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How do I play with the computer. There isn't a "vs computer" option I see after I choose my tiles.

Avatar Kuruk welcomes Fire Nation citizens and distinguished travelers from all nations to join him at the Fire Nation capital city for The Garden Gate's first Skud Pai Sho tournament in the Royal Caldera series! Flameo, hotmen!

The tournament will be a swiss-style tournament, granting players 2 points per win and 1 point per tie or draw. A forfeit or being ruled as non-playing will be a penalty of -1.

The tournament is planned to begin December 1st.

Games will be standard Skud Pai Sho games and players will be given two to three days to complete their games for each round. Unfinished games will be ruled a draw unless it is clear that there is a player who is inactive, in which case the active player will be ruled the winner.

The tournament bracket is available at https://www.toornament.com/en_US/tournam...nformation

To be approved to participate in the tournament, please sign up at The Garden Gate and register at the Toornament page, using your The Garden Gate username as your player nickname.
If you would rather not sign up for Toornament, then reply to this thread with your The Garden Gate username instead.

The winner will get a prize of a unique large White Lotus tile. If 12 players participate in the tournament, the winner's prize will also include a small Canon tile set from The Garden Gate.

Late in the era of Avatar Kyoshi, peace across the four nations ushers groups of travelers across the Earth Kingdom. Gaoling, a flourishing and friendly city, finds itself the home of a popular Pai Sho tournament of players from across the world. Join us as we see whose Vagabond Pai Sho skills lead them to the top of the pack in The Garden Gate's second Vagabond Pai Sho tournament in the Gaoling series!

The tournament will be a swiss-style tournament, granting players 2 points per win and 1 point per tie or draw. A forfeit or being ruled as non-playing will be a penalty of -1.

The tournament is planned to begin December 1st.

Games will be standard Vagabond Pai Sho games and players will be given two to three days to complete their games for each round. Unfinished games will be ruled a draw unless it is clear that there is a player who is inactive, in which case the active player will be ruled the winner.

The tournament bracket is available at https://www.toornament.com/en_US/tournam...nformation

To be approved to participate in the tournament, please sign up at The Garden Gate and register at the Toornament page, using your The Garden Gate username as your player nickname.
If you would rather not sign up for Toornament, then reply to this thread with your The Garden Gate username instead.

The winner will get a prize of a unique large White Lotus tile. If 12 players participate in the tournament, the winner's prize will also include a small Vagabond tile set from The Garden Gate.

The goal is to show a readable explanation of each move of the game.

Currently the game log shows as part of the replay controls.

Supported games:
Skud Pai Sho
Vagabond Pai Sho

Reply here with suggestions of things that need to be implemented at The Garden Gate.

Let me know if you are interested in writing code to work on any of these items.

To-Do List:

- Completed Games list enhancements - searchable and more detailed with win/loss info
- Undo feature proper implementation
- Support translations
- Accessibility support

Occasionally I see people asking some good questions about Iroh. It should be obvious, but if you haven't guessed, I think Iroh's great
We can get a lot of good answers by thinking through the world around Iroh and what things must have been like. Here's some of my thoughts...

Big Question: What was Iroh's plan, before the Avatar appeared?

Ultimately my answer to this is just "I don't know" or even "not much of anything." But here's how I got there.

First of all, we do not know when Iroh joined the Order of the White Lotus. It makes sense to me that it was after the events of his attack on Ba Sing Se. That's not too much time before Zuko's banishment but it is definitely long enough for him to rise through the ranks of the Order.

When Ozai sends Zuko after the Avatar, it seems like it's a joke. A wild goose chase that will send him endlessly wandering the world. These people believe that the Avatar is gone. The Avatar may even be considered a legend to some people in the world at the time of Zuko's banishment.

Iroh likely also thinks the Avatar was destroyed with the Air Nomads. At the least, he has never had any experience with the Avatar and may be unsure of what to believe. I think that when they do find the Avatar, it shakes Iroh up and forces him to solidify some things in his own mind.

As to Iroh's plans, we can't be sure. From events at the North Pole, we know that he did what it took to achieve his goals and preserve the world as it should be. Perhaps he felt quite defeated and had lost some hope for the world, which could be part of why he was happy to join Zuko. Whatever the case, it appears he was content to live exiled from the Fire Nation with Zuko.

Question: What exactly was Iroh trying to do when he joined Zuko in exile?

As we see, after the death of Lu Ten, Iroh cared for Zuko as if he were his own son. He accompanied Zuko in hopes of guiding, mentoring, and training him. And, think about it - Iroh failed at the siege of Ba Sing Se and had the throne stolen from him. He is quite likely somewhat uncomfortable in the Fire Nation and glad to leave, so it's not a big sacrifice for him to join Zuko. He takes the opportunity to be close to someone he cares for very much.

Question: Why didn't Iroh try harder (or at all) to turn Zuko away from Ozai before Book 2?

Iroh was trying, but not forcing it. He wanted Zuko to come to the conclusion on his own, and he was incredibly patient about it. We see him try to get Zuko to question his goals frequently, while lovingly supporting him. When Iroh eventually yells at Zuko, he's not necessarily trying any harder, he's just deciding it's time to be more aggressive.

Part of why he was trying so passively and patiently is what I have already mentioned. He may have lost some hope for the world. Witnessing the Avatar's return forced him to face himself and make some decisions of his own. I believe when we see Iroh confront Zuko strongly in Ba Sing Se, he is finally fully arrived in these decisions and from this point forward he takes the bold stand he believes he needs to.

Greetings. I just stumbled upon this and I really want to learn how to play. I hope this forum is still active. This looks really cool, I am amazed that someone actually made Pai Sho from Avatar and that its so developed. I am interested to learn Skud Pai Sho. I don't really understand how to use Garden Gate or how to play. I am in need of someone to teach me.

Late in the era of Avatar Kyoshi, peace across the four nations ushers groups of travelers across the Earth Kingdom. Gaoling, a flourishing and friendly city, finds itself the home of a popular Pai Sho tournament of players from across the world. Join us as we see whose Vagabond Pai Sho skills lead them to the top of the pack in The Garden Gate's first Vagabond Pai Sho tournament in the Gaoling series!

The tournament will be a swiss-style tournament, granting players 1 point per win and 0.5 points per tie or draw.

The tournament is planned to begin March 4th. If you would like to participate but need to know when it will take place due to your schedule, please message me on Discord. Thanks!

Games will be standard Vagabond Pai Sho games and players will be given two to three, days to complete their games for each round. Unfinished games will be ruled a draw unless it is clear that there is a player who is inactive, in which case the active player will be ruled the winner.

The tournament bracket is available at https://challonge.com/VagabondPaiSho1

To be approved to participate in the tournament, please sign up at The Garden Gate and also respond to this post with your The Garden Gate username.

A prize may be awarded by The Garden Gate to the winner depending on number of participants.

Because I have so little time to work on fulfilling orders and making Pai Sho boards and tiles, I want to share everything about how I make what I do. If you'd like to become a seller of Pai Sho boards and tiles like the ones I sell, check this out and get in touch so I can help you with anything you need help with!

The laser cutter/engraver I use is a Glowforge Basic. My referral link to learn more or buy one for yourself is https://glowforge.us/f/rqq2fk - using that to purchase one will save you money and will get me a credit as well. I have enjoyed working with the Glowforge and recommend it. Glowforge also sells laser-ready materials that are (supposedly...) pre-finished and masked and guaranteed to work well. I've had some issues with the quality of finish on their materials not being as good as they've shown that it could be sometimes. But overall, working with their materials is great. By selling Pai Sho boards and tiles, my Glowforge paid for itself in less than a year.

Design Downloads

Any designs mentioned here as freely available are available at the Design Downloads page.

Tiles - Designs

I have offered tiles for Skud Pai Sho, Vagabond Pai Sho, Capture Pai Sho, Nick Pai Sho, and a set of Canon Tiles (a set of tiles that have designs that are true to the show). I did not design the tiles for all of these games. The few tile designs I have created are freely available.

Skud Pai Sho

The "Modern Designs" tiles I make for Skud Pai Sho are designed and owned by artist Hector Lowe. Please contact him at hector.lowe[at]gmail[dot]com - he would love to work with you so you can use or produce his designs.

The "Vescucci Designs" tiles I make for Skud Pai Sho are designed by Vescucci. Many thanks to him for offering the designs to everyone as freely available to use!

The Ancient Oasis expansion for Skud Pai Sho features tiles designed by Vescucci.

Vagabond Pai Sho

The Vagabond Pai Sho tiles I make are designed by Coeur De Lion and myself. I love Vagabond Pai Sho and the designs of these tiles, and I have arranged for them to be freely available.

Capture Pai Sho

The Capture Pai Sho tiles, and the game itself, are designed and owned by Tom Ford.

Nick Pai Sho

I designed a Nick Pai Sho set using the glyphs representing the elements (which you can find on the Avatar World Maps and other places), the Lion Turtle tile design by Vescucci as the Avatar tile, and the White Lotus design by me.

Tiles - Materials and Quality

I have offered three levels of quality for tiles. Each level uses different materials and a different engrave quality. Note that I no longer do the White Lotus Initiate quality tiles.

General Glowforge Tile Printing Notes

I print one row of tiles at a time. This is both to prevent any alignment issues when cutting out the tiles and also so I can peel the masking off the tiles while the next row is printing.

I use the "honeycomb material hold down pins" to hold the material in place while cutting. See the Glowforge forum post for more details.

I use a coaster-sized square (because it's a coaster I made) to help place the material on the Glowforge bed. I should share a picture of this so you know what I mean.

Glowforge Settings

The format of any shared Glowforge settings are as follows:
[speed] / [power] / [lines per inch]

Focus Height will always be the default of the Proofgrade material or the measurement of the material being used unless it is provided after the lines per inch value.

White Lotus Initiate

These tiles are made from the least expensive plywood that is available directly from Glowforge. The designs are engraved in low quality, resulting in a design with less detail when compared to the higher quality tiles.

Materials:
Least expensive Proofgrade Medium Plywood. For Capture Pai Sho, I have done light colored plywood and walnut for dark tiles.

Glowforge Settings:

* Proofgrade Medium Plywood: 1000 / 90 / 225

White Lotus Master - Proofgrade Hardwood

These tiles are made from the hardwood available from Glowforge. The designs are engraved in good quality. Note that I have switched to using thicker hardwood from Colorado Heirloom (see below).

Materials:
Proofgrade Medium Hardwood - Maple, Walnut, Cherry, Red Oak, Poplar

Glowforge Settings:

* Maple, Walnut, Red Oak: 560 / 60 / 270 or 1000 / 95 / 270
* Cherry: 560 / 55 / 270 or 1000 / 90 / 270
* Poplar: 540 / 50 / 270 or 1000 / 90 / 270

White Lotus Master - Colorado Heirloom Hardwood

These tiles are made from 3/16" hardwood available from Colorado Heirloom - their "Solid Hardwood Laser Strips". The designs are engraved in good quality.

Grand Lotus

These tiles are made from exotic wood that can be purchased from various sources. I've used materials from Inventables and The Wood & Shop. Before lasering, I hand-finish the boards with Shellac, which is a laser safe finish, and apply masking.

The idea behind the Grand Lotus tiles was that they are a special way to support The Garden Gate. Exotic woods and extremely high quality engraves.

Tools and other materials needed: Shellac (spray or brush); sanding sponge; sandpaper (all purpose 220 grit); masking - EnduraMASK MHT 130 Medium-High Tack Transfer Application Tape from SignWarehouse (12x100 or 16x100 depending on the material used for tiles)

Materials:
White Lotus Master woods, and these 1/8" woods from Inventables or Wood & Shop: Purpleheart, Narra, Yellowheart, Chakte Viga, Katalox, Zebrawood, Padauk

Glowforge Settings and wood notes:

* Maple: 380 / 30 / 340
* Cherry: 395 / 30 / 340
* Walnut: 375 / 30 / 340
* Red Oak: 375 / 30 / 340

Note: Cuts all at FULL power. Cut settings in the format of:
[cut speed] / [# of passes, if more than 1] / [Focus height, if not 0.125 in]

* Bloodwood: 380 (or 375?) / 30 / 340 | CUT: 155
Beautiful dark red wood with a near holographic feel to the color. Keeps color well but is dark. Smells fantastic.
* Chakte Viga: 385 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 165
One of my favorites. Beautiful orangish color that gives fantastic engraves.
* Katalox: 340 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 145
One of the strongest woods in the world. Wonderfully dark. Engraves and cuts surprisingly well. I think this one works best with no finish at all - just a fine sanding.
* Mahogany: 410 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 175 / 2 / 0.09 in
Char city (but not compared to Bubinga)! Some of the biggest flames I've seen while cutting. I won't be using this more if at all.
* Narra (Red Narra from Wood 'n Shop): 395 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 175
One of my favorites! Finishing gave it a golden brown/bronze color and it has beautiful grain patterns, gives great engraves and cuts well.
* Padauk: 380 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 180
Color darkens fairly quickly if exposed to light often. Works well in the laser.
* Purpleheart: 360 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 145
Let Purpleheart sit in the sun before lasering and finishing - it adds to the purple! This wood chars a fair bit. Worth it.
* Redheart: 405 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 185
Can be very bright red, but will lose it's color fast and go dark and dull. Works very nicely in the laser though, so you may want to give it a shot.
* Yellowheart: 380 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 165
Finish it nice and carefully to get the best color. Works very well and keeps color well.
* Zebrawood: 390 / 30 / 340 | CUT: 155
Finish it nicely to give it a golden color. Very striking, works well in the laser though it does char a fair bit.

Material Preparation:
To finish the non-Proofgrade boards, I prepare them ahead of time by at least a day, by doing the following:

* sand with sandpaper
* coat with shellac
* between coats, use fine sanding sponge
* apply multiple coats until finished well (3 or 4 coats, can be less or more depending on the wood)

The Pai Sho Board

Proofgrade Thick Plywood Bold Score Settings:
Thick Plywood Score: 170 / 28 / 0.35 in

Glowforge's Proofgrade thick plywood should have a great finish, but the thick maple plywood began to consistently have a poor unfinished feel. I never got a satisfactory response from Glowforge support; it seemed like they didn't really care. So I have switched to using 1/4" plywood from Colorado Heirloom. It's much cheaper, but has to be masked and is sold in 12"x24" size so it has to be cut down by 4" as well. I have a great saw that I can recommend to you for this if you don't have a tool for it.

Colorado Heirloom 1/4" Plywood Score Settings
Coming Soon

Colorado Heirloom 1/4" Plywood Cut Settings
Coming Soon

Running An Online Store

Etsy will take a sizable percentage of a sale as a fee. That's more than $20 when selling a full Pai Sho set, so I have switched from Etsy to a different store hosting called Ecwid. Ecwid's free plan is very good, and their $15/mo plan is great. I have upgraded once for one month only, because I wanted to use some of the paid features that month (inventory management, etc).

With Etsy, you get the buyers who discover your products through Etsy, so you may want to set up shop both places. Though if you're following in my footsteps and getting help from me, you'll have all of The Garden Gate community being referred to you!

Shipping and general shop materials needed:

* Padded shipping envelopes, both small 4"x8", medium 6"x10" and large 10.5"x16"
* Shipping scale, to weigh packages: I use this kitchen scale
* Bubble wrap, to wrap and protect Pai Sho boards: I use this
* Packing tape
* A working printer to print shipping labels
* Masking tape: masking

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Note: I'll be able to update and add remaining details as needed when anyone needs them, just contact me.

This is the thread to report all match results and post game links, please reserve all conversation for the other thread. It is the Winner's duty to report results.

The bracket has been randomized and can be found here; Bracket

When posting please use this format