h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Actually making progress on the entry and hope to finish it in the next day or so
However somebody else has started a Mah Jongg entry so as soon as I've done the draft I'm going to post it to PR. Don't want to get pipped at the post
Could you explain what kong boxes are? The rules set I use doesn't mention them.
I'm going to add in what you said about how your Chinese friends played Mah Jongg as a block quote. If you have any other ideas let me know

Good idea - get in there first.

The Kong Box may be a peculiartity of the way my brother taught me to play, but it goes like this:-

After the walls have been built to 4x18x2 (using special honours) two dice are thrown to determine a wall, by counting round anti-clockwise starting with the wall facing the Wind of the Round as number one - so if the throw was 5 or 9, the count would finish back at that same wall.

The dice are thrown by the Wind whose wall was selected and the result is added to the previous throw. The total number is now counted, starting with the left-most tile of the selected wall. When the required number is reached, the two tiles at that position are lifted out and placed behind their original position on top of the wall, straddling the first to second and the third to forth preceding tiles respectively.

You then count six original pairs back from the break in the wall and separate these fourteen (including the two on top) tiles from the rest of the wall.

This is your Kong Box, which is used to replenish your hand if you pick up Special Honours or create a Kong.

If the walls are exhausted before anyone goes Mah Jong, any remaining tiles in the Kong Box are NOT available for play, thereby adding to the randomness of the game.

I found a couple of sites specifically to do with the British Mah Jong Association, but I believe they are simply a group of four enthusiasts who were frustrated by the many poor translations available and so wrote a book called "Know The Game: Mah Jong" as a standardised and readable set of rules.

Sites found so far:-

http://www.garethjmsaunders.co.uk/shed/GJ2-1/mj_index.htm
http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Mah-Jong.htm
http://www.msoworld.com/mindzine/news/orient/mah_jong/history.html
http://www.mastergames.com/rules/mah-jong-rules.htm

Of course, you've probably found many more.

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished result.

JT

Thanks
I'll add in about the Kong box
Basically its a way of ensuring you don't use those last 14 pieces
Actually that is more web sites than I found but I gave up after ploughing through loads of Google entries that were mostly about the computer solitaire game
Should be ready tonight/tomorrow

The piece has gone in to Peer Review.
I'll try and add links to it tonight.
If you have any other ideas let me know

I'll take a look over lunch and get back to you.

JT

Hi BC

I'm just making a few notes as I read through the piece, but some of them may be dealt with further on, so forgive me if I fail to come back and revise them.

OBJECTIVE

Worth mentioning the name of each type of set - Pung, Chow, Pair - and noting that in the British game, only one Chow is normally permitted and then it is considered a "dirty" hand.

I have come across various other "special" hands such as "Imperial Jade" or one to do with a snake. It is generally advisable to have at least 8 of the necessary tiles before committing to a special hand, as you can often only take from the walls to achieve it.


And actually, that's it! Anything else I thought of expanding upon, was already done in a later paragraph.

I think anyone could take this entry and effectively learn to play.

Excellent work.

JT