The game allows for experts to strategize and pass information to each other out in the open, without anyone else knowing what is being communicated. Pai Sho held an important existence in the Order of the White Lotus, with many of its members using the game as a secret method of communication throughout its history. Additionally, a white lotus tile was given to Sokka by his swordmaster, Piandao, after the former successfully completed his swordsmanship training the emblem on the gate to Piandao's estate also resembled the tile. The tile was also utilized in Aang's Pai Sho game with Monk Gyatso, during which the latter attempted to inconspicuously switch the lotus tile with the piece that the Avatar had formerly placed. Iroh once took time away from Zuko's search for the Avatar to pick up a new tile at the seedy merchants pier. According to Iroh, many underestimate its importance. It is identified by the image of a large white flower that takes up most of the tile. The white lotus tile, like all Pai Sho tiles, is a round, black, circular piece about one-and-a-half inches in diameter. Over the years, the rules of the game varied from culture to culture for instance, some consider the game to be a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat game of chance, whereas others see it as a slow, methodical game of strategy. Depending on the rules, a player has as many as sixty tiles, which can be placed on over two hundred spots on the board. Players receive a certain number of tiles which are placed and moved around the board. Round tiles are used as pieces, with each tile having a different image. This grid can be limited to 10x10 squares, or have as many as 18x18. Pai Sho is played on a large, circular board split with as many as twelve sections, and divided into grid of colored squares. Here is an overhead view of a Pai Sho game. ' A good move for you is a good move for your opponent.' ―A classic Pai Sho proverb.

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