Gone in a Flash: Saying Goodbye to Our Favourite Mahjong Flash Games

With December 31, 2020 being the end of life date for Adobe Flash and all Flash content being blocked on January 12, 2021, let’s take a look at the how mahjong flash software and games have changed us and guided us along our mahjong journey.

“That Flash Game”

The place where many mahjong veterans started, the place of nostalgia for many, is “That Flash Game”. Whenever someone wants to learn how to play, when they need an easy CPU game where they can take their time, we point them to “That Flash Game”.

With a list of yaku below, you learned bit by bit the list of yaku. You read about a yaku, you tried to apply it and you learn whether or not it was easy to get. You got a good idea about how the game progressed, learned about round and seat winds, and learned that the dora was the tile after, not the actual tile in the middle.

This game, hosted on gamedesign.jp, was the first place where I learned mahjong. Even with the dreaded “No multiplier” pop-up, I stuck through and learned how to play riichi.

The Japanese language version of the game has been converted to HTML5, but the English language one has yet to be.

If you want to play the English version, you can download the .swf file and play it using the Adobe SWF File Player. As long as the file (the Gamedesign .swf file) that you give the File Player is safe, then it shouldn’t be a security risk.

Advertisement

Riichi Club Logos Around the World

Every club should have a logo. It makes the club recognizable and lets them express their individuality. Here we take a look at different logos from riichi clubs around the world and what elements you can add to your own logo!

Riichi Mahjong Blogs and Forums

Tired of reading the same strategy books over and over again? Ever wanted to read more new riichi mahjong content on a regular basis? Here I will list the currently active riichi mahjong blogs and forums available in English.

We Can’t Get a Fourth. Now What?

Sometimes you can’t find a fourth person to join your mahjong game, but you really want to play. Don’t let that stop you from having fun! Here I will give you some ways to get around this predicament.

Into the Tenhou Archives: Bugs and Glitches

Welcome to “Into the Tenhou Archives”! Here I introduce some of the greatest hands/games ever played on Tenhou! Whether they’re yakuman or just plain silly, you can find them here!

For the very first edition, we will look at the bugs and glitches from the early days of Tenhou. (Note that many of these links will only work on the Flash version of Tenhou)

Let’s get started!

Baseball Riichi

This idea was come up and written down without any play testing. If you have a chance to try it out, please post your comments below!

Baseball and riichi mahjong are two very popular sports (yes, mahjong is a sport) in Japan. In an attempt combine the two, I combined the gameplay of riichi with the scoring of baseball.

Ready for Ryuukyoku

Ryuukyoku: a time for pity payments for not being able to win the hand. But is it really? In this article, we will look at how you can use ryuukyoku to your advantage!

101 Tips on How to NOT Lose in Riichi Mahjong

Some friendly advice from a friendly neighbourhood riichi player. Some of these tips on how to not lose in riichi mahjong are all based on mistakes or remarks I’ve done or heard or seen someone else do or thought up of. Of course, I can’t guarantee a win (and I can’t guarantee you won’t lose based on skill).

Pao!

Pao (パオ), or Sekinin Barai (責任払い), is a punishment for a particular player’s discard.

What’s the Point?

Pao makes the person who is truly responsible pay for their actions. If you deal into a daisangen hand when someone else dealt the third dragon, you’d think the other person would be responsible for half of that. Pao can apply to specific yakuman, as well as rinshan kaihou.

A Guide to: Tenhou’s Paifu

Tenhou give players an opportunity to create their own paifu. But, as with everything Tenhou, it’s only in Japanese. Here is a guide on how to navigate Tenhou’s paifu maker:

What’s a Paifu?

A paifu a piece of paper used to review a game. It shows the haipai, draws, discards, claims and final hands of the game.