Last posted on the rec.games.mahjong newsgroup: September 29, 2010 Most recent UPDATES to the FAQS are posted online at http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq/log.htm and as of October 2010 are no longer listed in this FAQ. THE NOT QUITE WEEKLY STRATEGY COLUMN IS AT... http://www.sloperama.com/mahjongg/column.htm GOT A QUESTION ABOUT MAH-JONGG? http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/bulletinbd.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Archive-name: mjfaq00.txt Newsgroups: rec.games.mahjong Posting-frequency: not exactly monthly Last-modified: November 12, 2008 Version: 2.43 <><><><><> I. THE FAQ FILES ON THE INTERNET. WHERE THEY ARE AND WHAT'S IN THEM The Frequently Asked Question articles are located at: http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq.html FAQ00. Introduction to Mah-Jongg Newsgroup (this article) FAQ01. Mah-Jongg 101; Getting Started FAQ02. How to choose a rule set to study, and how to identify which rule set you (or your friends) are playing FAQ03. Books on Mah-Jongg FAQ03b 1920s Books FAQ04a Selected Websites on Mah-Jongg FAQ04b MORE Websites on Mah-Jongg FAQ05. Computer Mah-Jongg games FAQ06. "Rosetta Stone" of Mah-Jongg terminology FAQ07. ALL About Mah-Jongg Tiles: FAQ7a Types of Mah-Jongg Sets FAQ7b What Constitutes A Complete Set of Tiles FAQ7c How To Identify Tile Material FAQ7d All the Bits & Pieces FAQ7e Those Special Tiles FAQ7f Playing Tables FAQ7g How Old Is My Set? FAQ7h How Much Is It Worth? FAQ7i Mah-Jongg Cards... and Kards FAQ7j Tips For Buyers FAQ7k Where To Buy (General) FAQ7m Where To Buy (Tokyo & Hong Kong) FAQ7n Tips For Sellers FAQ7o Cleaning or Restoring Tiles FAQ7p Tell Me Anything About My Set FAQ7q I Need Blank Tiles! FAQ7r I Need Jokers! FAQ7s Tiles For the Sight-Impaired FAQ7t Make Your Own Joker Stickers FAQ08. Strategy FAQ09. Etiquette FAQ10. Simplified rules for mah-jongg. FAQ11. History of mah-jongg FAQ11b Origins: Precursor Games FAQ11c Origins: Who Created MJ FAQ11d Origins: EArliest Writings FAQ11e Origins: Earliest MJ Sets FAQ11f Origins: Proto-MJ & CC FAQ11g The CC Theory FAQ11h Mahjong Timeline FAQ12. Tile-matching software download sites FAQ13. Rules for 1-, 2-, and 3-player games FAQ14. The Rules On Table Rules FAQ15. How To Find Players In Your Local Area FAQ16. Answers to Questions About the Current NMJL Card FAQ17. "3 Fan" Mah-Jongg Explained (Yahoo/HKOS) FAQ18. Mah-Jongg Symbolism FAQ19. American Mah-Jongg FAQs FAQ20. Commonly Misunderstood Asian (un-American) MJ Rules FAQ21. How To Run A Tournament FAQ22. Chinese Official Scoring Explained FAQ23. Mahjong Demographics FAQ24. Technical Support for MahJong Computer Games FAQ25. Why Won't The Japanese Program Let Me Claim Mahjong? All of the FAQ articles are subject to change, and readers' comments are welcomed. INDEX FOR THIS FAQ* I. THE FAQ FILES ON THE INTERNET. WHERE THEY ARE AND WHAT'S IN THEM II. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION TO THE MAHJONG NEWSGROUPS III. CHARTER FOR THE REC.GAMES.MAHJONG NEWSGROUP IV. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NEWSGROUP *("FAQ" is short for "Frequently Asked Questions.") Note: This FAQ 0 is (and will remain) in text format. References to internet URLs are not clickable. Scroll down to read this FAQ; if viewed on the internet, use your browser's "Back" button to go back to the page that referred you here. <><><><><> II. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION TO THE MAHJONG NEWSGROUPS Welcome to the rec.games.mahjong Frequently Asked Questions. The purpose of this article is to assist readers in finding answers to their Mah-Jongg questions and to introduce new readers of rec.games.mahjong to newsgroup and bulletin board etiquette. Ques- tions and comments about this FAQ should be emailed to Tom Sloper (tomster@sloperama.com). FAQ 0 (this article) is posted weekly at the newsgroup. The FAQs are on the web at: http://www.sloperama.com/mjfaq.html The newsgroup FAQs are on the Web (instead of being posted regularly on the newsgroup) because 1. The FAQs are sizeable, and we wanted to be nice to the newsgroup servers around the world. 2. "Newsfeed" is a funny, mysterious, unpredictable thing -- not everybody's ISP provides timely access to the current postings at the newsgroups, so sometimes a user will look at the newsgroup and not see recent postings which other users can see there. It often happens that someone will ask a question that's answered by the FAQs - - we advise the asker to read the FAQs -- but the asker can't see them even though they had just been posted a few days previously. Thus the web version of the FAQs. The web version will not expire like newsgroup postings do. 3. Newsgroups are becoming a lesser-known part of the internet as the Web grows in usage, and there's a clear need to include graphics in the FAQs. NEWSGROUP POSTING ARCHIVES: There once was a newsgroup archive at http://mahjong.pathbot.com, but the site is no longer up. Google's Newsgroups Search page (http://groups.google.com/) is an excellent place (if not the only place now) to read old newsgroup postings. <><><><><> III. CHARTER FOR THE REC.GAMES.MAHJONG NEWSGROUP It is probably useful to reprint here the original Rationale and Charter, written in the spring of 1997 by Zuwei Thomas Feng. These are the texts which led to the creation of the English-language newsgroup (news:rec.games.mahjong). ================ RATIONALE: rec.games.mahjong The rec.games.mahjong newsgroup is for discussions and announcements related to Mahjong, an multiplayer game that originated in China and has widely spread to Asia, America, Europe, and other parts of the world. Note that Mahjong is NOT the solitaire game also known as Shanghai. Aside from a large player base in homes, local clubs and tournaments, there are also many people who play Mahjong with computer software. In particular, since the Internet Mahjong Server went on-line, it has attracted more than 1,000 players who came from different Mahjong communities. Mahjong is becoming a more visible international phenomenon. The first international Mahjong tournament to be held this year, will bring together top-notch Mahjong players from around the world and hopes to bring to Mahjong participation and prestige of games like Bridge, Chess, and Go. Such efforts will naturally be welcomed by Mahjong fans everywhere, and discussion of Mahjong rules, playing styles and skills will be key to their success. Mailing lists for various local Mahjong clubs and the Internet server already exist. Creating a big mailing list would however create too much traffic and scare off people who just want to participate in casual discussion. Popular games such as Bridge, Chess, and Go all have their respective newsgroups. Mahjong is arguably as popular as these games, and still gaining momentum. Unfortunately, there is no group within the rec.games hierarchy in which Mahjong postings are appropriate. [END RATIONALE.] CHARTER: rec.games.mahjong Rec.games.mahjong is an unmoderated group for the discussion and announcements related to Mahjong and its variations. There is no "standard Mahjong", so all versions, including Chinese, Japanese, Jewish, the Taiwan 16-tile variant, and some 3-player variants, etc, are covered by the group. The group welcomes all postings of the following kinds: 1. Discussions of Mahjong rules, play, and strategy. 2. Announcements of club meetings and tournaments. 3. Advertisements of Mahjong related products, with a repost frequency of at most once every month. 4. Private "for sale" or "want to buy" notices, with a repost frequency of at most once every month. The group accepts NO binary postings. END CHARTER. ================ So here we are, some years later, enjoying the existence of the English-language mah-jongg newsgroup (news:rec.games.mahjong) where we can discuss all things mah-jongg. <><><><><> IV. GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THIS NEWSGROUP The rec.games.mahjong newsgroup is generally friendly. However, new readers are well advised to familiarize themselves with the normal practices on the group before posting. Certain types of postings frequently pop up -- and some of them sometimes can cause flaring tempers and flame-o-grams. o The best type of posting is a question about rules or strategies of Mah-Jongg. The question "Teach me the rules of Mah-Jongg" is way too broad -- read the FAQs and find out where you can learn the rules of whatever type of Mah-Jongg you're interested in learning. Rather, the best type of posting is a question about a fine point of the rules that may not be clear in your rule book. For example, "West drew the 4th tile to make a Kong, took a loose tile from the back of the Wall, and discarded it. Isn't there supposed to be a bonus of some kind if another player can win on that tile? We play by the Whitney rules of Classical Japanese." That last part is important. The rule can be completely different depending on which game you play! But now I'm getting into the next point. o Frequently someone will post a question about a particular rule of Mah-Jongg, without specifying which version of MJ they play. There isn't just one rulebook for Mah-Jongg -- it's played in many different ways all around the world. So the first batch of responses invariably is like a shotgun blast, with many of the pellets missing the mark. Before posting a question, it would be best to read the FAQs and identify your "flavor" of Mah-Jongg, if you are unsure. Then when writing the question, specify which rulebook or game your question is about. We have regulars who play all the major varieties of MJ, and somebody will gladly field your question. We will even discuss how the same situation is handled differently in other varieties of MJ -- we enjoy confusing newbies! o Another typical type of posting is when someone reads an answer to a MJ question, and posts a reply asking why such an answer was given. The answer is invariably, "Because those are the rules under that way of playing." There isn't just one rulebook for Mah-Jongg -- it's played in many different ways all around the world. Rules don't need to be explained (there probably /is/ a good reason why a rule was made, but the rule was probably made a very long time ago, and the people who made the rule are either dead or don't frequent this newsgroup). o Bad tempers can result if you post the suggestion that the rules of [some flavor or other of] Mah-Jongg are stupid and should be changed. If you have a regular play group, that is the place to make the rule changes! People all around the world play Mah-Jongg in many different ways. You can make your table rules be whatever your regular group can agree to -- but you're not going to get all the players all around the world to change to your way of thinking! Some group regulars might get mad at you -- they're perfectly happy with their way of playing. o Many players post messages looking for players in their area. There's no harm in making such posts, and by all means go ahead, but in the majority of cases it's not as effective as posting at http://www.sloperama.com/majexchange/findplayer.htm (after you read all the posts there yourself to see if someone from your area has already posted). See FAQ 15. o A very frequent type of post is along the lines of, "I'm looking for places to buy tiles, or sell tiles. . ." or "I got an antique set when my Aunt Fannie died, how much is it worth?" -- Please read FAQ 7 before you post. o Please don't post off-topic messages. We at this newsgroup are interested in discussing the game of Mah-Jongg, or games played with Mah-Jongg tiles, only. There are other newsgroups for the discussion of other games and other topics. o Please ignore the trolls. Trolls love it when people respond to their posts. Ignoring them is the best way to handle trolls. See: http://www.themartialist.com/pecom/fieldguidetotrolls.htm - http://communitiesonline.homestead.com/dealingwithtrolls.html o Posts that purport to be about "Mah-Jongg" but are actually about a computer solitaire tile-matching game (such as "Shanghai," or a program similar to Shanghai). Before you post, make sure you know the difference between "solitaire mah-jongg" and "true mah-jongg." Both are games played with mah-jongg tiles, but they are very different games. One is mah-jongg, and the other is not (regardless of what the program may be named). Think of the game of Shanghai (or games similar to it) as "Solitaire," and the game of Mah-Jongg as "Gin Rummy." Consider: Poker is not Bridge. If this newsgroup was all about Bridge and you started posting about Poker, you would (naturally) not get a friendly response. This newsgroup's Charter (reprinted at the top of this FAQ) does not expressly forbid the posting of messages about MJ tile-matching games, but the Rationale which accompanied the Charter expressly and rightly declares that those games are "NOT mah-jongg." Therefore be aware that if you post about such games, it is arguable that you are posting off-topic. Off-topic posts are unwelcome in all newsgroups. Appropriate discussions about fun uses of MJ tiles (or a knowledgeable com- parative study of the various games played with MJ tiles, even including the tile-matching games) might be accepted as not too off- topic, but you should be prepared for an overheated response if you post only to brag of your high score or best time in a tile-matching program (especially if you call that game by the generic name "mah- jongg" when the group regulars know it's /not/ mah-jongg). Such messages might be better posted at news:rec.games.computer.puzzle instead. (This is no guarantee that the crossword puzzle fans at that other newsgroup will appreciate your bragging any better than the mahjong newsgroup regulars do... (^_^) ) o "I have computer MJ game X and I'm having this technical problem..." -- This type of posting is not interesting for the members of the group, and will not get you the info you need as quickly as if you contacted the makers (publisher) of the game directly. If you have a technical question about a computer game, contact the makers (publisher) of the game directly. You can find out how to contact them via the About box in the game, or from the info in the printed manual. You can find the maker/publisher's website and get the Email address there. Send detailed info about your computer, the version you have, and what the problem is. The typical "message from hell" goes like this: "Hey what gives, MJPro doesn't work on my computer, HELLPP!!" . . . Come on, what's anybody gonna do with that?? -- User didn't tell what specific MJPro game [full title and version #] the user has -- user didn't say if s/he has a Macintosh or Windows 3.1 or Windows 98 or what -- and "doesn't work" could mean anything! "The colors are weird" is totally different from "this game only comes on CD, and my computer only has a floppy drive." Be specific. The maker/publisher needs clues in order to help you, and only you can provide them. o People occasionally find a reason to post a picture to illustrate a question. This is a BIG no-no! Do NOT post any pictures here. This newsgroup's charter expressly forbids the posting of binaries (all picture files and sound files and movie files are "binaries" in newsgroup parlance). You could always Email a picture to someone who can look at it and answer your question. Don't Email raw BMP files, either -- convert them to JPG or ZIP format before Emailing. o When replying to someone else's post, it's important to copy the original question to which you are replying within your response. The original question should appear above your reply to it. The original question should be clearly marked as not your own words, using the "greater than" symbol (>) at the left, and preceded by the name of the person whose words are quoted. NOTE: If you don't copy the original question in the post, people can have difficulty determining what question you are replying to! It's important to copy the original question. NOTE: Copy *only* the pertinent parts of the previous post when posting a reply - it's a waste of time for other readers if you copy the entire previous post but are only replying to one sentence in it. It's important to "cherry-pick" the pertinent part(s) of the original question. o It is often useful to refer to or look up an older post. But it can be difficult to find a particular old post sometimes, due to the phenomenon of "topic drift." Unless the writer changes the subject line when the topic has veered away from the original topic, the discussion contained in the post can be completely different from the post's subject line. Please consider rewriting the subject line when this happens. o One of the entertaining pastimes of newsgroups is "flaming", where posters publicly insult each other in terms that they might not use if meeting face to face. If you have been flamed, please don't take it personally, and PLEASE don't start a real flame war over it. Just remember that people at keyboards are sometimes more feisty than they might be face to face. We don't have netcops like those found in other Usenet groups -- don't make us go there! o It may seem like the newsgroup is a good sounding board for your personal theories. And that's true, up to a point. Let reasonability be your guide. If people are responding well to your ideas, that's a sign that your posts are welcome. But if the feedback is all negative, or if your posts are greeted with nothing but silence, then perhaps you should consider setting up a website or blog instead of continuing to paper the newsgroup with your ideas. You don't want to seem to be talking to no one but yourself. o What you should do before you post a question: - If you haven't read the articles that are regularly posted to the newsgroup news.announce.newusers, please do so. You will learn about some general rules and principles that apply to virtually all newsgroups, like a ban on posting most binary files and MIME attachments, and sending email instead of posting, if your message is intended only for one person. - Read the newsgroup for at least a week (reading for some time before posting is proper etiquette for ANY Usenet newsgroup. If you didn't realize that, all the more reason for you to go back and read news.announce.newusers). - Know the difference between mah-jongg and solitaire tile- matching games. Don't say "mah-jongg" if you actually mean a tile-matching game. - Be aware that posting in newsgroups can cause you to start receiving unwanted junk Email. But if you put a "nospam" filter in your Email address, others have to be smart in order to Email you in response. You have to decide what to do. - Read the other FAQs. See section I... <><><><><> (C) 2000-2010 Tom Sloper. All rights reserved.