Ready to Play by the Rules (Letter 1)

Dear Hoptoi,

I learned how to play from someone who taught us the future 14-tile, throw-and-pick game. I don’t want to play using house rules so I am trying to figure out how to convince my group to make the switch. I don’t want to break up our group because we’ve been together for so long that we have become close friends. Can you give me the words to say that can convince them to play by the official rules,

Concerned Purist

Dear Concerned Purist,

Playing with futures/14-tile games is not faster because when a player calls a discard for an exposure, the time it takes to pass the 14th tile negates any forward movement. In a 13-tile game, if players are experienced, the play can be quite quick (12 minutes).

Also, the qualification rule to declare mah jongg when you pick your winning tile is the biggest pain point for most players. Since players have an extra tile, they cannot declare mah jongg until their next turn, and they risk losing the game to another player who can win by discard first.

These two statements may convince them to stop playing with this house rule. If they disagree, you will need to accept it to keep the peace. If this happens, you can find a second group that doesn’t play with house rules.

May all your picks be keepers,

Hoptoi