The makers of the Real Mah Jong version 1.0 gave the game such an auspicious title because of the many misconceptions about this Asian game of dominoes. Many people have played at the Western version of Mah Jong, which involves matching like dominoes to remove them from a jumbled up playing board. The actual game of Mah Jong is played much, much differently.
The actual game of Mah Jong is a four player competitive game as opposed to the solitaire game to which most people are accustomed. It bears some resemblance to classic card games such as poker or rummy, since part of the strategy involves making combinations of tiles that are similar in some way. Combinations of tiles that count include pairs, threes of a kind, and numbered sequences, similar to a straight or flush in poker.
There are many different types of tiles. Each set of Mah Jong tiles is a little bit different, but in this deck, there are three types of numbered tiles. The numbers on the tiles range from one to nine and there are four of each individual tile. The designs on the numbered tiles are circles, bamboo, and Japanese picture numbers. There are four more sets of tiles that represent the four winds, East, North, South and West. There are also three different colored dragons: red, green and white…with four of each colored dragon tile. This basic set contains a total of one-hundred-and-thirty-six tiles. Many sets of Mah Jong tiles also include an extra set in the form of the four seasons, with one tile for each of the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Winter and Autumn. This set also includes four plants: orchid, plum, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. There is a total of one-hundred-and-forty-four tiles in this deck.
In this version of the game, the players are dealt thirteen tiles to begin the game and all players have to play to the same discard area. By picking up more tiles and carefully managing the tiles in the user’s hand, he hopes to make the appropriate matches. Scoring in each game of Mah Jong is different, but this one is pretty standard for a lot of games. The object is to make enough matches to build a wall and “go out.”
Overall, this game is difficult to learn and there is not much of a tutorial to go with the game. Moreover, it is certainly not what most Mah Jong players of this day and age are accustomed to, so the user needs to know what he is getting into before downloading the Real Mah Jong. It is a difficult, strategic and very lengthy game if it is played to its entirety.
Written by:
~Shannon
