2nd gear | video + action to goldenrod city

[paishodown]

[It's around midday, and Asami's 'Gear is propped up to record her sitting at a small table in the park. Her Riolu sits quietly beside her. The worn table is inlaid with a chess board, and the seat across from her is empty for now.]

Where I'm from, we have a game called Pai Sho.

[She speaks while she reaches into her bag to pull out a newly purchased chess set- mainly, the directions.]

It's a game of careful thinking and ruthless strategy. There doesn't seem to be a real equivalent here, but someone did point me toward this. Chess.

[Asami begins taking out the pieces and laying them out on the board.]

Anyone know anything about it?

[She'll be here for a while, reading over the rules and trying to teach Teruko how to play with her.]

Comments

[video]

[quickattackjack]

Chess is a fantastic game! I'm sorry you haven't been able to find anything about Pai Sho.

video;

[bertall]

Ah! I love chess! I-I used to play it a lot back home with a couple friends of mine!

[enjoymyatelier]

Chess would fit that bill, yes. I must admit, I'm curious about this Pai Sho now that you've brought it up, but as I imagine it'd be difficult to find the means to play it here... what would you like to know about chess, specifically?

[in_praetego]

I can't pretend to be an expert... but I know a little bit about it.

[ He kind of misses it, now that he thinks about it... but his brother wasn't much of a playmate... ]

[friendyousohard]

I'm not half-bad at chess, though it's been a while since I've had a decent opponent. In all honesty I'm not sure it's as much about strategy as it is about move memorization, though.

[video]

[paishodown]

Well, it's just like everything else here, I guess. Chess already seems very different, but it does require careful thought! Maybe even more so...

[Hmm]

video;

[paishodown]

You have it at home, then?

[So that's one thing that carries over, then. What's she been missing out on?]

Were you any good?

[paishodown]

You could probably hand-make the pieces, but the board might be trickier. Unless I had someone custom-make it...

[Something to keep in mind, she supposes.]

It'd be great if you could give me some pointers. I've only skimmed through the instructions.

[paishodown]

It seems like a lot of people do.

Maybe it would be better to learn from someone who isn't an expert. It's one of those "easy to learn, tough to master" kind of things, right?

[paishodown]

Move memorization?

[Asami rests her elbows on the table while she listens.]

Can you explain?

[enjoymyatelier]

The board would be tricky, but not impossible, I'd imagine. Is there a traditional material that tends to be used with it...?

[...because why not consider taking commissions]

It's the sort of thing you pick up while playing, really. I think the most difficult thing for beginners to get down is how the individual pieces move, though... some of them are a bit odd.

video;

[bertall]

People always said I was pretty good. I only had trouble against a couple people to be honest.

[paishodown]

No. The game itself is actually pretty varied throughout the Nations. It's always circular, though.

[Asami starts to set the pieces out on the table.]

I'm working on memorizing them now. The knights are the ones that can go "over" other pieces as they move, right?

[No point in not quizzing herself as she goes.]

video;

[paishodown]

Hm! Well, if we're ever in the same area, we can have a match sometime.

[She does love a challenge.]

[video]

[quickattackjack]

If we ever cross paths I'd love to play a match against you!

Video

[dreamsofahero]

Ah, I've read a bit about it here, though I can't say I've played it...

[friendyousohard]

Well, there's a limit to how many ways you can move starting from the very first turn, and each choice you make sets you into a different group of possible moves for your next turn. As a result, if you can memorize all the different possible moves you can make for each successive move, you can plan out an entire game. The ones who do best at the game are the ones who've played it so much they've memorized practically all of their options.

[ video ]

[teammother]

Ahaha, I've played chess once or twice, but I can't really say I'm any good at it. [ sounds more like Rei's thing, honestly. ] I think I can remember most of the rules, though?

[enjoymyatelier]

Hmm... well, if I had a basic design reference there's a good chance I could do something with it. Not for free, unfortunately, as I'd need to recoup the cost of materials and I rather like eating, but feel free to contact me if you're interested in commissioning one.

And precisely --- since they're usually shaped like horses, you can usually imagine it as a... bizarrely unusually agile horse jumping over the other units. Though, they also move in an L shape rather than a straight line, which makes them a bit odd.

[video]

[paishodown]

Sure! Did... I catch your name?

Video

[paishodown]

Were you ever interested in playing it?

[ video ]

[paishodown]

They're actually not too tricky to remember, now that I'm getting a feel for them. The strategy itself looks like it's the tough part.

[paishodown]

Wow, that's...

That's pretty intense, when you put it that way. It's like a battle, but all the variables are completely under your control.

[paishodown]

Once I get a good system for keeping up a steady income, I'll consider it! Are you a craftsman?

[Yaayyy, business!]

It does seem like a weird choice for a piece that can move through the others. [A small note of amusement with that.]

[enjoymyatelier]

You could say that, I suppose. My various art projects were more of a hobby back home, but they've proven rather handy now that I'm here. It's not incredibly stable, unfortunately, but it's better than working at a Pokemon Center or something like that to get by.

[such things are far beneath him]

I've never quite figured out why that is, but that's just the rules of the game. There are also pawns, which have special conditions to their first moves, capturing, and promotion.