Memory Mahjong: Game Description & Official Rulebook

Part I: Game Description

1.1 Overview and Lore

Welcome to Memory Mahjong, an exquisite fusion of ancient Chinese tile-matching tradition, tactile memory recall, spatial visual deduction, and tactical set collection. Set within the serene, lantern-lit courtyard of the Lotus Pavilion, players step into the shoes of Master Tile Artisans tasked with unearthing hidden tile pairs, recognizing complex traditional iconography, and constructing harmonious hand suits from a face-down mosaic layout.

Unlike standard solitaire Mahjong—which relies purely on face-up spatial tile unstacking—or basic childhood memory games that use simple flat cards, Memory Mahjong utilizes a multi-layered, semi-exposed face-down tile grid structure. Players must use physical touch, edge-scanning, and spatial memory to remember the positions of hidden suit tiles while adhering to traditional Mahjong tile-unlocking constraints. A tile cannot simply be flipped over at will; it must first be Unblocked (free along at least one long edge and unencumbered from above) before an artisan can peek at its face, verify its pattern, and attempt to form matching sets.

Designed for 1 to 4 players, Memory Mahjong delivers a deeply engaging spectrum of gameplay: from a tranquil, meditative solo memory exercise that sharpens focus and spatial visualization, to high-stakes competitive duels where rival artisans race to claim rare Honor tiles, execute strategic tile swaps, and declare a complete 14-tile winning hand. With its heavy, tactile engraved tiles, rich symbolic iconography, and elegant balance of memory and strategy, Memory Mahjong stands as a captivating evolution of traditional tile gaming.

1.2 Component Inventory

Every standard physical publication or digital interactive edition of Memory Mahjong includes high-density, bone-and-bamboo textured components designed for maximum tactile feedback and visual clarity:

1 Central Bamboo Grid Mat: A padded silk-bordered surface featuring alignment guides for constructing multi-layer tile layouts ($8\times18$ base grid).
144 Heavy Enamel Mahjong Tiles: Precision-molded tiles featuring deep laser engravings and vivid traditional paints, partitioned into three core suits and two specialized Honor classes:
- 36 Bamboo Suit Tiles: Numbered 1 through 9 (4 copies of each number).
- 36 Character Suit Tiles: Numbered 1 through 9 (4 copies of each number).
- 36 Dot Suit Tiles: Numbered 1 through 9 (4 copies of each number).
- 16 Wind Honor Tiles: East, South, West, North (4 copies of each direction).
- 12 Dragon Honor Tiles: Red Dragon, Green Dragon, White Dragon (4 copies of each).
- 4 Season Tiles & 4 Flower Tiles: Unique single-copy bonus tiles.
4 Artisan Racks: Personal dual-tiered wooden display trays used to hold concealed player hands, claim melds, and organize collected pairs.
1 Master Wind Indicator & East Marker: A weighted brass cube used to track active wind rounds and establish turn order.
80 Bone Scoring Sticks (Tallies): Traditional scoring tokens valued at 100, 500, 1,000, and 5,000 points.
1 Master Rulebook & Layout Codex: Featuring 30 unique face-down layout architectures, campaign scenarios, and competitive tournament rules.

1.3 Visual Aesthetics and Design

Memory Mahjong adopts a high-contrast classical Eastern artisan aesthetic. The dark jade and crimson colors of the tile backs contrast sharply against the bright white enamel tile faces. To guarantee 100% universal accessibility and complete visual clarity, every tile features standard Arabic numerals and Western directional letters alongside traditional Chinese calligraphy, accompanied by distinct border line patterns for color-blind scholars.

1.4 Core Objectives

The primary objective in Memory Mahjong is to flip, recall, and claim matching unblocked tiles to assemble a complete 14-Tile Mahjong Hand consisting of four 3-tile sets (Pongs or Chows) and one matching Pair, or to accumulate the highest total score in Memory Pair Sprint mode.

Points are awarded through:

Matched Pair Claims: Successfully locating and claiming two identical unblocked tiles from the face-down layout.
Meld Construction: Combining claimed pairs with newly revealed tiles to complete 3-tile sets (Pongs: 3 identical tiles; Chows: 3 sequential tiles of the same suit).
Honor Bonuses: Completing sets of Dragon or Wind tiles.
Flawless Recall Clear: Claiming matched tiles consecutively without making memory errors or flipping non-matching tiles.

Part II: Gameplay Instructions

2.1 Core Mechanics & Spatial Laws

Mastering Memory Mahjong requires strict adherence to memory tracking, visual deduction, and three spatial laws of tile freedom.

Law 1: The Law of Tile Freedom (Unblocked State)

A face-down tile on the grid is Blocked and cannot be flipped, inspected, or claimed if it is overlapped by any tile from a higher layer, OR if BOTH its left and right long sides are directly pressed against adjacent tiles.
A tile is Unblocked (Free) only if its top face is completely uncovered AND at least one of its long side edges (left or right) is entirely clear of neighboring tiles.
Only Unblocked tiles may be touched, flipped, or matched during a player's turn.

Law 2: The Two-Tile Peek & Memory Rule

On their turn, a player selects one Unblocked face-down tile and flips it face-up in its grid space so all players can see its identity.
The player then selects a second Unblocked face-down tile and flips it face-up.
If the two tiles match identically: The player claims both tiles, moves them to their personal Artisan Rack, and immediately gains an extra turn.
If the two tiles do NOT match: The player leaves both tiles face-up for 5 seconds (allowing all players to memorize their identities and locations), then turns both tiles back face-down in their exact original spots. Play then passes to the next player.

Law 3: The Hand Meld & Claim Mechanic

Tiles claimed onto your Artisan Rack can be organized into sets:
- Pair: 2 identical tiles (e.g., two 5-Bamboo tiles).
- Pong: 3 identical tiles (e.g., three Red Dragon tiles).
- Chow: 3 numerically sequential tiles of the same suit (e.g., 4-Dot, 5-Dot, 6-Dot).
Stealing Revealed Tiles: If an opponent flips a tile that completes a 3-tile Pong set with a pair already sitting on your face-up rack, you may declare "Pong!" out of turn, claim that flipped tile immediately, and add the completed meld to your display rack!

Law 4: The Layout Cascade Principle

Removing matched tiles from the layout unblocks neighboring tiles!
As lower tiles lose their side neighbors or upper tiles are cleared, previously blocked inner tiles become free to flip, continuously expanding the available memory field.

2.2 Game Setup

Select a Layout Blueprint: Choose a grid layout from the Codex (e.g., The Turtle Citadel, Pyramid of the Dragon, or Twin Rivers).
Shuffle & Construct the Grid: Shuffle all 144 tiles face-down. Assemble the layout according to the chosen blueprint, laying tiles face-down in layered structures with precise edge alignments.
Distribute Artisan Racks & Tallies: Give each player an Artisan Rack and 10,000 points in scoring tallies.
Set the East Marker: Place the brass East Wind marker beside Player 1 to designate the starting dealer.
Begin the Recall: Player 1 scans the outer edges of the face-down layout for unblocked tiles and executes the opening peek.

2.3 Fundamental Tactics & Step-by-Step Play

Succeeding in Memory Mahjong requires systematic spatial mapping and memory anchors rather than blind guessing. Master artisans rely on four primary tactical principles:

Technique 1: Edge-to-Core Scanning

Focus on unblocking critical choke points! Prioritize flipping unblocked tiles that sit adjacent to large clusters or high-level stacks. Removing these key tiles unlocks multiple interior tiles at once, giving you exclusive access to newly exposed memory targets.

Technique 2: Spatial Anchor Mapping

Associate tile identities with physical board landmarks! Instead of trying to remember "the 7-Character tile is somewhere in the middle," mentally anchor it: "The 7-Character is the bottom-left corner of the upper central pyramid tier."

Technique 3: Tactical Mismatch Placement

If you flip a first tile and recognize it, but know the matching twin is currently blocked under a upper layer, use your second peek to investigate a high-priority unblocked tile elsewhere on the grid. Memorize that new tile's location for future turns when the twin becomes unlocked!

Technique 4: Defense & Tile Hoarding

Do not reveal matching tiles for your opponents! If you know where a powerful Red Dragon tile lies but its twin is still buried under a blocked layer, avoid flipping the known dragon tile until you are certain you can claim its pair on the same turn.

2.4 Structure of a Play Session

A standard turn in Memory Mahjong progresses through four structured, sequential phases:

Phase 1: Grid Inspection & Freedom Check
- The active player identifies all currently Unblocked face-down tiles along the perimeter and top layers of the structure.
Phase 2: First Tile Peek
- Flip 1 unblocked tile face-up in its space. Announce its suit and number clearly to the table (e.g., "3-Bamboo").
Phase 3: Second Tile Peek & Match Evaluation
- Select and flip a 2nd unblocked tile.
- Match Success: Claim both tiles onto your rack. Check if the new pair forms a 14-tile Mahjong hand. If so, declare "Mahjong!"
- Match Failure: Pause for 5 seconds for memory processing, turn both tiles face-down, and end your turn.
Phase 4: Turn Continuation or Handover
- If a successful match was made, take an immediate bonus turn!
- If no match was made, pass play clockwise to the next artisan.

2.5 Tile Classification & Point Scoring Matrix

Tile Class & Group	Total Copies in Deck	Match Base Value	Completed Meld Bonus
Simple Suits (2–8)	108 Tiles (Bamboos, Dots, Characters)	100 Points per Pair	$+300$ Points for Completed Chow/Pong
Terminal Suits (1 & 9)	24 Tiles (Ends of each suit)	200 Points per Pair	$+500$ Points for Completed Terminals Pong
Wind Honors	16 Tiles (East, South, West, North)	300 Points per Pair	$+800$ Points for Matching Seat Wind Pong
Dragon Honors	12 Tiles (Red, Green, White)	400 Points per Pair	$+1,000$ Points for Dragon Pong
Seasons & Flowers	8 Unique Tiles (1 copy each)	Instant Match with Any Season/Flower	$+600$ Instant Bonus Points
Full Mahjong Hand	14 Claimed Rack Tiles	$+5,000$ Win Bonus	Declares immediate round victory

2.6 Game Modes

2.6.1 Traditional Hand Builder (2 to 4 Players - Competitive Strategy)

Players collect pairs to construct a complete 14-tile winning hand (4 Melds + 1 Pair). The first player to complete a valid 14-tile hand calls "Mahjong!" and collects scoring tallies from all opponents based on their hand's difficulty.

2.6.2 Memory Pair Sprint (1 to 4 Players - Fast Arcade)

Setup: Construct a flat 144-tile face-down grid.
Gameplay: Players take alternating turns matching pairs as fast as possible. No hand building is required; every matching pair claimed grants direct points.
Victory: The player who holds the most claimed pairs when the entire grid is cleared wins the match!

2.6.3 Pavilion Solitaire (1 Player - Meditative Puzzle)

Gameplay: A single player attempts to clear a complex 3D tile layout within a set turn limit, utilizing pure memory recall to achieve a 100% grid clear rating.

2.7 Completion & Final Scoring Matrix

At the conclusion of a match, scores are tallied using the Lotus Pavilion Ledger:

Hand Completion Base: $+5,000$ Points for declaring a valid 14-tile Mahjong hand.
Honor Set Bonuses: Points added for completed Dragon Pongs, Wind Pongs, or Terminal Sequences as detailed in the Scoring Matrix.
Consecutive Match Streak: $+200$ Bonus Points for every extra turn chained together through back-to-back successful memory matches.
Memory Fault Penalty: Subtract 100 Points if a player attempts to flip a tile that is currently locked by adjacent neighbor rules.

2.8 Game End & Victory Conditions

A game of Memory Mahjong officially concludes upon reaching any of the following resolution triggers:

Declaration of Mahjong (Victory): A player successfully completes a 14-tile hand on their Artisan Rack and calls "Mahjong!"
Total Grid Clear: All 144 tiles are successfully matched and removed from the central board.
Exhaustion Stalemate: All remaining unblocked face-down tiles have been inspected, but no further valid matches can be formed. The player with the highest tally score wins.

The artisan who accumulates the highest overall score is officially awarded the prestigious title of Grandmaster of the Lotus Pavilion!

2.9 Rule Clarifications & Pavilion Etiquette

Strict Touch Rule: Once a player touches a face-down tile, that tile must be chosen as their first or second flip for the turn.
Two-Handed Grid Care: When turning stacked tiles back face-down, players must use two hands to ensure adjacent stacked tiles are not shifted or knocked out of position.
Fair Peek Timing: Flipped non-matching tiles must lie completely flat on the mat during the 5-second reveal window; players may not obscure tile faces with their hands while memorizing patterns.

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