Some exotic rule options

[Barticle]

I've been playing the DS version of Mahjong Taikai recently which has an amazing range of 41 rule options. There's some interesting stuff, including a few I'd not seen before, so I thought I'd write them up. (s = Souzu/Bams, p = Pinzu/Dots, m = Manzu/Craks suit)

Nakitan - this is Koei's name for Kuitan, permitting open Tanyao

Naki Pinfu - choose 20 minipoints instead of 30 for "Open Pinfu" Ron

Tsumo Pinfu, No-Ten Bappu, Ura Dora, Kan Dora, Kan Ura Dora, Ippatsu, abortive draws, Yaochuu Furikiri (Nagashi Mangan), Renhou, multiple Yakuman, double Ron, triple Ron - all on/off

Renchan conditions - three options

Dobon - normal bankruptcy rule but you can apply a 10k, 20k or 30k penalty, you pay the player who busted you

Starting score and buy-in - various permutations permitted, affects the Oka bonus for the match winner

Shaanyuu - extension to west round if target score not met, various values e.g. 30,000 / 30,100 pts

Uma - eight options, biggest is 20-30

Agari Yame - dealer can end game early if they win the final hand and they're leading on points

Ryan Han Shibari - two-Han minimum applied with 5+ counters (one of the rule-sets also has a variant where there's a 3-Han minimum at 10+ counters and 4-Han at 15+, non-dealer wins don't reset the Honba count)

Kokushi Chankan - permits "robbing the kong" for Thirteen Orphans

Riichi Ankan - can declare a closed kong after reaching

Riichibou Modoshi - if the game ends in a draw with Riichi sticks on the table they're returned to the players instead of being paid to the dealer

Yakitori - 10k/15k/20k penalty, also Ura (Phoenix) option so markers are reset if all four players win a hand

Wareme - player whose wall section was broken pays/receives double points

Paa Renchan - optional Yakuman for eight consecutive dealer wins

Tips - chips used to track luck-based bonuses, each chip is worth 5k in the final reckoning. There are five tips rules:

• Ippatsu tips - two chips for Ippatsu Ron, six chips for Ippatsu Tsumo (two each)
• Ura Dora tips - one chip per Ura Dora, paid by discarder on Ron or by all x3 on Tsumo
• Yakuman tips - fifteen chips, paid by discarder on Ron or five each on Tsumo (15 chips = 75k pts!)
• Toriuchi ("bird shooting") - this one is bizarre. Each 1s (bird) in your winning hand is worth one chip, but if the discarder holds a 7p (pistol) then the gun shoots the bird and you get no chips, unless you also have an 8s (birdcage) which shields the bird from the bullets!
• Arisu - when you win with Riichi, another dead-wall tile is flipped and if it exactly matches any tiles in your hand you win one chip per tile and flip another

Kinchiidokuritsu - one-Han Yaku for winning on a pair wait with four open sets (in some versions it needs to be a 1s wait and it pays a Mangan)

Chinese scoring elements - Rinshan Kaihou with 5p, Haitei with 1p, Chankan with 2s - all worth two Han

San/Suu Renkou - two-Han Yaku for three consecutive same-suit Pungs, Yakuman for four

Ii Sou San Shun - Pure Triple Chow, like Iipeikou but with three identical Chows - two-Han Yaku, one if open

Shiisan Puutaa - starting hand has thirteen tiles with no set elements, plus one duplicate tile - pays Mangan/Baiman/Yakuman

Dai Sharin - optional Yakuman of 22334455667788p

Optional Yakuman:

• Hyakuman Goku (one million stones) - a Manzu flush where the numbers on the tiles add to 100+
• Beni Kujaku (crimson peacock) - like Ryuuiisou (All Green) but red and harder, can only use red dragon and 1, 5, 7, 9s
• Ao no Doumon (tunnel of blue) - can only use winds and 2, 4, 8p (some rules allow green dragon too I think)

Also you have the option to place a Sashiuma side-bet with one opponent. Whoever has the lower final score pays 10k to the other.

All those options, but no red fives!

The final reckoning of scores after a match can get quite complicated. One time I got a cool half-flush + seven pairs hand with Riichi, Ippatsu and two Ura Dora. Worth a Baiman but the discarder was Wareme so they paid double and got busted. I got two chips for Ippatsu and two more for the Ura Dora. I collected +24 for Oka, +30 from the Uma, +30 for Dobon, +20 for Yakitori, +20 for the tips and +10 for Sashiuma... final score +176!

[zzo38]

There is a lot of options. Some of which I have seen and some I have never seen before. A few of them are ideas I have thought of in the past but have never seen. Most aren't. Too bad it does not have red fives!

Toriuchi is certainly really strange one.

I would like to be able to set Tsumo Ippatsu and Ron Ippatsu separately.

I have a document listing rule variants, and I am adding some of these into that list.

[Barticle]

I think it would be nice to be able to adjust the chip value since 5k is a lot and they're generally rewarding luck rather than skill.

There are so many more optional rules that I've never played in video-games... Here's a couple of massive lists of rule options and a handy Wikipedia article listing optional yaku/yakuman:

http://www29.atwiki.jp/mahjlocal/pages/19.html
http://kumot.finito.fc2.com/mj/ruleinput.html
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%BA%BB% ... B%E5%BD%B9

Those are all in Japanese of course. If you want English info and haven't already then check out my PDF guide which includes a number of optional rules - but not as many as those pages!

[zzo38]

I think it would be nice to be able to adjust the chip value since 5k is a lot and they're generally rewarding luck rather than skill.

I agree, it would be nice to adjust chip values (possibly, individually for each of the rules that you earn these bonus chips)

[FixxeR]

I have one of these sets: http://image.rakuten.co.jp/offer1999/ca ... 565756.jpg

There's a glass bead in one of the 3 pin, 3 sou and 3 man and haku tiles. I was wondering what's the purpose for these? I'd figure it's a local rule of some sort, but I wasn't able to find out any information about it.

[WorTeX]

If I remember correctly, the haku is wild, a joker tile, there were some specifications about that, like its not a joker when you throw it away, but just a haku. Used in some parlors in japan I believe.

I also saw a video on youtube with red 3's, so theyre just more extra dora I think?

Somebody can probably confirm this, I'm not 100% about these.

[Barticle]

I think a haku with an inset gem (often red) is called 白ポッチ (haku pocchi). My understanding is that you can use it as a wildcard if you draw it after reaching.

You can get red threes (and sevens) but they're red! Agree these could be used as dora though, or maybe suit-specific wildcards or something?

[zzo38]

Virtual Tsumo: Menzen tsumo counts 1 han for purposes of requirement only, but is not actually scored as 1 han, it is scored 0 han.

Visible Ura Dora: Ura dora indicators are kept visible from the start of the deal. (You can base your decision on whether or not to declare riichi, and what tiles to make with riichi, based on this.)

Visible Kan Dora: Kan dora indicators are kept visible from the start of the deal. They are not actually scored unless that many kan are made. (You can base your decision on whether or not to make kan from this.)

Reverse Yakitori: A variation of yakitori rules, where you must pay a penalty if you have ever discarded a tile that someone else win by.

Left Visibility: You are allowed to look at the tiles belonging to the player to the left of you.

Fake Kan: You are allowed to make a fake closed kan if two tiles looks like correct. But to check tenpai, false riichi penalty, and win, you have to open them so that you can prove you are not lying.

[or2az]

Found this thread from a couple of years ago.
Don't use any of the 6 optional rules listed just above. Didn't even know they existed. ( Left Visibility? Really? )
I do use 3 red fives, one of each suit, and recently, started using 1 haku pocchi, just to add a little variety.
Didn't seem to matter, since it never shows up when you really need it...... until today.
As Barticle stated above, it is a wild card only if you draw it after you riichi. (otherwise, just a regular white dragon)

[Barticle]

[...]the 6 optional rules listed just above. Didn't even know they existed. ( Left Visibility? Really? )

You won't see them outside this thread.

There's more about Haku Pocchi in this thread - including a previous winning pic from you!

[or2az]

yeah, that was back in september in my early days (he said laughingly) , when I was experimenting in these different rooms on my app with rules like yakitori, wareme, uma, shugi, no bankruptcy, and red fives numbering from 2 thru 6. The only ones of these that I am using in my regular game are 3 red fives and 1 haku pocchi.
I'm still not sure if the haku pocchi requires that you get it immediately after reaching since both times I got it, I also had ippatsu.
Addendum: I did find some comments on this in Osamuko's blog (Feb 2, 2012) titled Top Three Mahjong Tiles. Some say yes, some say no.

[Kyuu]

http://www.uspml.com/forum/topicview/mi ... _anime.htm

Thankfully, I never got to enforce these. They weren't my rules to begin with.

[or2az]

yeah, those are definitely brutal. I might never win a hand....well....er.....maybe one.......or two? just kidding.......I think?

[Masa]

Most bizzare rule is "Aotenjo". No limit point.
Accoridng to the wikipedia, the maximum point in this rule

4,323,455,642,275,676,400 !!!!

How to pay ???

[Barticle]

My best score when I tried it was a mere 2.6 million points (for a 12 Han hand).

http://www.reachmahjong.com/en/forum/vi ... 212#p56746