OBJECTIVE OF NOT YOUR MA’S JONG: Be the player with the most tokens at the end of the game
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 3 – 4 players
CONTENTS: 75 card deck, 4 reminder cards, Ma card, 40 tokens
TYPE OF GAME: Set Collection Card Game
AUDIENCE: Ages 13+
INTRODUCTION OF NOT YOUR MA’S JONG
Not Your Ma’s Jong is a set collection card game inspired by Mahjong. Players draw and discard each turn in order to build a hand of two sets and one pair. A card that is discarded may be stolen by a player who can use it. Doing so might also mean that some players turns are skipped. At the end of each round, coin token payments are made to the player who goes out first. The player with the most tokens at the end of the game wins.
CONTENTS
The deck for the game has 75 cards. There are five suits (Red, Blue, Green, Seasons, and Emotions). Within the suit are three copies of each card.
There are also 4 reminder cards to use as player aids, and one Ma card. The Ma card designates who starts the round.
The 40 tokens are used for payments at the end of each round. Each round’s winner will be given tokens based on the circumstances for the victory.
SETUP
Give each player 10 tokens and a reminder card. Any leftover cards and tokens are placed back in the box.
The oldest player is given the Ma card. The player that holds the Ma card goes first. Ma shuffles the deck and deals 10 cards to each player. Ma gets 11 cards.
The rest of the cards go face down in the center of the table as a draw pile. Players may look at their hands, but they should not allow their opponents to see them.
THE PLAY
Play begins with Ma and travels right around the table. Ma picks one of their 11 cards and begins the discard pile. When discarding a card, players should say the name of the card. For example, 4 Green or Summer.
Play passes right, and the next player draws a card from the draw pile. They end their turn by discarding one card from their hand. Be sure to say the name of the card when discarding.
Play like this continues until one player has three sets of three cards and one pair. When this occurs, the round ends.
SET
There are two ways to make a set. Identical Sets are made by three identical cards. For example, three blue 5’s or three love cards. Sequential Sets are three cards of the same suit in sequential order.
PAIR
A pair is made up of two identical cards.
STEALING
Any card can be stolen by a different player once it is discarded. If a player wants to steal a card, they must say “steal” as soon as the card is discarded and before the next player draws.
The stolen card must either be the last card needed to win the round, or it must immediately complete a set. It can only be used to complete a pair if it is the last card needed to win the round.
If the card completes a set, that set must be placed face up on the table in front of the player. The set cannot be changed. Those cards are locked in. That player who stole the card must discard one card from their hand (to get it back down to 10). Play continues to the right from that player. This means that it is possible for players to get skipped.
If more than one player says steal, priority is given to the player that needs it to immediately win the game. If the card does not help a player win then the player who said it first gets the card.
If a player says steal by mistake, they do not get the card, and their next turn is skipped.
ENDING THE ROUND
After drawing, a player may end the round if they have three sets of three and one pair. That player places their entire hand down for all to see.
If a player has three sets of three and one pair after stealing a card, they immediately place their entire hand down for everyone to see.
The person that ends the round is the winner, and the losers must make payments.
CONTINUING THE GAME
After payments are made, the Ma card passes one player to the right. That player becomes the dealer. The game continues until one player loses all of their tokens or a specific number of rounds have been played. Play 8 rounds max for 4 players and 9 rounds max for 3 players.
SCORING
The round’s winner is paid tokens based on how they won and who they beat.
If Ma wins by stealing, each opponent should pay that player 2 tokens. If Ma draws a card and wins, that player is paid 4 tokens from each opponent.
If anyone else wins by stealing, Ma pays the winner 2 tokens, and everyone else pays the winner 1 token. If anyone by Ma wins after drawing a card, Ma pays them 4 tokens, and everyone else pays 2 tokens.
WINNING
Once the game ends, the player with the most tokens wins the game. If there is a tie, the tied players complete an additional round. The player with the most tokens after that round wins.
- TRIPLE SNAKES - February 15, 2021