There is an amazing fanfiction work that features Pai Sho called Gambler and Vagabond. Vagabond Pai Sho is the Pai Sho variant seen in that story. Once you read it, you will definitely want to try playing this in real life. These rules have been compiled in collaboration with the author of Gambler and Vagabond and published here with permission.

You can also play online at SkudPaiSho.com!

Tiles

Each player has a full set of tiles. A full set consists of:

White Lotus x1

Sky Bison x2

Badgermole x2

Wheel x2

Chrysanthemum x2

Fire Lily x1

White Dragon x1

Board

Players sit at the Pai Sho board so that the long edge of one of the large triangles in the center square of the board is facing you, with the small red triangles of the board in the left and right corners.

Playing the Game

Players alternate taking turns

On a turn, you may either deploy a tile onto the board or move one of your tiles

You win if you capture your opponent’s White Lotus tile or if your opponent forfeits

Tile Movement

Tiles are played on the points (intersections). When tiles move on the board, they always move along the diagonal lines of the board unless specifically stated otherwise.

Capturing Tiles

You can’t capture Flower Tiles until your White Lotus has been deployed

You can’t capture non-flower tiles until both players’ White Lotus tiles have been deployed

White Lotus Tile

Flower Tile

Can move one space

Sky Bison Tile

Deployed on the point inside of the small red triangles in the corners of the board

Can move up to six spaces, turning any number of times

Cannot move if an opponent’s Chrysanthemum tile is adjacent to it

Can capture other tiles

If a Sky Bison has moved off of its starting point and is not blocked by a Chrysanthemum, it has a territorial zone. This zone is the size of the area the tile can move within. No other Sky Bison is allowed in this zone.

Badgermole Tile

Can move only one space in any direction OR move directly adjacent to one of your Flower Tiles if that Flower Tile is in the Badgermole’s “line of sight” (meaning, the tiles lie on the same line with no other tiles in between)

Flower Tiles adjacent to a Badgermole tile belonging to the same player are protected from capture

Wheel Tile

Can move any number of spaces forwards, backwards, left, or right across the spaces of the board as opposed to diagonally on the lines

Can capture other tiles

Chrysanthemum Tile

Flower Tile

Cannot move

Freezes opponent’s Sky Bison tiles in place when adjacent

Fire Lily Tile

Flower Tile

Cannot move

Enables deployment of White Dragon

White Dragon Tile

Can be deployed in a 5-space area around the Fire Lily

Can move anywhere inside that 5-space Fire Lily zone

Can capture other tiles