Mah-Jong

[shivvy]

I have played this on the computer and enjoyed it but I see that it can be bought as a board game. Does anyone know how it is played in 3-D, real life, multi-player?!! I presume that it works similarly to the on-line version whereby each player takes turns to remove pieces that match each other but how are the pieces set up at the start of the game etc.
Thanks

[Pirate1]

I bought a set off ebay for this very reason. I really enjoyed it on screen and so wanted to try the board game. The instruction that came were very very very confusing. I haven't worked them out yet. However, we set them up in various shapes as you can on screen and it was ok, but I think I prefer it on screen because the setting up is very time consuming.

[shivvy]

That is what i thought Pirate. Is the set-up too tricky or the game too much different to the internet version in your opinion?

[Pirate1]

Its not tricky to set up, just time consuming. It is quite nice to actually handle the pieces though instead of just clicking a mouse.

As I said, we are playing it to the on screen rules but I think this is wrong. The instruction look like a completely different game with stakes being played. Its very badly translated....so difficult to follow. Its almost like a game of cards but with the mah-jong tiles.

[Pirate1]

Addendum: It looks a bit like Scrabble. You don't set them out, it looks like you keep picking tiles up! If anyone out there understands the game please let us know!

[Llamatron]

Isn't mah-jong one of the oldest games ever?

[WoWo]

No, it's origin can only be traced back to around 1850 when it was invented.

The game you play on the computer is called Mah-jong solitaire and isn't actual Mah-Jong, the rules are to complicated to explain here but basically each player is dealt a hand and has to discard and pick up tiles to make sets.

You can of course use the Mah-Jong tiles to play solitaire but as you have found out the set up is a pain in and there is always the possibility that you can't get them all out.

[shivvy]

That is really interesting WoWo. So is it similar to rummy?

I bought a game when I was in Turkey about 15 years ago. I had seen children playing it and they called it "Okey". It used tiles (stones I believe they were called) with different numbers and colours to make 'hands' similar to rummy ie a run or 4 the same. Does that sound like a version of Mah-jong to you?

[WoWo]

Check out this page, plenty of info on Mah-Jong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mah-jong