Determine the Prevailing Wind
The prevailing wind always starts as East Wind.
It can change, but only in a long game of at least 5 sessions. The player who is the prevailing wind has the opportunity to score more, but can also lose more.
Changing the prevailing wind
Once everyone has been East Wind, then the prevailing wind becomes South Wind (and eventually West Wind and North Wind).
The game officially ends when everyone has played as the prevailing North Wind !
First session
One of each of the four wind tiles (or wind counters) are placed face-down and shuffled.
Each player takes one of the tiles and then takes the seat appropriate to the wind selected.
The clockwise order is North, West, South, East. This is a little confusing as West and East are opposite to the compass we are used to.
In Mah-Jong, one gets used to starting with East then moving anti-clockwise, rather than clockwise, to South, West and North.
Subsequent sessions
If the player who was the prevailing wind (usually East Wind) declared Mah-Jong, or the game was drawn, then there is no change.
If another player declared Mah-Jong, the winds rotate in an anti-clockwise fashion so that the player who was South Wind now becomes East Wind.
(When only 3 are playing East Wind always exists.)
Distribute the Tallies
Before the first session each player is given 2,000 points in tallies.
If tallies are not available then each player can use a score sheet, marked with two columns showing payments and receipts.
2,000 points in tallies
4
1
2
3
