Official NMJL mahjongg on iPads and Tablets!

The original online game was made for Windows computers but players have been clamoring for a way to play on other devices.  Sigma Software, the official developer of the National Mahjongg League, has developed a new version of the online game which can run on PCs, MACs, iPads, Androids and other tablets.  Here are the instructions for setting up the new game on your device.

TO PLAY THE ONLINE GAME ON ANY DEVICE;

1.  Become a member of the League

    You MUST be a member of the League.  if you are a subscriber to the original online game you already have a membership number, account number and access code.  If you have bought your mahjongg card directly from the League, then you have a membership number.  You will find your membership number on the mailing label of the newsletter or if you do not have a record of it you may call the League at 212-246-3052.  If you are not a member of the League, you will need to purchase a card from www.nationalmahjonggleague.org.  Even if you already have a card, if you buy one from the League a membership number will be generated and you will receive the yearly newsletter.  Make sure to store the number where you can find it again.  

2.  Subscribe to the Online game

     Once you have this number, go to the League website and click on "online game" to subscribe to the Official NMJL Online Mahjongg.  The cost is $45 and a subscription purchased after January is good until NEXT March 31.  When you subscribe, you will receive an account number and an access code.  Keep these numbers together with your membership number.  These numbers will give you access to BOTH VERSIONS of the online game.

TO PLAY THE ORIGINAL ONLINE GAME ON A WINDOWS PC OR MAC

If you want to play the ORIGINAL game, you must have a PC running Windows or a MAC running a Windows emulator, such as CrossOver.  Open your Windows browser, go to the League website and click on Online Game, then Download.   Once you have put in your membership number, account number and access code, the game will install.  To play the game, click on the Official NMJL Mahjongg icon.

TO PLAY THE NEW iPAD AND TABLET VERSION OF THE ONLINE GAME

(WHICH CAN ALSO BE PLAYED ON PCs AND MACs)

3.  Install browser

After you have subscribed to the online game and received your account number and access code, your next step is to make sure your device has the right kind of browser.  A browser is a program or app that lets you brows the internet.  Some devices already come with a browser.  Apple products come with a browser called Safari, Internet Explorer comes with Windows and Silk comes on a Kindle Fire.  But in order to run the online game your device must have either the Firefox or Chrome browser installed.  If your device does not have Firefox or Chrome, you will have to download it as you would any other app.  Firefox is preferred, but does not run on all devices.  (NOTE:  FIREFOX DOES NOT RUN ON AN iPAD)  Chrome is made by Google and an be installed on most devices.

To play the NEW ONLINE GAME you do not need to click the Download button on the NMJL site.  You will only need to download and install the Firefox or Chrome browser if you do not have it already installed.  The game will run on ANY device that uses one of these browsers - laptops, PCs, tablets, but NOT PHONES!   To install the browser on your tablet, go to your app store or Google Play and search for the browser, then install.  Both Firefox and Chrome are free.  If you are using a laptop or desktop, you can download Firefox from www.mozilla.com or Chrome from www.google.com/chrome  Both are reputable sites and the browsers are free.  You can continue using your regular browser and only use the new one for mahjongg by saying "no" when you are prompted to make the browser your default browser.  

4.  Set up the game

Once you have downloaded your browser, open it and type the following in the address bar:

maj.nmjl.org

The browser will open a page that automatically sets up the new game.  You will be asked to input your membership number, account number and access code.  That's all there is to it!

5.  Play online mahj!

There are many new features that have been added.  There are tutorials, practice play areas and fun games to help you remember hands.  You can set the pace to your liking.  A description of the features can be found at http//www.nmjl.org/newmaj.html  As more people begin to play the new version, it will be easier to populate tables.  If no one is around, play with robots!  New features will be developed over time.  You can bookmark the game in your browser or type maj.nmjl.org in the address bar to return.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The NEW version is SEPARATE from the original Windows online game.  When you play on the browser-based game you are not playing with the same people who are playing on the original game.  But anyone who has the correct browser and code numbers can play the new game.

Try it and let's hear some feedback.  You may also send freedback directly to:  mahjhelp@sigmasoftware.com  Include your membership number and account number, but NEVER your access code.

Hope to see you online on the iPad!  My user name is Linda Fisher.

Knowing When to Stop

 I think I was texting when I decided to stop the passing...

This is sort of a sad story, but it turned out well in the end.  Every experienced player knows that there is occasionally a moment in mahjongg when you hope that you don't get your tile.  It is that moment when, after giving the matter some deliberation, you have decided not to stop the passing and to do a second left.  As soon as you have made the pass you realize with a sinking feeling that you have made a mistake.  Perhaps the story is best told in pictures.  (The hands have been recreated - in the heat of the game I wasn't thinking about Facebook...)

I was so happy - I picked up my tiles and there were three jokers!  After the first left I was in pretty good shape.  I should have stopped it there as there were some solid possibilities - the consecutive run with two dragons, the "sandwich hand" with pairs of fives in the middle, or maybe even a quint. 

But no, I HAD to pass.  My reasoning was that I might possibly get my hand in better shape.  So here is what I passed on the second left.

Looks good, right?  Only three away from being set?  Only as soon as I passed I whispered to myself, "Oh, crap, now I have to do a must across.  What if I get a tile I need?  Please don't pass me anything good..."
And here's what I got on my second left -

Yes, my neighbor passed me not one, but TWO tiles that I needed in the hand, leaving me with only ONE tile to pass on the second "must" across.  ARGH!!!  It was agonizing, but I decided to pass the two four craks and the eight dot.  Why?  Well, I thought I might get the five dot back or the six bam and then I could go for the sandwich hand.  While it didn't quite happen quite the way I wanted, I did get a six bam back, and this is how I started the game.

I knew I wasn't going to see those four craks again, so I just had to let them go.  {twang lonesome blues guitar}  And I never saw a five dot again, either, though I eagerly anticipated one at every pick.
But, I did get lucky.  I let the first six bam go by but picking another four bam allowed me to call and expose a quint of four bams.  Then I called the next five bam to go out, exchanged the soap for another joker, picked a six bam and then called for mahj.

So in spite of myself and with luck the hand worked out.  But looking back, I question whether continuing to pass was the correct thing to do.  I could have easily called the four bam and six bam and hoped to pick in a five bam and/or five dot to set me and not have had to sweat it out.  But, I suppose, that's the draw of the game - something always unexpected!