Boba Mahjong Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Objective
• Game Components
• Game Setup
• Turn
• Creating a Set
  • What is a set?
  • After creating a set
  • Mixing Piles
  • Example of creating more than one set in a turn
• Game End
• Score
  • Example of game-end scoring
• Game End and Winning
• Solo Game

Game Objective

Boba Mahjong is a 2-player Mahjong variant card game, using set collection and rummy mechanics. In the game, players will create sets of three cards and keep one card from each set as an ingredient. When a player has 10 or more score cards, or when the draw deck is depleted, the other player will take one more turn, then the game ends. Players will use their best six ingredients to make their boba drink, and score based on the drink's freshness, smoothness, complexity, and presentation. The player with the best drink (most points) wins the game!

Players: 2. Time: 20 minutes. Age: 10+.

Game Components

• 53 ingredients (cards)
• 2 player aids
• 1 rulebook

Game Setup

1. Shuffle ingredient cards face-down.
2. Place one card face-up in each of the three mixing piles. If a 0 is revealed, shuffle it back into the supply deck, and draw another card to replace it. Continue this process until there are no 0's in the mixing piles.
3. Deal five cards face-down to each player as hand cards.
4. Place the remaining cards to the side to form a supply deck.
5. Each player takes a player aid.
6. The player who most recently had a boba drink or who lost the previous Boba Mahjong game is the start player.

Turn

The starting player takes the first turn, then players take alternating turns until the game ends. Each turn, the active player does the following in this exact order:

1. Draw 2 cards from the supply OR draw 1 top card from one of the mixing piles.
2. Create up to THREE sets OR draw again (repeat the previous step). See Creating a Set below.
3. If the active player has more than 7 cards in hand, discard down to 7. If the active player has no cards in hand, draw 3 cards from the deck.

Creating a Set

Use 3 cards from your hand OR use 2 hand cards and 1 card from the top of any mixing pile to create a set.

What is a set?

• A set has three number cards of any color, in a straight or three of a kind.
  • Straight ("rank" or "run") sets are any three consecutive numbers. For example, 1-2-3, 5-6-7, or 6-7-8. Numbers cannot loop around, such as 8-1-2.
  • Examples of three-of-a-kind sets include 4-4-4 or 0-0-0.
  • 0 is a numeric wild. A set can have more than one wild card.
    • Example of sets with wild cards: 1-0-3, 0-7-8, 0-0-5, or 0-5-5.
• A set can also be any three toppings. Toppings do not have a number on the card.
• A set CANNOT have both toppings and numbers (including 0's).

After creating a set

1. The player chooses one of the three cards (from the set) as a score card and places it next to their player aid.
   • Keep all score cards visible so all players can see them.
   • If a topping is kept as a score card, the active player may use the topping power or the ability on the card after the following discard phase.
     • When using a topping power to draw cards, always take cards from the supply deck.
     • Players may choose not to use topping power rules in their first game.
2. Discard the remaining two cards (from the set) to any one or two mixing piles in any order.
   • Remove any wild cards (0's) from the game instead of discarding them.

Mixing Piles

• Players can review cards in the three mixing piles at any time, but they may not change the order of the cards in the mixing piles.
• When taking a card, always take it from the top of the pile.
• When discarding, always place the discarded card on the top of any one of the mixing piles. If a mixing pile is empty, always discard to the empty mixing pile first.

Example of creating more than one set in a turn

1. Ashley begins her first turn by creating a straight set, using Matcha 5 in the mixing pile #2, and Taro 4 and Taro 6 from her hand.
2. After creating a set, Ashley decides to keep Taro 6 for end-game scoring. She places Taro 6 in her score pile next to her player aid and Matcha 5 and Taro 4 in mixing pile #1.
3. Ashley then immediately creates another set of 1's using Butterfly 1 in mixing pile #2, and Strawberry 0 (numeric wild) and Matcha 1 from her hand. Mixing pile #2 is now empty.
4. After creating a set, Ashley decides to keep Butterfly 1 for end game scoring. She places Butterfly 1 in her score pile then places Matcha 1 in mixing pile #2 (because mixing pile #2 is empty). She removes Strawberry 0 from the game because it is a wild card. Ashley ends her turn.

Game End

When one of the following two conditions is met at the end of a turn, the other player takes one more turn, then the game ends.

• A player has 10 or more score cards next to their player aid.
• The supply deck is depleted.

Score

Players choose up to six score cards from their score pile for scoring.

Use the player aid to score all four possible categories. Every chosen score card can be scored once in each category.

1. Freshness - Same Number or Topping. To score four cards of freshness (10 vp), the player must have four cards of the same number in different colors.
   • Player aid (same number 0 to 8): 2 cards = 3 vp, 3 cards = 6 vp, 4 cards = 10 vp.
2. Smoothness - A straight of three cards or more.
   • A straight can start with 0, such as 0-1-2.
   • A straight cannot wrap around, such as 7-8-1.
   • It is possible to score two separate three-card straights. For example, a 2-3-4 straight and a 4-5-6 straight will score 4 points (2 vp + 2 vp). However, each card can only be used once. (The example would require two "4" cards.)
   • Player aid: straight of 3 = 2 vp, 4 = 4 vp, 5 = 7 vp, 6 = 10 vp.
3. Complexity - Any two toppings gives 3 points.
4. Presentation - Choose to score the Same or Different Colors.
   • Presentation A (same colors): 3 cards = 3 vp, 6 cards (two colors) = 6 vp, 9 vp and 12 vp as shown on the player aid in increasing groups of three. It is possible to score a set of three cards in one color and another set of three in another color. For example, three Butterfly (blue) with three Strawberry (red) will score 6 points (3 vp + 3 vp).
   • Presentation B (different colors): any 3 = 2 vp, any 4 = 3 vp, all 5 = 6 vp (player aid). It is possible to score a set of three cards in different colors and another set of three that also has three different color cards. The player will score 4 points (2 vp + 2 vp).
   • It is also possible to score a set of three cards of one color and another set in different colors. The player will score 5 points (3 vp + 2 vp).

0 is a numeric wild when creating a set. In scoring, it is simply a number zero. Use it as zero and the color on the card to score.

Example of game-end scoring

At the end of the game, Ashley uses these score cards to score and receives 16 points. Her cards: Taro Milk Tea 6, Strawberry Tea 0 (Wild Card), a Mint Leaves topping card, Butterfly Tea 0 (Wild Card), Matcha Tea 6, Strawberry Tea 6.

• 3 VP from two zero cards (Freshness).
• 6 VP from three 6's (Freshness).
• 0 VP from topping cards (Complexity).
• 7 VP from five color cards (Presentation B).

Game End and Winning

The player who scores the most points wins the game. In case of a tie, players will use all of their score cards to score. In case of another tie, the player with the fewest score cards wins. If the players are still tied, they share the win.

Solo Game

This solo mode emphasizes efficient play, careful planning, and resource management.

• Components: Four suits of 0 to 7 and six topping cards: Caramel, Egg Pudding, Green Bean, Mint Leaves, Rainbow Jelly, and Red Bean.
• Setup: Shuffle all cards, then remove 2 at random.
• Turn: When you activate a topping power, remove that topping card from the game.
• Game End: Same as the base game.
• Scoring: Normal rules, except: if you have 3 topping cards in your scoring area, score additional 5 points.