Pith: Difference between revisions

Pith *piþ*
	A game of pith about to begin
Years active	In various forms, 200s BNB to present
Genres	Matching
Players	2 to 4
Skills	Tactics, observation, memory, bluffing
Related games
	Little pith * Piṭṭháu * Peuh Taus

VisualWikitext

Latest revision as of 04:56, 28 March 2026

Pith (piþ) is a tile-based game popular in the western Orddonach, introduced to the region in the form of the Namunian piṭṭháu sometime in the 200s BNB.

Gameplay

Players start with a concealed hand of 12 tiles. The objective of pith is to be the first to make a winning hand. To achieve this, they must use both discarded tiles from the player directly preceding them or from the walls of tiles in the centre of the table (stāerwy stáerwy, sg. staer stáer).

Setup and turn order

Before the game can begin, the tiles are all scrambled face down. One player is chosen to be the head (towr), and, depending on regional and house rules, the order of play will go clockwise or counterclockwise starting from this player (generally, it is counterclockwise, except in Hearn, Blackstrath and Nemmark). 12 tiles are given to each player and the rest are then arranged into four walls forming a square perimeter. Three of these walls have 28 tiles (7×2×2), while one (the head's wall) has 32 (8×2×2). Players take tiles starting from this longer wall and continuing in order of play.

Gameplay

The game is divided into rounds and officially begins when the head draws first from their wall. At this point, they can:

Take the tile they drew and discard one of their own, or
Discard the tile, along with at most 3 other tiles in their hand.

The moment a player discards a tile, the turn goes to the next player, who may either:

Take at most the 4 last tiles from the discard pile (in the order they were discarded) and discard up to 4 of their own tiles (taking care to never have a hand under 4 or over 12 tiles), or
Take one tile from the walls and discard one of their own, or
If the player's current hand is less than 12 tiles, take at most the four last tiles from the discard pile and don't discard, or
Discard at most four of their own tiles and pass the turn.

A player may never have more than 12 tiles or less than 4 in their hand. Winning hands can only be 12 tiles long (with a few exceptions for special hands which may or may not be valid depending on regional rules). The moment a player gets a winning hand, they must show it to the rest of the table, at which point they become the head of the next round.

If the walls are completely exhausted by the end of a round, the game ends in a draw, and no points are awarded to any player. The game resets from there (new walls are built, new hands are started) and a new round begins. In these situations, the role of the head may remain the same or move to the next player in play order.

Scoring and end of play

Scoring in pith serves to determine the overall performance of each player, as well as determining who becomes the head of the each round. A hand's score is based on the sum of the lawr (points) assigned to each of its composing melds. The maximum score for the end of a session differs by region, custom and house rules, but is usually somewhere around 144 lawr.

Melds

A winning hand must be made of combinations of tiles called melds. A meld is a combination of at least 2 and at most 4 tiles of the same suit, either all of the same number or in numerical sequence. Each meld has a score that counts to the overall value of the final hand. Great tiles, thus seasons (S) and high kings (K), cannot be used in numerical sequences and do not belong to any suits. However, melds using them will double the value of the meld. Moons (M) are wildcards that may stand in for any numerical tile necessary to complete a meld.

Legal melds from weakest to strongest
Meld	Description	Score
Eyes (mēdr médr)	A pair of identical tiles.	1 lawr
Short (mav maf)	Three tiles in numerical sequence	2 lawr
Threefold (mi mi)	Three tiles of the same number	2 lawr
Row (lirn lirn)	Four tiles in numerical sequence	4 lawr
Fourfold (pyn pyn)	Four tiles of the same number	4 lawr

Winning hands

A winning hand is composed of 12 tiles arranged in melds. There exist four types of winning hands.

Types of winning hands
Name	Description	Bonus	Example
Common (ōrdur órdur)	A hand composed of tiles belonging to different suits.	No bonus	———
Level (bar bar)	A hand composed entirely of tiles belonging to the same suit	Score of hand doubled	————
Perfect (hibng hibeng)	A hand composed almost entirely of tiles belonging to the same suit. One meld is composed of great tiles	Score of hand doubled plus 10 lawr	———
Blessed (moeb moeb)	A hand composed entirely of great tiles.	Score of hand doubled plus 20 lawr	———

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Infobox game|name=Pith|image=File:Classicpith-setup.png|caption=A game of pith about to begin|years=In various forms, 200s BNB to present|genre=Matching, Vying|players=2 to 4|skills=Tactics, observation, memory, bluffing|related=[[Little pith]] * Piṭṭháu * Peuh Taus}}
+{{Infobox game|name=Pith ''{{cs|jrt|piþ}}''|image=File:Classicpith-setup.png|caption=A game of pith about to begin|years=In various forms, 200s BNB to present|genre=Matching|players=2 to 4|skills=Tactics, observation, memory, bluffing|related=[[Little pith]] * Piṭṭháu * Peuh Taus}}
-'''Pith''' is a [[Pith tiles|tile-based game]] popular in the western [[Orddonach]], introduced to the region in the form of the [[Namun people|Namunian]] [[piṭṭháu]] sometime in the 200s BNB.
+'''Pith''' ({{Cs|jrt|piþ}}) is a [[Pith tiles|tile-based game]] popular in the western [[Orddonach]], introduced to the region in the form of the [[Namun people|Namunian]] [[piṭṭháu]] sometime in the 200s BNB.
 == Gameplay ==
-Players start with a concealed hand of 12 tiles. The objective of pith is to be the first to make a winning hand. To achieve this, they must use both discarded tiles from the player directly preceding them or from the walls of tiles in the centre of the table (''stáerwy'', sg. ''stáer'').
+Players start with a concealed hand of 12 tiles. The objective of pith is to be the first to make a winning hand. To achieve this, they must use both discarded tiles from the player directly preceding them or from the walls of tiles in the centre of the table ({{Cs|jrt|stāerwy}} ''stáerwy'', sg. {{Cs|jrt|staer}} ''stáer'').
 === Setup and turn order ===
-Before the game can begin, the tiles are all scrambled face down and then arranged into four 36-tile walls arranged in a square, with an extra square of 36 tiles (4 layers of 9 tiles) at the centre of the table. From this square each player will take their first 9 tiles at the very beginning of the game for their initial hand. One player is chosen to be the head (''towr''), and, depending on regional and house rules, the order of play will go clockwise or counterclockwise starting from this player (generally, it is counterclockwise, except in [[Hearn]], [[Blackstrath]] and [[Nemmark]]). Starting from the wall in front of the head, each player takes an additional three tiles, and their starting hand is complete.
+Before the game can begin, the tiles are all scrambled face down. One player is chosen to be the ''head'' (''towr''), and, depending on regional and house rules, the order of play will go clockwise or counterclockwise starting from this player (generally, it is counterclockwise, except in [[Hearn]], [[Blackstrath]] and [[Nemmark]]). 12 tiles are given to each player and the rest are then arranged into four walls forming a square perimeter. Three of these walls have 28 tiles (7×2×2), while one (the head's wall) has 32 (8×2×2). Players take tiles starting from this longer wall and continuing in order of play.
 === Gameplay ===
-The game is divided into rounds and officially begins when the head draws first from the starting wall (the one directly in front of them). At this point, they can:
+The game is divided into rounds and officially begins when the head draws first from their wall. At this point, they can:
 * Take the tile they drew and discard one of their own, or
@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 The moment a player discards a tile, the turn goes to the next player, who may either:
-* Take ''at most'' the 4 last tiles from the discard pile and discard ''up to'' 4 of their own tiles (taking care to never have a hand under 4 or over 12 tiles), or
+* Take ''at most'' the 4 last tiles from the discard pile (in the order they were discarded) and discard ''up to'' 4 of their own tiles (taking care to never have a hand under 4 or over 12 tiles), or
-* Take one tile from the starting wall and discard one of their own, or
+* Take one tile from the walls and discard one of their own, or
 * ''If the player's current hand is less than 12 tiles'', take at most the four last tiles from the discard pile ''and don't discard'', or
 * Discard at most four of their own tiles and pass the turn.
 A player may never have more than 12 tiles or less than 4 in their hand. Winning hands can only be 12 tiles long (with a few exceptions for special hands which may or may not be valid depending on regional rules). The moment a player gets a winning hand, they must show it to the rest of the table, at which point they become the head of the next round.
+If the walls are completely exhausted by the end of a round, the game ends in a draw, and no points are awarded to any player. The game resets from there (new walls are built, new hands are started) and a new round begins. In these situations, the role of the head may remain the same or move to the next player in play order.
+==== Scoring and end of play ====
+Scoring in pith serves to determine the overall performance of each player, as well as determining who becomes the head of the each round. A hand's score is based on the sum of the ''lawr'' (points) assigned to each of its composing melds. The maximum score for the end of a session differs by region, custom and house rules, but is usually somewhere around 144 lawr.
 === Melds ===
-A winning hand must be made of combinations of tiles called ''melds''. A meld is a combination of at least 2 and at most 4 tiles, either all of the same number or in numerical sequence. Wanderers ('''W'''), seasons ('''S''') and high kings ('''K''') cannot be used in numerical sequences (unlike in [[little pith]]), while moons ('''M''') may count for any meld, representing any number and any suit.
+A winning hand must be made of combinations of tiles called ''melds''. A meld is a combination of at least 2 and at most 4 tiles of the same suit, either all of the same number or in numerical sequence. Each meld has a score that counts to the overall value of the final hand. Great tiles, thus seasons ('''S''') and high kings ('''K'''), cannot be used in numerical sequences and do not belong to any suits. However, melds using them will double the value of the meld. Moons ('''M''') are wildcards that may stand in for any ''numerical'' tile necessary to complete a meld.
 {| class="wikitable"
 |+Legal melds from weakest to strongest
@@ Line 31: / Line 36: @@
 !Description
 !Example
+!Score
 |-
-|'''Eyes''' (''médr'')
+|'''Eyes''' ({{Cs|jrt|mēdr}} ''médr'')
-|The weakest meld, two tiles of the same number
+|A pair of identical tiles.
-|[[File:M6.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:F6.svg|frameless|63x63px]]
+|[[File:M6.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:M6.svg|frameless|63x63px]]
+|1 lawr
 |-
-|'''Short''' (''maf'')
+|'''Short''' ({{Cs|jrt|mav}} ''maf'')
 |Three tiles in numerical sequence
-|[[File:M3.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:D4.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:H5.svg|frameless|63x63px]]
+|[[File:D3.svg|63x63px]][[File:D4.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:D5.svg|63x63px]]
+|2 lawr
 |-
-|'''Threefold''' (''mi'')
+|'''Threefold''' ({{Cs|jrt|mi}} ''mi'')
 |Three tiles of the same number
-|[[File:H4.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:F4.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:M4.svg|frameless|63x63px]]
+|[[File:F4.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:F4.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:F4.svg|frameless|63x63px]]
+|2 lawr
 |-
-|'''Row''' (''lirn'')
+|'''Row''' ({{Cs|jrt|lirn}} ''lirn'')
 |Four tiles in numerical sequence
-|[[File:H1.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:H2.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:F3.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:M4.svg|frameless|63x63px]]
+|[[File:H1.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:H2.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:H3.svg|63x63px]][[File:H4.svg|63x63px]]
+|4 lawr
 |-
-|'''Fourfold''' (''pyn'')
+|'''Fourfold''' ({{Cs|jrt|pyn}} ''pyn'')
 |Four tiles of the same number
-|[[File:M3.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:H3.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:D3.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:D3.svg|frameless|63x63px]]
+|[[File:M3.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:M3.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:M3.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:M3.svg|frameless|63x63px]]
+|4 lawr
+|}
+=== Winning hands ===
+A winning hand is composed of 12 tiles arranged in melds. There exist four types of winning hands.
+{| class="wikitable"
+|+Types of winning hands
+!Name
+!Description
+!Bonus
+!Example
+|-
+|'''Common''' ({{Cs|jrt|ōrdur}} ''órdur'')
+|A hand composed of tiles belonging to different suits.
+|No bonus
+|[[File:D3.svg|63x63px]][[File:D4.svg|63x63px]][[File:D5.svg|63x63px]][[File:D6.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:H1.svg|63x63px]][[File:H1.svg|63x63px]][[File:H1.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:M6.svg|63x63px]][[File:M7.svg|63x63px]][[File:M8.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:F4.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:F4.svg|frameless|63x63px]]
+|-
+|'''Level''' ({{Cs|jrt|bar}} ''bar'')
+|A hand composed entirely of tiles belonging to the same suit
+|Score of hand doubled
+|[[File:M1.svg|63x63px]][[File:M1.svg|63x63px]][[File:M1.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:M4.svg|63x63px]][[File:M4.svg|63x63px]][[File:M4.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:M6.svg|63x63px]][[File:M6.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:M7.svg|63x63px]][[File:M7.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:M8.svg|63x63px]][[File:M8.svg|63x63px]]
+|-
+|'''Perfect''' ({{Cs|jrt|hibng}} ''hibeng'')
+|A hand composed almost entirely of tiles belonging to the same suit.
+One meld is composed of great tiles
+|Score of hand doubled plus 10 lawr
+|[[File:F1.svg|63x63px]][[File:F1.svg|63x63px]][[File:F1.svg|63x63px]][[File:F1.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:F3.svg|63x63px]][[File:F4.svg|63x63px]][[File:F5.svg|63x63px]][[File:F6.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:F4.svg|frameless|63x63px]][[File:F4.svg|frameless|63x63px]]—[[File:Kf.svg|63x63px]][[File:Kf.svg|63x63px]]
+|-
+|'''Blessed''' ({{Cs|jrt|moeb}} ''moeb'')
+|A hand composed entirely of great tiles.
+|Score of hand doubled plus 20 lawr
+|[[File:Kd.svg|63x63px]][[File:Kd.svg|63x63px]][[File:Kd.svg|63x63px]][[File:Kd.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:Sm.svg|63x63px]][[File:Sm.svg|63x63px]][[File:Sm.svg|63x63px]][[File:Sm.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:Sh.svg|63x63px]][[File:Sh.svg|63x63px]]—[[File:Km.svg|63x63px]][[File:Km.svg|63x63px]]
 |}
-A meld composed exclusively of tiles from the same suit, such as [[File:H2.svg|frameless|29x29px]][[File:H3.svg|frameless|29x29px]][[File:H4.svg|frameless|29x29px]][[File:H5.svg|frameless|29x29px]], is called a ''level'' (''bar'') meld. Level melds are highly valued and are placed above their non-level counterparts. Levelness also applies to hands with the same logic. A hand that is composed entirely of level tiles of the same suit is called ''perfect'' (''hibeng'').
-=== Hands ===
-A winning hand is composed of 12 tiles arranged in melds. The following is an example of such.
-[[File:H1.svg|63x63px]][[File:H1.svg|63x63px]][[File:H1.svg|63x63px]][[File:D3.svg|63x63px]][[File:D4.svg|63x63px]][[File:D5.svg|63x63px]][[File:D6.svg|63x63px]][[File:M6.svg|63x63px]][[File:M7.svg|63x63px]][[File:M8.svg|63x63px]][[File:Sd.svg|63x63px]][[File:Sd.svg|63x63px]]
-This hand is composed of a threefold, a row, a short and eyes, adding up to 12 tiles. This is a valid hand to end a round on.
 [[Category:Pith]]
 [[Category:Board games]]