How to Play Pai-Sho in Real Life - Avatar: The Last Airbender (Rules & Pieces)

Upon watching Avatar: The Last Airbender, we all fell in love with Uncle Iroh. His unique and wise presence provided the show with insightful meanings and valuable morals. Furthermore, I bet there isn't a single Avatar fan who wasn't intrigued by the concept of Pai-Sho. It was never really explained, but there seemed to be a whole history and strategy behind it that still needs to be fully sought.

After browsing several home-made rules throughout the web, I finally found one that was simple yet strategic. Upon playing it, I was dazzled by the simplistic beauty and the valuable concept it provided. Today, I am sharing all this information with you, fellow Avatar fans, because I believe I have found a Pai-Sho version that Uncle Iroh would truly be proud of.

Each side sets up symmetrically with 8 pieces that all move the same. The object is to then set up “harmonies”, which are unblocked connections between 2 pieces, over the 4 major dividing lines of the board. 

It’s a simple concept- from there, additional pieces can be brought in as players defend their own harmonies and try to disrupt opponent’s harmonies, either by blocking it or capturing the piece.

Capturing pieces is allowed, but often I found myself choosing not to do so. There were many times I found myself deciding instead to advance my own harmonies. This conflict between setting up your own pieces and blocking the others is a constant struggle in the game. It’s easy to get so caught up in your own strategies that you miss a crucial harmony of the opponents.

• Full Rules to the game can be found here.
• Game-Boards and Pai-Sho pieces for purchase can be found here.

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