Literally, A Doman Mahjong Guide

[@awesome19ssbb]

the creator of mahjong could literally come back to life and explain in perfect English in the simplest of terms how to score in it, and yet I still would never understand it.

[@WongHouCheung23]

In hong Kong mahjong, certain combinations, melds and criteria earn u fan. Fan is just a unit of scoring. Fan is translated to points with a table (it’s based around powers of 2 eg. 32, 64 etc). Discarder of the winning tile pays all losses. All three players pay when it’s self pick win

[@mr.horseshoe2301]

Scoring is pretty simple. I learned it in a day.

[@dc8836]

People say this but it's seriously not that hard to learn the basics. You need to assemble a winning hand by drawing tiles or taking tiles others discard (via chi or pon, and XIV will prompt you by default if these options present themselves.) With some exceptions, a winning hand is four sets of three tiles each (melds) and a pair, for 14 total tiles. Each "meld" needs to either be a straight (three numbers in sequence and the same suit, such as 2, 3, 4) or triplets (three of the same tile), and a winning hand must consist of at least one yaku (specific conditions and hand types, of which there are many but you only need to know a few basic ones to be able to win games.) The simplest way to get a "free" yaku is to simply call riichi, but this means you cannot open your hand by calling chi, pon, or kan (hence you should generally avoid using these options *unless* you already have at least one yaku in your hand, or would gain a yaku by making the call.)
XIV will generally make good recommendations for which tiles to discard, and tends to favor not giving up tiles that would let someone call ron (completing a winning hand by picking up your discarded tile, which means you bear the brunt of the points cost.) It will not always result in optimal discards, but it's enough to get you started. Just discard the tiles it recommends for your first few games, get used to the flow of games, and then begin trying to understand *why* it's recommending you discard those tiles. In many cases you might want to discard a different tile, but that knowledge will come with experience.
What was recommended to me, and what I recommend to other newbies, is to keep your hand closed and pursue tanyao - this means your final hand cannot have any terminals (1's and 9's) or honor tiles (winds and dragons.) If you kept your hand closed, this lets you call riichi when the time comes, and makes it easy to score 2-3 han (basically what determines how many points your hand is worth, with each yaku having an amount of han assigned to it) without much hassle. And since you are only focusing on a single yaku (tanyao), it keeps things digestible and easy to focus on while you learn the flow of the game, learn how to watch what other players are discarding, etc.

[@Speedy_Cheeto]

​@@dc8836​I'm a beginner and whenever people say that mahjong isn't that hard it's always followed up by hard to follow instructions, mahjong is clicking for me but you have to watch a three hour video to understand "easy" instructions

[@MisshapenChair]

I made this one nice and boring. Just for you.
I'll probably be wrong about something, but I did my best.

[@xSkyBoxer]

Jokes on you I enjoyed it thoroughly :)

[@overlordwhale]

Jokes on you, it was nice and I play mahjong 2 or 3 times a week. Give me that friend Id on Mahjong Soul. And good choice, Gyaru in kimono is a top tier waifu

[@penpaper3476]

Absolute Legend.

[@Hyuinn]

It's okay, I'm less clueless about it now. Still can't win because I suck at it.

[@MrListless]

As a casual Mahjong Master based in Kujata - first of all. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS GUIDE
Honestly mahjong is pretty tucked away in FF14 and there's practically no gain from playing it in-game so it's crazy that you went to the effort of making a guide.
The only thing I might pick on this guide is that the Dora indicator in FF14 indicates the Dora itself, it basically does the 'next tile' calculation for you - really weird for anyone with experience with the game from other places since your instinct will tell you to +1 in your head but it's already been done. You have to work back from the Dora indicator in FF14 to figure out what tile is missing from the pool. Again no idea why they decided to do this, but it's just how SE designed it and you might want to clarify this in the video.
Aside from that, honestly a really great guide and love that you sectioned it into various categories so people can easily come back to a part if they need a refresher.

[@LucyPyre]

claiming to be boring and then proceeding to give the most in-depth and entertaining mahjong guide for the ffxiv community?
it's his humble nature, the true duality of man. it's his strongest moe trait

[@MFxKuro]

hey look it's misshapen with booba

[@Creedlane]

You misspelled Mishappen but cringe and superior

[@lileenleen]

His strongest gap moe

[@warawutboonprasert4067]

Ioiiiiiiiiiiihijijijiijjijiihiiijjhijjjiiiiiijijhiiiiijiiiiiiihjiiijihhiijjijiijiiijjihijhiiiiiiiiiijiijiijiijiiiihjiiijjiiiijiiijjiiiiiijiiiiiiijjjjjjiijiiiihi88vvvvvvvvvvvvv9vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvcvvvvv9vvvvvvvvvv9vvvvvvvvvvv9vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvivvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv9vvvv9vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv9vhvvvvvvv9vvvvvvvvvvvvvvv vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv9vvv9vvvhvvvv9vvvvvvvvvvvhvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv9vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvhvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvkvvvvvvkvvvvvvhvvvvvvvvvvvvvvhvvvvvvhhhvivvvv9vhvvhvvvvvvvvhvvvvvvvvvvhvhvvvvvvhvvv9vvhvvvvvhvvvvv9vvvhvvhvhhvvvvvhvvvvvhvhvvvvvvvvvvvvhvhvvvvvv9vhvvvvvvhvvvvhhvvhhvvhvvvvvvvvvvvhvvvhvvvvvhvvv9vvvvvvvvvv9vvvvvvhhvvvvhvvvvhvvvvv9vvhvv9vvvhvvvvvvhvvhvvvvvvvvvvvvvvhvv9v9vvvvvvhvvvvvvvvvvhvvvvvhvvvvvvvvvihvvhvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvkvvvvvvvvvvvvvhvvhvvvhhvvvvhvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvhvhvvv9vvvvvvvhhvhvvvhvvvhvvvhhvhvvvhvvvvhvvvhvvvvhvvvvvvvvvhvvvvhvhvvhvhvvhvvvvhvvhvhvvvvvvhhvvvvhvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv9vvvvhvvvvhvvvvvvvvvvvvhvvvhv9hvvvvvh9hvhvvvhvvv9hvvhvvhvvvhvvv9vvhhvvvvvvvvvhvvvvhvvvvhvvhvvvhhvvvvvvvvvvvvv9vvhvvvvvvi,,f

[@JonsterUK]

@@warawutboonprasert4067 Easy for you to say

[@UkraineJames2000]

I started the video out strong, but by the end I turned into Hank Hill.
"Do I look like I know what a "Tsumo" is? I just want my god dang orchestration roll"

[@dongster529]

There's an easy way to know what Tsumo is, which is using the its kanji/chinese form.
Tsu = self, mo = touch.
So it means a self-touching victory.
A mastrubatory ending for not letting anyone else "help" you with your tiles.

[@cosmosofinfinity]

Pretty funny that Hank Hill would even understand what an orchestrion roll is

[@Art2D2]

​@@dongster529Ah good, a way for the degen mind to understand. Ty

[@Skyace13]

“I really like recycling this clip” bruh I didn’t even notice I’m so lost lol

[@TheJawlin]

19:30 Slight mistake: Uradora is only scored if you win with a riichi hand. If you win a round with a closed hand, but not through riichi, then you do not score uradora.

[@MoHoToGo]

Somehow 20 minutes in the Summoner guide seems more understandable than 5 minutes of Mahjong

[@mintgarnish6281]

Ikr

[@hawoaliahmed6996]

i played lol 5 hour and i dont understand on the other hand mahjon is pretty easy to pick up

[@vLily]

i did not understand any single word in this video, 10/10

[@richardwallis9374]

Reminds me of when Homer tried to do his own foundation repair

[@protomous]

Cant believe there’s another person in Aether that plays mahjong

[@Shiirow]

@fumanchu168 programming AI for mahjong is probably harder than programming a trust group for an ultimate.

[@blushingralseiuwu2222]

Make me glad I played on JP, mahjong que is so fast here

[@W00NKII]

I feel kind of lonely playing mahjong on Zodiark :(

[@Cat_Sidhe]

I saw someone with Mahjong Master the other day. It was more surprising than running into a Necromancer.

[@Anuca]

Literally always wanted to learn.
Update: I totally haven't been playing/learning Mahjong for 3 hours or more now.

[@TruckECheez]

This has the same energy as Papyrus explaining how to play that tile puzzle game

[@bryanlane7208]

I wish Mahjong were that easy.

[@raitru_08]

25 minutes later, I feel I have bachelor's degree in Mahjong and STILL don't know how to play Mahjong.

[@Dreadskull91]

To be fair, that's what many bachelor's degrees feel like anyway

[@LuciusHill]

I just finished my second year in my Computer science bachelors and I don't feel any better as a programmer lol@@Dreadskull91

[@dddaaa6965]

@@Dreadskull91 and then you get a job and you only use 5% of what you learned

[@aisitundra8151]

i unironically really needed this guide

[@MrWader76]

I’ve queued for grandparents savage for about 27 years and they have taught me the great rules of rummy. All my years of practice have come to throw moment

[@Joeyfield0]

This feels like watching your samurai guide. There are too many words I do not know, I have to be looking at the video, and even after that I need to rewatch it again because playing mahjong is harder than not messing up a samurai's rotation all the way to "Midare Setsugekka" twice in a row.

[@crushme2233]

The analogy of all 4 players in tenpai looking at each other and going "Oops" had me dying 🤣

[@yastenjapfan4854]

Everybody noten be like oops we couldn't be ready.😅

[@semiautotoaster9879]

Mahjong Master was harder than getting all three legend titles. Doesn't help that sometimes you literally don't do anything wrong and still end up in 4ht place and lose 30-35 points when a win gives you like 25 at best.

[@dc8836]

Learning to recognize when a defensive furiten may be your best choice helps here. If someone calls riichi fairly early and you don't have a strong hand assembled, or your best discards (for assembling your own hand) look to be in the suit/range that they are likely seeking (for example you don't need bamboo but based on their discards it's clear they are looking for bamboo), it can be worth it to furiten yourself by discarding a tile you need, but which isn't likely to get you slapped with a ron. You will almost certainly not win that hand, but you are also protecting yourself from getting mugged by a ron call. Of course they could just end up getting tsumo, but that's card games for you.

[@user-lq2es6jm3y]

the madlad followed up on an throwaway joke in BLU video, absolute legend

[@christenlanger]

You were one of the last persons I have expected a mahjong guide to come out with.
Also, the JP servers mahjong tables are very cutthroat.

[@Psoewish]

I’ve been playing mahjong for a very long time (started back on tenhou) and I can confirm this is an amazing guide. If you’re new you might want to rewatch it a few times because it’s a lot of information to take in, but with practice it’ll all make sense in not too long

[@pikaboi4408]

I never wouldve guessed that id learn mahjong thru a ff14 guide channel.

[@DEATHBYFIRE09]

Thank you, this video was really helpful. Its finally confirmed to me that, no matter how good the explanation is, I will literally never understand mahjong. It'll just have to be a game I appreciate from afar. And use to cheat items to win at in Yakuza.

[@acegreenstara2366]

This is the guide we all asked for I rate it 10/10 would felve Cleve again

[@neroxraiden]

I'm just gonna save this video for when I inevitably need to do mahjong in another Yakuza game

[@Zenith118]

Finally, the true endgame.

[@TheGhostFart]

nope thats still fashion, mahjong is the endgame of manderville though

[@jariu9612]

@@TheGhostFart You need fashion to properly show off in Mahjong, for which you need to be able to beat all content to really work with outfits.
Truly FFXIV is a game were all modes are connected.

[@FreeHughes]

this ^

[@FreeHughes]

for those interested, the pdf for Riichi book 1 by Daina Chiba is available for free and it's great for those aspiring to improve.

[@Laenthal]

/me slowly backs away from the screen..

[@tearsofchronus]

>Four Westwind tiles
>Westwind
So those tiles are the most powerful tiles right

[@InuFang096]

dont forget to jump off at 5%

[@THB192]

They used to be but they were nerfed in a recent patch.

[@Kaizir0]

Just wanna say I used your guide as a starting point and I played a bunch during week 1 asphedelos savage at the npc tables in between lockouts/breaks and now I'm feeling so good about the hands and rules. Wanted to say thanks for helping me get into this!

[@Nosdnargy]

This is honestly a well put together guide and there are like no good richii mahjong tutorials out there for western audiences. GJ and thanks for showing more about this crazy rng game!!

[@jora1235]

Finally something as hard as the Mist Dragon from The Burn

[@BronzeApparathus]

He actually did it the madman

[@litsaber]

Finally, I can complete all gold saucer weekly logs

[@Voxus2142]

Thank you for this great guide, though I will continue to ignore all strategy and play exclusively for Thirteen Orphans in every game.

[@Skintarine]

This helped me immensely. I wanted to play mahjong while i'm in que for a duty, and i read about it on wiki and some ff fansites. Didn't understand it at all. Your video is easy to understand, so thank you for taking the time to upload. Cheers!

[@Ancient_Path]

Never been so captivated by something I did not understand.
Incredible video.

[@jariu9612]

The Aether Mahjong base is so small it eventually becomes a secondary friend list were you have no one added.

[@Aernoth1]

He actually did it, I love u chair

[@rikispiral7936]

Believe it or not, I loved this video! I've taken a liking to Mahjong and still learning about it. My friend hates when I play it though cause he doesn't see why I'd waste an hour playing a game or two lol

[@posindustries]

I briefly made the mistake of trying to go for the mahjong achievements because I was winning a lot and getting my rank points pretty close to , then got blasted back down into the 1600s after a couple games of people just bumbling into tsumo every hand.
Not worth the angst.

[@Gamemaster-64]

I can't even get past 1500. I know what to do but I get no hand going(one time it was none stop dragons and winds), everyone else seem to riichi no problem, I get ron'd like crazy, only ever get a tsumo/ron once a blue moon and It just 1k or if it big I lose it with constant rons. This is both with people and npcs.

[@lren1692]

As someone who grew up playing both versions of mahjong.
It's free real estate! :D
Mahjong master title was a real grind... wish there were more people playing for faster queues :^(

[@AzureViking]

7 minutes in... when do I start to understand anything thats going on? So lost right now

[@xryuu5464]

Something in my head just goes "ding" when i hear "Greetings travelers"

[@TDcha]

Im dumb. i was looking at the ffxiv characters tiles thinking they were madeup characters, until i realized they were actaully numbers.

[@altia7945]

You did well for a beginner guide that talks about mostly the rules and I like your take at 13:58 about teaching new players, but as someone who knows more about mahjong tiles then the tiles from e9s (which is, to say, not a whole lot), I can't help but mostly note some of the more finer details:
1. I like that you've mentioned about the goals of mahjong. Just worth mentioning that your overall standings in the game decides how much rating point you win or loss. 1st place and 2nd wins rating points and ranking point, 3rd and 4th place loses rating points, and only 4th place lost both rating and ranking points. Just don't be 4th.
You've also talk about point requirements, which is not really a technicality but more of a house rules in Doman Mahjong. In many other games like Mahjong Soul, there's also a point requirement for you to end game. Someone on the table need to score above a certain threshold like 30000 points, or else we enter sudden death. However, that's not a thing in Doman Mahjong.
2. 7:22 is a bad take. 'If you have two dragons and you've started calling on other melds banking on the fact you will steal the dragon later, that is a very bad play and you should avoid it' is not a very good take even for beginners - A few clear exceptions include:
- if you have two pairs of dragons and your only waits are dragons or winds (like a 123456pin 367bamboo WWRR Dragon hand, calling 5 or 8 bamboo makes you tenpai and whichever dragon comes you will qualify)
- if you have multiple ways of making a yaku and calling progresses your hand
- if your hand is worth a lot (meaning, you have a bunch of Doras and can score big) and someone's already calling tiles, and you want to chase them.
- if you are calling with the intention of folding when you don't make your hand in time/when you see big hands brewing from your opponent
Dragons and Winds are often safe tiles to dealt when you are folding. if ANY of the above happens, it's actually okay to call. I would just say you should drop this line.
3. 16:30 ish: On the dealer section, you forgot to mention that dealer also pays double whenever someone tsumos. Which is why you don't want to have dealer when you have a substantial lead, or when someone gets extremely lucky, tsumo a Yakuman and scores 8000-16000 and you have to pay a bigger share.
4. 19:52 nah, I've play this game for over 10 years, and I've never ever heard anyone attempt to guess what Uradora will be. There's too much stuff hidden (like your opponent's hand and the rest of the tiles on the wall) for you to even properly make an educational guess. Someone also have commented about how uradora functions so I will skip it.
5. 23:21 Calling with 4 pairs to make Toi Toi is another bad beginner take. Realistically, that means I have to called 4 times just to make my hand or be stupidly lucky by drawing one myself, and you don't have a lot of outs to make your hand into tenpai.
I will start considering Toi Toi if my pairs are easy to call, preferably with two pairs of Honors or Winds, aiming to finish my Toi Toi within two calls and make a Mangan.

[@TheMayimIsh]

I have watched basically every single one of your videos. THIS is what got my sub.

[@sauceinmyface9302]

I am very, very, very confused by what is going on in Mahjong, as a person that's never played Mahjong, but looks fun.

[@masonmori8669]

This is taking so much brain power to even attempt to understand 10% of what you’re saying and so far I’m only about 4 minutes in

[@zzlai6235]

Why did I finish watching this 25 minute video when I've been playing multiple variants of mahjong for over a decade, years before I even played FF14.
Some minor "corrections" or things i didn't see in the video:
-Uradora only taken into account when you win via riichi.
-Technically a match can last much shorter since (depending on the game) the match also ends when a player hits 0 points.
-Depending on the game, the on-screen display might display either the dora indicator or the dora itself, some games have a setting for it. If I remember correctly, Doman Mahjong displays the actual dora instead of the proper dora indicator as a default setting, but you can change it in the settings under your Gold Saucer's Mahjong tab. Also, instead of greedw, you can memorize that just as alphabetical order.

[@ullei1127]

Thanks for the video! You got me hooked on riichi mahjong so much I find myself spending most of my freetime playing majsoul.
A really good introductory video!

[@jijonbreaker]

18:30 This is actually not the default in Doman Mahjong. In Doman Mahjong, the tile that is displayed is the tile that is receiving the dora bonus. Although this display can be changed to normal riichi in the mahjong settings.
You can tell what setting is which by the description next to the Dora indicator. If it says Doman Mahjong, then the displayed tile receives the bonus, and the previous tile is missing from the wall.

[@javabird4168]

I will say that I learned by watching many different tutorials and watching them multiple times. Its a commitment at first to understand but not too bad once you get over the initial learning curve. So dont give up people if its confusing!

[@ohhmyjoy8998]

Dude finally a guide on Mahjong i've been looking for this

[@lithhtil1435]

Man honestly thanks for all the data on that. I've been playing it for awhile but there's still so much

[@ksadiablo]

Comprehensive, yet I am still lost.

[@Riku-Leela]

I had no idea what's going on but I just like to hear your voice honestly so thanks I think? Good guide probably 👍

[@Irimu_]

Here it is, what we've been waiting for

[@Crowald]

I was watching one of your old videos, and you were saying something about trying to get to 10k subs. Year in review, and you're at 60k. So glad I found this channel. You've helped me a lot with the guides you make, even if some of them are satire-laden (I don't mean that as an insult either you are one funny fucking guy)
I hope your channel growth continues. You deserve it.

[@Jackolantirn]

Great guide! I'm going to recommend this video to some friends who are interested in learning Mahjong, since you did this better than I ever could.

[@shiversv9401]

Kudos, whatever helps grow the western Mahjong scene is appreciated

[@duo1666]

Yes. Finally. The only guide that matters.

[@NosferatuNights]

Watching this full video every turn

[@Ellebeeby]

Literally the guide I needed. Hah, suck it, you were helpful!

[@noarmsnolife6665]

I have been trying to get into REAL mahjong for YEARS. I can only assume this will perfectly explain everything about the game.

[@pepekovallin]

You have no idea how much I appreciate this guide, I skipped the in-game tutorial of the quest cutscene because I thought I knew what the hell I was about to play. You see, when I was a kid my grandma used to play this computer game called mahjong, where a bunch of mahjong pieces were scattered across a board and your objective was to make combinations of 2 pieces that were on the edge of the figure the mahjong pieces formed, I should've know better a fucking cassino wouldn't make me play a game like that

[@FastDeathbycat]

He did it, the absolute mad lad

[@Soress9]

I feel like I understand more than I did before this video, thank you! (oh crap also on aether data center).

[@Zii_Vii]

I made it 3 minutes into the vid. Is that enough for the title? Seriously I'm sure this is amazing well put together and you seem to know your stuff, but also no. Ty tho! Some day I may reference this, but not at 1am.

[@Belophen]

went from 1850 to 1640 thanks to your video, gotta love aether advanced rooms.

[@napuncakes3960]

This is the only mahjong guy I will ever watch

[@evescent7312]

I had a two day phase of learning riichi mahjong and all of those spent reading the website. If this guide came out sooner, xD anyways, good vid. Ive reached 1800 already and have paused playing the game momentarily to focus on msq lol

[@cystarkman]

okay - i learned mahjong is like rummy, so i came out knowing more than when i started.
progress has been made

[@briancatly5361]

That laugh at 6:40 had me dyingggg XDDD he was like, get ready to be in a world of pain

[@mon-6166]

I never thought I'd become smarter by watching this channel.

[@Koyu_Ruh]

What I expected: A mini game.
What I signed up for: Rocket science disguised in boredom.
What I learnt: Quite a fair bit of the rules, but by a long shot not enough to justify me remembering anything about it in the close future. Back to just doing the daily mini cactpot and weeklies - and some fate events here and there. It's healthier for my sanity and my time - and I actually get GMP out of doing anything that isn't Mahjong.
Props to those that can play it, I am certain you are a very rare breed out there - I will not even attempt to pretend that I admire the game, but I admire your understanding for it.

[@treehann]

Thank you, wonderful guide :)

[@chrisanderson7820]

0 - 4:45 "Ok I'm understanding this, I guess I can play mahjong
4:46 - 6:30 "Errrr, umm"
6:31 - end "WTF is even happening?" ... "I'm just gonna keep watching for the jokes"

[@KhenbishM]

Thanks for adding some new Novices to bully, im going for 2200 by years end and wanna abuse novice queue :)

[@chefdano3474]

hell yeah, count me in! i've always wanted to get into mahjong but it didn't make any sense, and i never played yakuza. im in, when i get home i'm queuing up.

[@josemite90]

You are a treasure to this community

[@danochu]

YEAHH FINALLY I CAN LEARN HOW TO PLAY MAHJONG

[@bradleywest295]

I like your funny words magic man

[@edgarpelayo14]

i love mahjong so much

[@HollowAshes747]

the fucking madlad actually made a mahjong guide

[@ToMaSsS10]

Because of this video queues became instant these days

[@bubbsy8570]

Now this is what I subbed for

[@joshualee4498]

misshapen chair please show me where the erp guide is so i can finally show my face in limsa with a purpose

[@seanaugust]

I stumbled across some Mahjong Soul stream today and it inspired me to go back to Yakuza and finish my completion. I appreciate the tips. Maybe when I'm resubbed to FF I'll queue for some.

[@Alhu15]

He did it, the utter madlad made a mahjong guide

[@Mal-jn4zt]

RPing? boring
Raiding? snooze
Mahjong? Fuck yeah babey lets GO

[@FlipWah]

YES LETS FUCKING GOOOOO, A MAHJONG VIDEO!

[@vegardhaugnes1291]

No way, the madlad did it!

[@ctrlsoul]

ahh, the true endgame..

[@armsofundertow98]

I got 3 minutes in before I got too confused.
Proud of myself.

[@SantiagoFernandez-zq9pj]

Finally... The guide i been looking for

[@jeremielacroix8207]

THANK YOU! I NEEDED THIS GUIDE!😀

[@TheMoonstone73]

This is what i needed most in my life.

[@Minifig3D]

The tone and cadence here reminds me of Casually Explained.
I could listen to it for a very, very long time. ^^

[@VkenshiV]

Came for the mahjong, subscribed for the sarcasm

[@EmmLoaf]

The madman actually did it oh my god