Welcome to Maw Long, a specialized version of Mahjong that draws heavily from the classic Hong Kong variant. While we honor traditional play, several table rituals (such as the manual creation of the wall by players and specialized dice protocols) are automated by the application to streamline the gameplay. This guide focuses on the streamlined rules utilized by this software implementation.

I. Object of the Game

The primary goal is to form a complete hand by collecting sets of tiles before any opponent. A standard winning hand consists of **14 tiles**, organized into **4 melds** (sets of three or four matching/sequential tiles) and **1 pair** (the "eyes"). However, in Hong Kong rules, you cannot declare a win unless your hand meets a minimum point threshold (**1 Faan** by default) as defined by the "Faans and Scoring" section.

II. Tile Definitions (144 Total)

We use a standard set of 144 tiles, including the specialized custom images you designed:

• American Symbols: Maw Long utilizes American Symbols in its design. The Bamboo suit is represented by sugar cane, and the Dots suit features sweet gum seed pods.
• Suits (108): Three suits (Dots, Bamboos, and Characters), each ranging from 1 to 9. There are four identical tiles for each number/suit combination.
• Honors (28): Four Winds (East, South, West, North) and three Dragons (Bison, Eagle, Bigfoot). There are four identical tiles for each Wind and Dragon type.
• Bonus Tiles (8): Four Seasons (Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey) and four Flowers (Bluebonnet, Cactus, Indian Paintbrush, California Poppy). These are unique tiles. If drawn, they are automatically "exposed," and the player draws a replacement from the wall. They are worth Faans but do not count toward forming the basic 14-tile winning hand.

III. Core Game Mechanics

The app automates seating and dealer rotation (Dealer starts as East). A hand begins with each of the four players/bots automatedly dealt 13 tiles. Gameplay proceeds counter-clockwise.

On their turn, the current player does one of the following:

• Standard Draw: Automatically draws one tile from the "Wall" (the automated deck). The player then chooses one tile from their hand to discard into the automated "Discard Pool" in the center of the table.
• Claim a Meld (Chow, Pung, or Kong): Immediately after an opponent discards a tile, a player may potentially claim it to complete a set (meld). If claimed, the player *must* discard a tile from their hand.

When an opponent discards a tile, it can be claimed by others:

• Claiming for a Win: Any player can claim a discard immediately to form their winning hand (providing the hand has at least **1 Faan**). This takes precedence over other claims. If a win is claimed, the hand ends.
• Pung/Kong (Claiming matching sets): Any player can claim a discard to complete a **Pung** (three identical tiles) or a **Kong** (four identical tiles, which is treated as a 3-tile meld but grants a point bonus). A Kong/Pung claim has priority over a Chow claim. The meld must be "exposed" (flipped face-up).
• Chow (Claiming a sequence): The player whose turn *immediately follows* the discarder (sitting to their left) may claim the discard to complete a **Chow** (a sequence of three numbers in the same suit). The Chow must be exposed. This claim is lowest priority.

IV. Faans and Scoring

A winning hand is only valid if it calculates to at least **1 Faan**. "Faans" are points awarded for specific tile combinations and patterns. JavaScript automatically calculates the highest Faan value when "Mahjong" (a win) is declared. Below is a non-exhaustive list of scoring patterns implemented in this software:

• Bonus Faan (Automatic): A winner gains a point automatically (e.g., if the minimum setting is 1 Faan, any win is 1 Faan; if it's 2, any win starts at 2).
• Common Winning Patterns (JavaScript Validated):
  • Self-Draw: 1 Faan for winning on your own turn.
  • No Flowers/Seasons: 1 Faan if your complete hand contains none of the bonus tiles.
  • Specific Flowers/Seasons: 1-2 Faans for having the tile matching your current seat (e.g., East wind in the East round).
  • All Chows (Ping Hu): 1-2 Faans (Ruleset dependent) if the hand consists of 4 Chows and any non-honor pair.
  • Mixed One Suit (Half Flush): 3 Faans if the hand uses one suit plus Winds/Dragons.
  • All Pungs: 3 Faans if the hand consists entirely of Pungs and/or Kongs (plus the pair).
  • Small Three Dragons: 5 Faans for having Pungs of two Dragons and a pair of the third.
  • Pure One Suit (Full Flush): 7 Faans if the entire hand consists of only one suit.
  • Great Three Dragons: 8+ Faans for having Pungs of all three Dragons (Bison, Eagle, and Bigfoot). This is a 'Maximum' value hand.