiles per player)


May be dropped on any neutral intersection (Torii and yellow gardens)

Moves up to 1 intersection horizontally and vertically, or up to 3 intersections diagonally. But may not change direction during a move

Captures all tiles diagonally only

Sends harmony and disharmony diagonally only

Sends Harmony to Jade, Jasmine, and Chrysanthemum tiles

Receives Harmony from Chrysanthemum, Rhododendron, and Rose tiles

Sends Disharmony to Lily, Rose, and Rhododendron tiles

Receives Disharmony from Jasmine, Jade, and Lily tiles

Jade

(6 tiles per player)


May be dropped on any neutral intersection (Torii and yellow gardens)

Moves up to 3 Intersections horizontally or vertically

Captures all tiles

Sends Harmony to Jasmine, Chrysanthemum, and Rhododendron

Receives Harmony from Rhododendron, Rose, and Lily

Sends Disharmony to Jade, Lily, and Rose

Receives Disharmony from Chrysanthemum, Jasmine, and Jade

Jasmine

(6 tiles per player)


May be dropped on any neutral intersection (Torii and yellow gardens)

 Moves 1 intersection horizontally or vertically, followed by a 45 degree angle turn for 1 intersection diagonally but does not leap over walls or tiles

Captures all tiles

Sends Harmony to Chrysanthemum, Rhododendron, and Rose

Receives Harmony from Rose, Lily, and Jade

Sends Disharmony to Jasmine, Jade, and Lily

Receives Disharmony from Rhododendron, Chrysanthemum, and Jasmine

Red Flower Tiles

Red flowers receive one disharmony point while standing on a completely white intersection (wholly inside an unnatural garden)

Chrysanthemum

(6 tiles per player)


May be dropped on any neutral intersection (Torii and yellow gardens)

Moves up to 1 intersection horizontally and vertically, or up to 3 intersections diagonally. But may not change direction during a move

Captures all tiles diagonally only

Sends harmony and disharmony diagonally only

Sends Harmony to Rhododendron, Rose, and Lily

Receives Harmony from Lily, Jade, and Jasmine

Sends Disharmony to Chrysanthemum, Jasmine, and Jade

Receives Disharmony from Rose, Rhododendron, and Chrysanthemum

Rhododendron

(6 tiles per player)


May be dropped on any neutral intersection (Torii and yellow gardens)

Moves up to 3 intersections horizontally or vertically

Captures all tiles

Sends Harmony to Rose, Lily, and Jade

Receives Harmony from Jade, Jasmine, and Chrysanthemum

Sends Disharmony to Rhododendron, Chrysanthemum, and Jasmine

Receives Disharmony from Lily, Rose, and Rhododendron

Rose

(6 tiles per player)


May be dropped on any neutral intersection (Torii and yellow gardens)

Moves 1 intersection horizontally or vertically, followed by a 45 degree angle turn for 1 intersection diagonally but does not leap over walls or tiles

Captures all tiles

Sends Harmony to Lily, Jade, and Jasmine tiles

Receives Harmony from Jasmine, Chrysanthemum, and Rhododendron tiles

Sends Disharmony to Rose, Rhododendron, and Chrysanthemum tiles

Receives Disharmony from Chrysanthemum, Rhododendron, and Rose tiles

 

Special Flowers

Lotus

(3 tiles per player)


May be dropped on any intersection except on a wall

Moves up to 2 intersections horizontally, vertically, or diagonally

Captures all tiles

Sends Harmony to all flowers except the Orchid

Receives Harmony from all flowers except the Orchid

Sends Disharmony to no tile

Receives Disharmony from Orchids

Orchid  

(3 tiles per player)

 

May be dropped on any intersection except on a wall

Moves up to 6 intersections horizontally, vertically, or diagonally

Captures all tiles

Sends Harmony to no tile

Receives Harmony from no tile

Sends Disharmony to all flower tiles except other Orchids

Receives Disharmony from no tile

 

The Element Tiles

    • All element tiles except the Chi Blocker may bend the flower tiles of any player but no element tile may bend another.
    • Element tiles capture each other but do not capture flower tiles.
    • Element tiles may however be captured by flower tiles.
    • Element tiles are harmony neutral and do not send or receive either harmony or disharmony
    • Players must keep at least one element tile in play at all times. If a player fails to keep an element tile in play he is removed from the game. If there is only one player with element tiles left in the game the game ends and the player with the highest score wins

Chi Blocker

(1 tile per player)

May be dropped onto any intersection except a wall intersection

Moves one 1 intersection horizontally or vertically, followed by a 45 degree angle turn for 2 intersections diagonally (as a Zebra) or 1 intersection horizontally, vertically, or diagonally (as a Mahn)

Is it a leaper?

Has no bending ability

Does not send or receive either harmony or disharmony

Immobilizes all adjacent tiles

        • Adjacent element tiles have one turn to withdraw by one and only one intersection of their regular movement (1 intersection orthogonally for knight moving tiles)
        • Does it immobilize other Chi Blockers too?

Prevents all adjacent element tiles from bending

Captures only as a Mahn and only after immobilizing

May do one of the following during a turn:

        • Drop and Move
        • Move
        • Move, Immobilize and Block Bending of adjacent tiles
        • Capture an immobilized element tile

Air

(1 tile per player)

May be dropped on any intersection except a wall intersection

Moves 1 intersection horizontally or vertically, followed by a 45 degree angle turn for 1 intersection diagonally but does not leap over walls or tiles

Does not send or receive either harmony or disharmony

Bends all flowers.

        • To bend a flower tile, the air tile must be able to move to the flower tile as if to capture it
        • The flower tile being bent may make one move as if it were the air tile
        • The flower tile being bent may not leap, cross over, or land on the air tile or any other tile
        • The flower tile being bent may not cross a wall unless the flower touches part of a torii
        • The flower tile being bent may not itself bend another tile

May do one of the following during a turn:

        • Drop and Move
        • Move
        • Bend a flower tile
        • Move and Bend a flower tile in range from its new location
        • Capture an element tile

 

Water

(1 tile per player)

May be dropped onto any intersection except a wall intersection

Moves up to 6 intersections Diagonally. or one intersection horizontally or vertically.

Captures only element tiles

Captures diagonally only

Does not send or receive either harmony or disharmony

Bends all flowers.

        • To bend a flower tile, the water tile must be able to move diagonally to the flower tile as if to capture it.
        • The water tile may not bend a flower tile it can only reach orthogonally
        • A flower being bent may be moved one intersection diagonally as if it were the water tile or it may be moved toward or away from the water tile within 7 intersections of the water tile.
        • A flower being bent may not land on, cross over, or pass through the water tile or any other tile
        • A flower tile being bent may not cross over or pass through a wall unless the flower touches part of a torii
        • A flower tile being bent may not itself bend another tile

 

May do one of the following during a turn:

        • Drop and Move
        • Move
        • Bend a flower tile
        • Move and Bend a flower tile in range from its new location
        • Capture an element tile

Earth

(1 tile per player)


May be dropped onto any intersection except a wall intersection

Moves up to 6 intersections horizontally or vertically.

Captures only element tiles

Does not send or receive either harmony or disharmony

Bends all flowers.

        • To bend a flower tile, the earth tile must be able to move to the flower tile as if to capture it.
        • A flower being bent may be moved one intersection as if it were the earth tile or it may be moved toward or away from the earth tile within 7 intersections of the earth tile.
        • A flower being bent may not land on, cross over, or pass through the earth tile or any other tile
        • A flower tile being bent may not cross over or pass through a wall unless the flower touches part of a torii
        • The flower tile being bent may not itself bend another tile

May do one of the following during a turn:

        • Drop and Move
        • Move
        • Bend a flower tile
        • Move and Bend a flower tile in range from its new location
        • Capture an element tile

Fire

(1 tile per player)

May be dropped onto any intersection except a wall intersection

Moves move up to 6 intersections horizontally, vertically, or diagonally

Captures only element tiles

Does not send or receive either harmony or disharmony

Bends only flowers

        • To bend a flower tile, the fire tile must be able to move to the flower tile as if to capture it.
        • A flower being bent may be moved one intersection as if it were the fire tile or it may be moved toward or away from the fire tile within 7 intersections of the fire tile.
        • A flower being bent may not land on, cross over, or pass through the fire tile or any other tile
        • A flower tile being bent may not cross over or pass through a wall unless the flower touches part of a torii
        • The flower tile being bent may not itself bend another tile

May do one of the following during a turn:

        • Drop and Move
        • Move
        • Bend a flower tile
        • Move and Bend a flower tile in range from its new location
        • Capture an element tile

Spirit Wheel

(1 tile per player)


May be dropped on any intersection except a wall intersection

Moves 6 intersections horizontally, vertically or diagonally or 1 intersection (horizontally or vertically), followed by a 45 degree angle turn for 1 intersection diagonally, but does not leap over walls or tiles

Captures only element tiles

Must hop to capture

        • There must be either a wall or a single tile (belonging to any player) on the spirit wheel's path of movement between it and the element tile it intends to capture.
        • The tile hopped is not captured
        • It may not hop more than one tile per turn
        • It may not hop a wall and a tile in a single turn
        • It may only hop when making a capture

Does not send or receive either harmony or disharmony

May promote any friendly element tile to any other element tile not yet in play

        • The element tile being promoted must be adjacent to the Spirit Wheel at the start of the turn
        • The element tile being promoted may not be changed to an element tile that is already on the board or which has been captured by an opponent.
        • The promoted tile may no move on the same turn that it was promoted
        • Can the spirit wheel demote enemy element tiles? and if so would that include an enemy spirit wheel?

If captured the spirit wheel may be reincarnated (returned to it's owner) in exchange for any other element tile not already on the board or captured by an opponent

        • When the Spirit Wheel is returned it must be immediately dropped into play on the board.
        • Who chooses the element tile to be exchanged?
        • Does reincarnation have to be done immediately after the spirit wheel is captured or  can it be done at any time if element tiles are available?

Bends only flowers

        • Must hop to bend
        • Hopped tile is not bent
        • To bend a flower tile, the spirit wheel tile must be able to move to the flower tile as if to capture it (ie by hopping).
        • A flower being bent may be moved one intersection or one knight's move as if it were the spirit wheel tile or it may be moved toward or away from the spirit wheel tile within 7 intersections of the spirit wheel tile.
        • A flower being bent may not land on, hop over, cross over, or pass through the spirit wheel tile or any other tile
        • A flower tile being bent may not hop over, cross over, or pass through a wall unless the flower touches part of a torii
        • The flower tile being bent may not itself bend another tile

May do one of the following during a turn:

        • Drop and move
        • Move
        • Bend
        • Move and Bend
        • Move by hopping and Capture an element tile
        • Promote a friendly adjacent element tile
        • Reincarnate after being captured  

 


 

Playing

Play proceeds clockwise around the board, starting with the player sitting at the East compass point. When there are only two players the first player is usually called Sente because the first player starts with the initiative. The second player is usually called Gote. When there are more than two players each player is ofter called by their compass point or the element associate with that compass point. So the first player might be called East or Fire, or similar references.

 

The game starts with each player entering an element tile. Players must keep at least one element tile on the board at all times. Play alternates between players, each player either adding new tiles, moving tiles, bending tiles, or capturing tiles until there is only one player left with one or more element tiles on the board at the start of his/her turn. The player with the largest number of harmony and territory points when the game ends is the winner.

 

Turn

On his/her turn a player has the option doing one and only one of the following

    • Drop a tile to:
      • Add one of his/her tiles on the board and optionally move it up to it's maximum distance (provided such a move is also legal)
      • Create harmony or disharmony
    • Move one of his/her tiles already on the board to:
      • Occupy a new point 
      • Capture another tile
      • Immobilize a tile
      • Send or receive harmony or disharmony to or from a flower tile
    • Bend a flower tile belonging to any player to:
      • Move it to a tactically preferable position
    • Promote an adjacent tile
    • Reincarnate the Spirit Wheel To
      • reenter it into the game
    • Pass
    • Resign

 

Concepts

Object

Amass the largest number of:

Harmony points + Territory points

End the game by capturing all of the element tiles (but perhaps not the chi blocker)

Harmony

Harmony and disharmony are created by the flow of Chi from one tile to another. Positive Chi sends harmony Negative Chi sends disharmony. When the ordinary flowers are arranged as shown in the below illustration, harmony flows clockwise around the ring and disharmony flows counter clockwise.

The Ring of Harmony and Disharmony. Need to create and add images

 

Net Harmony

A tile has harmony if all of the following are true:

        • One or more tiles from which it may receive harmony can reach it in one move
        • No other tile lies along the path of movement by which the sending tile may move to the receiving tile
        • The path of movement by which the sending tile may move to the receiving tile does not cross a garden wall
        • The number of tiles from which it receives harmony exceeds the number of tiles from which it receives disharmony

Foreign Harmonies

Harmony may be received from any tile that sends it even if the sending tile belongs to another player.

Net Disharmony

Players do not receive disharmony from their own tiles

A tile has disharmony if all of the following are true:

        • One or more tiles from which it may receive disharmony can reach it in one move
        • No other tile lies along the path of movement by which the sending tile may move to the receiving tile
        • The path of movement by which the sending tile may move to the receiving tile does not cross a garden wall
        • The number of tiles from which it receives disharmony exceeds the number of tiles from which it receives harmony

Harmony Protection from Capture

If a tile has more harmony than it has disharmony it is immune to capture

 Harmony Chains

When one tile sends harmony to another it creates a harmony chain made up of those two tiles.

        • Any number of tiles may be connected in a harmony chain.
        • If a harmony chain only contains tiles belonging to one player that chain belongs to that player.
        • if a harmony chain contains tiles belonging to multiple players, each player owns only the harmony points his tiles individually receive within that chain.
        • There are no disharmony chains. If one tile sends another disharmony those tiles are not connected in a harmony chain

Harmony Rings

If a harmony chain loops back on itself and forms a harmonious connection, the looped section of the chain is called a harmony ring.

All tiles used to form a harmony ring must belong to only one player

 

Harmony may flow clockwise or counterclockwise around the ring, and may even flow in both directions in some cases

 

Harmonies used to create a harmony ring are still scored in addition to the surrounded intersections

If a player has two harmony rings one surrounding another the outermost harmony ring is scored and the tiles of the inner ring are subtracted from the total

No intersection is counted twice. If one player surrounds another players harmony ring the surrounding player may not count any of the intersections used to form the surrounded harmony ring nor any intersections that it contains.  

 

Simple Harmony Ring Example

 

 

 

Complex Harmony Ring Example

 

 

False Harmony Ring Example

Graphics Pending

 

Territory

The value of a harmony ring is equal to the number of unoccupied intersections it surrounds. Intersections along the path of movement used to send or receive harmony are not counted toward this total.

All tiles in a harmony ring must receive harmony from at least one other tile in the ring

Dropping

Placing a tile on the board.

        • Tiles may only be dropped onto intersections.
        • Flower tiles may be dropped on any empty intersection wholly within a neutral garden, or any empty intersection touching or contained by a Torii.
        • Element tiles may be dropped on any open intersection on the board except garden wall intersections that do not touch a Torii
        • Tiles may move up to their maximum distance immediately after being dropped but may not capture or bend on the same turn in which they were dropped.

Single Sovereignty

If a garden wholly contains one and only one tile, that tile has single sovereignty over that garden

        • No tile may be dropped into a garden where an enemy tile has single sovereignty
        • No newly dropped tile may invade (enter or sit on a border) a garden controlled by an enemy tile with single sovereignty
        • No newly dropped tile may threaten to capture or bend an enemy tile if the enemy tile has single sovereignty

Partial Sovereignty

If a tile is placed on the border between one or more gardens it has partial sovereignty over each garden that is otherwise empty and untouched by other border tiles.

        • No newly dropped tile may threaten to bend or capture a tile with partial sovereignty, from an intersection within or touching a garden over which the tile holds partial sovereignty
        • A tile retains partial sovereignty over all unoccupied gardens it touches even if it loses partial sovereignty over others.

Moving

A tile may be moved up to its maximum range on a singe turn

A tile may not cross or pass through another tile unless it is a hopper making a capture

A tile may not cross or pass through a wall in one move unless it is a hopper making a capture or starts it's move touching a torii

Bending

Element tiles may move the flower tiles of any player (including his/her own) by bending them.

A flower tile may be bent if an element tile is able to move to the flower tile, as if to capture it.

The owner of the element tile determines how the flower moves when it is bent within these restrictions

When bent by a line moving element a flower tile may

        • Be moved one intersection as if it were that element tile
        • Be moved toward or away from the element tile within 7 intersections of the element tile doing the bending

When bent by a knight moving element a flower tile may

        • Make a single move as if it were a knight

A tile being bent may not

        • Land on another tile including the element tile doing the bending
        • Capture another tile
        • Cross or pass through either a wall or a tile, including the element tile doing the bending.
        • Itself bend another tile
        • Push another tile
        • Move off the edge of the board

Capture

Removing one (or more) tiles from the board as a result of the last move. If a player moves a tile to an intersection occupied by an opponents tile, the opponent's tile must be captured. Players may not capture their own tiles. Capturing effectively ends the movement of the tile making the capture.

 

The Pot

If players choose to allow betting, The Pot is used to accumulate the stakes or wagers made during the course of play. Players may use captured tiles as counters to track the value of the pot. If players choose not to allow any betting the pot may serve as a receptacle in which to hold the captured tiles, but this has no importance to gameplay.

 

Gambling mechanics are still under discussion and are not available for play testing at this time. Players are free to experiment with their own system(s) of betting until more formal rules are devised.

 

The Wuji

If players want to use hidden information to make the game move challenging, they may place their tiles face down in pile or a container (The Wuji) and draw them one at a time at random when they want to enter a new tile into the game. The details and mechanics for this system have not been defined or tested at this time. Players are free to experiment with various ways to use hidden information with and without any gambling mechanics

 

Passing (Needs to be reevaluated in light of capturing all elements)

Instead of moving or dropping a tile, a player may elect to skip his/her turn. If the number of consecutive passes exceeds the number of players the game ends

Example 1:

2 player game:

Player 1 pass

Player 2 pass 

Player 1 pass (game is ended)

Example 2:

4 player game:

Player 1 pass

Player 2 pass

Player 3 pass

Player 4 pass

Player 1 pass (game is ended)

Example 3

2 player game:

Player 1 pass

Player 2 moves

Game continues normally.

Example 4

4 player game:

Player 1 pass

Player 2 pass

Player 3 pass

Player 4 pass

Player 1 moves

Game continues normally.

Resigning

A player may resign (and forfeit) a game at any time.

In a two person game a forfeit results in a win for the other player.

In a three or four person game the remaining players continue to play until one of them becomes the winner.

The resigning player may continue to observe the game but may not participate or comment.

No tiles are removed as the result of a resignation, but rather remain on the board.

The remaining players may bend, capture, and form harmony (or disharmony) with the resigned player's tiles.

 

Sample Game preliminary outline

Sente enters an element

gote enters a Spirit Wheel

sente enters a flower

gote enters a flower

Sente enters a Spirit Wheel next to his other element.

Gote moves a tile to invade and threaten sente's flower

Sente protects his flower by adding a flower to create harmony

Gote adds an orchid to give sente's tiles disharmony

Sente threatens to capture gote's element

Gote adds a flower to create harmony

Sente captures the spirit wheel

Gote reincarnates the spirit wheel and threatens sente's element

Sente withdraws his element to his spirit wheel.

Gote enters a flower tile

Sente promotes an element tile

Gote surrounds territory with a harmony chain

Sente surrounds territory with a harmony ring

Gote captures one or more of sente's tiles in a chain with net disharmony

Sente captures Gote's only element tile in play

Gote enters a flower to control a garden

Sente has more harmony but Gote has more territory and gote wins

 

Victory Conditions

Ending the Game

The game ends when:  

      • Only one player has element tiles in play at the start his or her turn
      • All but one player resigns
      • The number of consecutive passes exceeds the number of players
      • All players have no valid moves

Scoring

At the end of the game, each player:
      • Counts the harmonies each of his/her tiles receive. (H)
      • Counts the disharmonies each of his/her tiles receive (D)
      • Any intersections surrounded by a harmony ring chain made up of only one player's tiles are counted for that player (HT)
      • Any gardens touching or occupied by only one players tiles are counted as points for that player (GT)
      • Each player calculates their total points as GT+HT+(H-D)=Total Points
The player with the highest final score wins, If there were more than two players involved second and third places are awarded according to the players' scores.

Games with 3 or 4 Players

4 Players

When playing with 4 players each player takes a color and a compass point.

Players sitting at opposite compass points cooperate as a team.

The player sitting at the East moves first. Play proceeds clockwise around the board.

Players may not discuss strategy during the game or advise each other on specific moves.

 

3 Players

The rules for 3 player games are the same as for 4 players, except that one player uses two colors as if he/she were a team of two in a 4 player game.

Some thought should be given to the balance of the teams in 3 player games. In general the strongest player should not be allowed to play two colors unless the other two players are equal to each other in strength. If there is a very weak player and a very strong player they should play on the same team in a 3 player game.

 

Recording a Game

Recorder

While all players may elect to record the game this responsibility is usually assigned to the least experienced player as a way for him / her to become familiar with the board and reading / recording a game record. All moves are recorded as if looking at the board from the position shown in the first board illustration shown at the top of this page under the heading "The Pai Sho Board".

Board Locations

All intersections on the board are identified by a number and a letter. The number is always listed first. The line running from the East Torii to the West Torii is the x axis. The intersections along this line are numbered from 1 to 19, 1 being the most eastern point and 19 being the most western point. The line running from the North Torii to the South Torii  is the y axis. It is lettered in uppercase letters starting with "A" as the most northern point, and ending with "S" as the most southern point.

 

Tile Abbreviations

Js = Jasmine

Ly = Lily

Jd = Jade

Rs = Rose

C = Chrysanthemum

Rd = Rhododendron

Qi = Chi Blocker

A = Air

W = Water

E = Earth

F = Fire

S = Spirit Wheel

Lt = Lotus

O = Orchid

 

Notation Symbols 

Symbol  Meaning 
- Move to
Capture 
Drop 
Bend 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pass Passes to next player

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notation Examples

    • R*10c (Rose dropped on the board at point 10c)
    • R*10c-10f (Rose is dropped on the board as point 10c and moves to 10f)
    • L10j x C11j (Lotus on 10j captures the Chrysanthemum at 11j) 

 

Recording a Board Position

Board Position Notation is used to list all of the tiles and their positions on the Pai Sho Ban starting from intersection 9s and continuing left to right, top to bottom, one line at a time until reaching 11a.

Unoccupied intersections are not listed.

In a 4 handed game red tiles use Pointy Brackets < >, yellow tiles use Parentheses ( ), blue tiles use Curly Braces{ }, and green tiles use Square Brackets [ ] . In a two handed game Sente's tiles use Pointy Brackets < >, and Gote's tiles use Parentheses ( ). But in practice only Sente uses Pointy Brackets < >, to distinguish them from Gote's. Colored text is not required but players are encouraged to use it if available because it helps make the board position clearer to anyone reading it back

Four Handed Example:

 Red tile: <Lt 10j>

Yellow tile: (O 11j)

Blue tile: {Jd 12j}

Green tile: [Rs 13j]

Two Handed Example:

Sente's tile: <Lt 10j>

Gote's tile: O 11j

 

4 Player Pai Sho Game Record Sheet

Name  Player 1  Player 2  Player 3  Player 4  Player Comments 
Color Red  Yellow  Blue  Green   
         
2           
         
...          

Harmony

Points

         

 

2 Player Pai Sho Game Record Sheet

Name  Player 1 Sente Player 2 Gote Player Comments 
Color Red  White  
     
2       
     
...      

Harmony

Points

     

 



Dropping

Placing a tile on the board. Tiles may only be dropped onto intersections. Flower tiles may only be dropped on intersections wholly or partially within the Torii. Most other tiles may be dropped on any open intersection on the board (see individual tile descriptions for any restrictions). Tiles may move up to their maximum distance immediately after being dropped but may not capture or bend on the same turn in which they were dropped

Moving

A tile may be moved 1 or more intersections in a straight line horizontally or vertically, up to its maximum allowable distance. Some tiles may also change direction 1 or more times during a move. See individual tiles for details of their respective movement limits.

Bending

When a tile uses a special ability to move another tile.

Capture

Removing one (or more) tiles from the board as a result of the last move. If a player moves a tile to an intersection occupied by an opponents tile, the opponent's tile must be captured. If the capturing move would cause the capturing tile to also be captured (see Kamikaze capture below), the opponent's tile is captured first and then the capturing tile is also removed from the game. Apart from Kamikaze captures, players may not capture their own tiles. Capture effectively ends the movement of a tile.

Drop Capture 

When a tile is dropped on a point already occupied but another player's tile it is captured. Only flower tiles have the ability to make drop captures. Flower tiles are immune to drop captures for a full turn after they have been dropped.

Kamikaze Capture

A capture that results in the tile making the capture itself being captured, or removed from play.

When a tile captures a passive element tile, the capturing tile is simultaneously captured by the passive element tile.

When a flower tile makes a capture in an unnatural garden, it dies immediately after the capture is complete, and is removed from play.

Bending Capture

When a flower tile is bent into an unnatural garden it is captured. No tile may bend if it has already captured a tile on that turn because capturing ends the turn.

 

Harmony

See individual tile for the list of tiles with which it harmonizes or disharmonizes.

Two harmonious tiles are in harmony if all of the following are true:

        • Both tiles belong to the same player (or one tile is a Lotus belonging to either player)
        • Both tiles are on the same horizontal or vertical line
        • No other tile lies between them
        • Neither tile is adjacent to a knotweed tile
        • The horizontal or vertical line on which the harmony is formed is not shared by a rock tile

Disharmony

The same conditions must be true for disharmony as for harmony. Anything that prevents harmony also prevents disharmony

Harmony Rings

Graphics pending

Defined as a ring of tiles (all of which are in harmony), that encompasses the central point on the board

Creating a harmony ring effectively wins the game due to it's high scoring value.

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