(cache) Introduction to Ma-Jan Video Games

An Introduction to MA-JAN Video Games.

Introduction

Welcome to the Introduction of Ma-Jan Video Games. Ma-Jan also called MahJong or Mahjongg is a verry popular tiles-based game in china and japan.
It is so popular in japan that a lot of "digitalised" versions appeared in arcades and home systems. Nowadays, non japanese people can have access to those games thanks to the emulators breakthroughs... Unfortunatly Ma-Jan is not a game you can easily guess the rules... I am here to help you understand.

Brief description.

Ma-Jan is played by 2 or 4 players, digitalised Ma-Jan usually is played by 2 players. The rules are the same though. Ma-Jan is, as i said before, a tiles-based game. There are 34 different tiles, each tile is present 4 times in the game. Each player as a hand of 13 tiles plus the current drawing tile. The goal is to manage to complete combinations of tiles before the adversary.

Tiles overview

There are 34*4=136 Tiles in the game. In Ma-Jan a tile is called HAI. There are 5 kinds of tiles: numbers (MANZU) rounds (PINZU) bamboos (SOUZU) winds and dragons (TSU-PAI)

MANZU

These tiles are numbers... from 1 to 9 you should learn those 9 ideograms. You will need to handle them easily in order to play ma-jan.
How to pronounce: i-wan, ryanwan, sanwan, su-wan, u-wan, ro-wan, chi-wan, pa-wan, kyu-wan (this is japanised chinese)

PINZU

i-pin, ryanpin, sanpin, su-pin, u-pin, ro-pin, chi-pin, pa-pin, kyu-pin

SOUZU

i-sou, ryansou, sansou, su-sou, u-sou, ro-sou, chi-sou, pa-sou, kyu-sou

These 27 common tiles are called SHU-PAI. As you can see each symbolize numbers from 1 to 9.
The middle tiles 2 to 8 are called CHU-CHANPAI.
The border tiles 1 and 9 are called RO-TO-PAI.

TSU-PAI

4 winds KAZEHAI: ton (east), nan (south), sha- (west), pei (north).
3 dragons SANGENHAI: haku, hatsu, chun.

The tileset RO-TO-PAI+TSU-PAI is called YAOCHU-PAI.

The beginning

Dices are launched, one for you and one for the adversary. You continue launching dices until they are not equal.
The smallest value wins, wich means the biggest value is the one who starts (starting is not an advantage in ma-jan).
The starting player has the east place (a east wind tile is put in front of him) and in the case of 2 players ma-jan the other player has the south place.
Tiles are then shuffled and given to the players, 3 by 3.
Basicaly ma-jan has 2 playtimes.

looking at the tile the opponent has just withdrawn to see if you can do anything with it

if nothing can be done then you take the next tile yourself and proceed with it

When you start you can t use adversary tile so you just can take a tile in the stash.

Before going any further i have to explain about SPECIALS

The Specials

I bet you ve already checked other web sites about ma-jan to start playing but somehow the computer just refuse to let you win..
The reason is simple... If you used a tile from the opponent, you MUST have a "special" to win.
Some games allow you to win without a special if you didn t use a tile from the opponent, some do not...
I have not yet seen a web site explaining that part of ma-jan...
SPECIALS:

a REACH (RI-CHI)

a KO-TSU (3 tiles same) of TSU-PAI

a KAN (4 tiles same) of TSU-PAI

But before seeing this ... we should have a look at possible combinations you can make...

The Combinations

So... you do remember you have 13 tiles in hand plus the last one your opponent withdrew or the one you withdrew yourself.
Remember... when you have taken a tile from the stash you can t anymore use your oponent's one until next turn... Think carefully before taking your tile.
So... what to do with those tile ? Combinations !

Basics of combinations

First of all, groups can t be mixed, combinations are meant to have only tiles of same groups, you can however have different groups combinations in your hand to win.
You can either combinate tiles of equal value or in direct succession. You don t have to notify you are doing any group, you just need valid ones for the computer to let you win.
In a normal condition you have to do combinations of 2 (JANTOU) and of 3 (MENTSU) tiles.
If you manage to get combinations of only 1 group you get extra points, and lot lot lot if these are TSU-PAI.
A basicaly winning hand has 4 MENTSU and one JANTOU. If you have a MENTSU in your hand you can t have more than one JANTOU (except if you have done a KAN). But remember that if you have no MENTSU and only 7 JANTOU then your hand is worth more points.
You can finish your combination with the last withdrawn tile of your opponent this is called a RON.

JANTOU	MENTSU	MENTSU	MENTSU	AND THE LAST

JANTOU

You can only have JANTOU of tiles of the same group and same value.

O These are JANTOU

X These are NOT JANTOU

MENTSU

MENTSU is either 3 tiles of the same group having succeeding values (JUNTSU) or 3 tiles of the same group and having same value (KO-TSU).
You CAN NOT have JUNTSU of TSU-PAI.

O These are JUNTSU

X These are NOT JUNTSU

O These are KO-TSU

X These are NOT KO-TSU

TA-TSU & TOITSU

You seldom get all your needed combinations when you receive your tiles... you have to build them. When you only lack one tile to build a JUNTSU, the pair already built is called a TA-TSU and when you only lack one tile to build a KO-TSU, the pair already built is called a TOITSU.

TA-TSU

There are 3 kinds of TA-TSU.

1. RYANMENTA-TSU
in your hand, you need or to complete your JUNTSU.

2. KANCHANTA-TSU
in your hand, you need to complete your JUNTSU

3. PENCHANTA-TSU
in your hand, you need to complete your JUNTSU

TOITSU

TOITSU follows the same rules than JANTOU the difference is that it is meant to be completed by a third equal tile (for example if you already have a JANTOU of MANZU and one of TSU-PAI you ll want the JANTOU of TSU-PAI to be a TOITSU because a KO-TSU of TSU-PAI pays more).

in your hand, you need

to complete your KO-TSU

More about the Specials

As you know, you have a WIND associated to you. The game board has a prefered WIND wich is the WIND of the player who starts. Usually this is the EAST wind.
To have a special from winds, you must have a KO-TSU of either your WIND or the gameboard's WIND. If you have same wind than the board then this special is doubled in points.
You can either create your special with your own tiles or complete one with one of your opponent's latest withdrawn tile (with a PON or a KAN wich we ll discuss later on).

Announces

This is the best part of the game !

REACH (RI-CHI)

TSUMO

RON

CHI

PON

KAN

TENPAI

NO-TEN

REACH (RI-CHI)

That is the announce you make to create your special when you have not touched the opponent's tiles. The only requested thing for it is to only miss a tile to win.

You need a 2 or 5 bamboo to win. You announce your REACH.

You need a 3 bamboo to win but you have used an opponent tile... you CAN NOT REACH.

TSUMO

That is the announce you make when you announce a winning hand acquired by the tile you have just drawn.
In video games you TSUMO with the RON key.

You won... you can say TSUMO.

You don t have a SPECIAL... you CAN NOT TSUMO !!! read again the SPECIALS part :)

You have a SPECIAL... you CAN TSUMO !!!

RON

That is the announce you make when you announce a winning hand using an opponent tile. If the rules allow you to win without REACH, this tile doesn t count as an opponent tile so if you have not used before an opponent's tile you can RON without a special.

CHI

That is the announce you make when you complete your TA-TSU with an oponent's latest withdrawn tile.

+ opponent's

PON

That is the announce you make when you complete your TOITSU with an oponent's latest withdrawn tile . Position of the rotated tile varies uppon rules and opponent's position.

+ opponent's

KAN

That is the announce you make when you make a 4 identical tiles-combination.
If you KAN from tiles of your own hand with a tile of your own hand it s a ANKAN.

If you KAN using at least an opponent's tile it s a MINKAN. (position of the rotated tile varies uppon rules and opponent's position)

+ opponent's

TENPAI

This announce is made when the game is over but nobody has a winning hand. You say TENPAI if you only miss 1 tile to have a winning hand.
Players who say TENPAI earn a bit of points... except if everybody is TENPAI.

NO-TEN

This announce is made when the game is over but nobody has a winning hand. You say NO-TEN if you can not say TENPAI.

The Dora

If you look at the screen you ll notice a stash of tiles with one or more returned tiles. These are shown DORA. To gain more points you have to get the complementary DORA in your game.
Complentary dora is of same group.

shown value 1 tile -> need value 2 tile
shown value 2 tile -> need value 3 tile
...
shown value 5 tile -> need value 6 tile
...
shown value 9 tile -> need value 1 tile
east wind -> south wind
south wind -> west wind
west wind -> north wind
north wind -> east wind
white dragon (HAKU)-> green dragon (HATSU)
green dragon -> red dragon (CHUN)
red dragon -> white dragon

DORA are added to the stash depending on the rules (when you do KAN for example)... this permites to acquire more points.