<![CDATA[NMJLOnline FAQs - Getting Started with NMJL Online]]>

<![CDATA[NMJLOnline FAQs - Getting Started with NMJL Online]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/ Tue, 19 May 2026 14:03:32 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[6. The Game Table]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=78 Tue, 14 Jan 2025 18:18:05 +0000 tsloper_admin]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=78 6. The Game Table

After the Game Setup process, you are taken directly to the Game Table.

Each player sees the table with their own tiles at the bottom. The game's host is first East.
The tiles are rapidly shuffled and built into walls, then East rolls dice to break the wall, and tiles are distributed four at a time to each of the players seated around the table until East has 14 tiles and others have 13 tiles.

It's now time for the Charleston to begin. Bots immediately pass three tiles to the right.

Let's take a moment to study all the details around the table.
At upper left, you see the player information for two of your opponents (your opposite and your leftie).

Take a look at your own information area, at the bottom right corner.

Each player's information area consists of:

Avatar with circular frame, with a green dot if online, red if offline. You can change your avatar in Settings.
Player's name. You can change your name in Settings.
East indicator: a small rounded square, which designates who is East.
Timers: Turn timer and Reserve timer. Timer length is determined by the Host when the table is created.
A small rounded rectangle with three animated dots. The dots animate only when that player needs to make a move of some sort. If the game isn't moving along, you can check everybody's corner to see who's holding things up by "thinking." Bots never keep you waiting.

Let's take a moment to look also at other indicators and controls on the table screen.

Upper right:

Wall counter tells how many tiles are remaining in the wall (always begins at 99 after the tiles are distributed)
Screenshot tool (camera) - use this to take a screenshot and save it to your device.
Settings icon (gearwheel) - use this to change your preferences.
Quit button - use this only when you need to abandon a game. Not to be used frivolously when playing against real people.

Right side:

Mode indicator (Safety ON or OFF) - this is determined by the Host when the table is created.
Pass button - This is used both for Charleston passes and for passing up on a discard. This lights up when you've raised three tiles for a Charleston pass, or when someone has discarded a tile you can legally claim for Pung, Kong, or Quint. On a computer with keyboard, you can press Space to Pass on a discard.
Stop / Call button - you can use this to stop Charleston passing after the first dance. During play, the button is relabeled "CALL" and can be used to claim the current live discard for exposure.
Mahj button (may or may not be visible, depending on mode or circumstances) - Click it to declare Mah Jongg.
Challenge button (may or may not be visible, depending on circumstances) - Click it to challenge another player's hand, when you believe the other player is not making a valid hand from the card.
Sort Discards - Arranges the discards by suit until pressed a second time. Illustration below.
Sort button - Arranges the tiles in your hand.
Chat button - Opens and closes the chat window.

This illustration shows how the discard floor might look when discards are sorted (left) and not sorted (right).

The large open space in the middle of the screen serves primarily as discard floor. Its behavior changes according to the phase of the game.
As the tiles are being distributed, the Wall is shown, diminishing in length. Text is displayed here, keeping track of the process.

During the Charleston, the discard floor is where players' passes are displayed. Text is also displayed here, to describe what's going on and to let you know if there's something you need to do.
During play, discards and text prompts are displayed on the discard floor.

Screen Shot Tool (Camera)
Clicking or tapping on the Screen Shot Tool takes a snapshot of the entire game screen. Details for saving or using the screenshot differ depending on what type of device you use for playing the game (Windows, MacOS, iPad, iPhone, Android, Chromebook). See the device-specific Technical Support FAQs.

Settings Icon (Gear)
In Settings, you can change your avatar, your tiles, your color theme, audio preferences, and more. See the Settings FAQ.

Managing Your Tiles
Now let's play around with your tiles for a moment.

You can arrange the tiles by suit and number by pressing the Sort button. You can also manually drag tiles into your desired order. After you have pressed Sort and subsequently did not manually move any tiles, each time you receive a Charleston pass or pick from the wall, your new tile(s) will appear pre-sorted into your hand. If after using Sort (or not pressing Sort), you manually move one or more tile(s), then your new tiles will always appear at the right side of your hand.

Click a tile to raise or lower it when selecting tiles in the Charleston, or when forming an exposure.on a called discard.
Double-click or drag a tile onto the Discard Floor to discard a tile. On a laptop or desktop, you can use Spacebar to Pass. On a touchscreen (iPad, iPhone, Android, etc.) you can either double-tap or drag the tile to discard it..

If you haven't used our Tutorials yet, click the Tutorials button in the Lobby or on the Login page for a visual introduction to how to play NMJL Online.

Previous]]> 6. The Game Table

After the Game Setup process, you are taken directly to the Game Table.

Each player sees the table with their own tiles at the bottom. The game's host is first East.
The tiles are rapidly shuffled and built into walls, then East rolls dice to break the wall, and tiles are distributed four at a time to each of the players seated around the table until East has 14 tiles and others have 13 tiles.

It's now time for the Charleston to begin. Bots immediately pass three tiles to the right.

Let's take a moment to study all the details around the table.
At upper left, you see the player information for two of your opponents (your opposite and your leftie).

Take a look at your own information area, at the bottom right corner.

Each player's information area consists of:

Avatar with circular frame, with a green dot if online, red if offline. You can change your avatar in Settings.
Player's name. You can change your name in Settings.
East indicator: a small rounded square, which designates who is East.
Timers: Turn timer and Reserve timer. Timer length is determined by the Host when the table is created.
A small rounded rectangle with three animated dots. The dots animate only when that player needs to make a move of some sort. If the game isn't moving along, you can check everybody's corner to see who's holding things up by "thinking." Bots never keep you waiting.

Let's take a moment to look also at other indicators and controls on the table screen.

Upper right:

Wall counter tells how many tiles are remaining in the wall (always begins at 99 after the tiles are distributed)
Screenshot tool (camera) - use this to take a screenshot and save it to your device.
Settings icon (gearwheel) - use this to change your preferences.
Quit button - use this only when you need to abandon a game. Not to be used frivolously when playing against real people.

Right side:

Mode indicator (Safety ON or OFF) - this is determined by the Host when the table is created.
Pass button - This is used both for Charleston passes and for passing up on a discard. This lights up when you've raised three tiles for a Charleston pass, or when someone has discarded a tile you can legally claim for Pung, Kong, or Quint. On a computer with keyboard, you can press Space to Pass on a discard.
Stop / Call button - you can use this to stop Charleston passing after the first dance. During play, the button is relabeled "CALL" and can be used to claim the current live discard for exposure.
Mahj button (may or may not be visible, depending on mode or circumstances) - Click it to declare Mah Jongg.
Challenge button (may or may not be visible, depending on circumstances) - Click it to challenge another player's hand, when you believe the other player is not making a valid hand from the card.
Sort Discards - Arranges the discards by suit until pressed a second time. Illustration below.
Sort button - Arranges the tiles in your hand.
Chat button - Opens and closes the chat window.

This illustration shows how the discard floor might look when discards are sorted (left) and not sorted (right).

Managing Your Tiles
Now let's play around with your tiles for a moment.

You can arrange the tiles by suit and number by pressing the Sort button. You can also manually drag tiles into your desired order. After you have pressed Sort and subsequently did not manually move any tiles, each time you receive a Charleston pass or pick from the wall, your new tile(s) will appear pre-sorted into your hand. If after using Sort (or not pressing Sort), you manually move one or more tile(s), then your new tiles will always appear at the right side of your hand.

Click a tile to raise or lower it when selecting tiles in the Charleston, or when forming an exposure.on a called discard.
Double-click or drag a tile onto the Discard Floor to discard a tile. On a laptop or desktop, you can use Spacebar to Pass. On a touchscreen (iPad, iPhone, Android, etc.) you can either double-tap or drag the tile to discard it..

If you haven't used our Tutorials yet, click the Tutorials button in the Lobby or on the Login page for a visual introduction to how to play NMJL Online.

Previous]]> <![CDATA[5. Game Setup]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=77 Tue, 14 Jan 2025 18:16:33 +0000 tsloper_admin]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=77 5. Game Setup

You come to the Game Setup screen after you click Create in the Create New Table screen.

At left you see your player name at the top of the list of four players.

If you created a Public table, you may see other players' names as they join your table. If you created a Private table, your friend(s) will join after you send them a code that the game will give you.

The Chat button lets you and the other real people at your table communicate by typing. All players must turn Chat on, in order to see what others are saying. The Chat window is movable and resizable.

At the right side of the screen you see the table's settings (selected when you Created the table). If those aren't the settings you wanted, you can exit Game Setup by clicking "Leave Match."

You may add up to three AI bot players by clicking "Add Bot." Click Add Bot, select a bot type, click Add, then repeat until all four player seats are filled.

The different Bots are:

Beginner: Does not consider multiple hand options; eager to make exposures; moves seem random.
Advanced: Tries to play as well as possible.
Cagey: Prefers not to expose jokers.
HighScorer: Prefers to make hands worth more than 25 points.
Open: Avoids Concealed hands.
Gardener: Prefers to make hands with flowers; is more reluctant to discard flowers.
Defensive: Pays close attention to others' exposures so as not to throw a win.

As you might expect, the Beginner is the weakest player, and Advanced is the strongest.

Players who are joining the game also see the Game Setup page while the host is setting up, but some of the controls are not shown, since only the host can choose bots and start the match.

Once you have a player seated in all four seats, you may press Start Match to start the game.

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NEXT ]]> 5. Game Setup

You come to the Game Setup screen after you click Create in the Create New Table screen.

Beginner: Does not consider multiple hand options; eager to make exposures; moves seem random.
Advanced: Tries to play as well as possible.
Cagey: Prefers not to expose jokers.
HighScorer: Prefers to make hands worth more than 25 points.
Open: Avoids Concealed hands.
Gardener: Prefers to make hands with flowers; is more reluctant to discard flowers.
Defensive: Pays close attention to others' exposures so as not to throw a win.

As you might expect, the Beginner is the weakest player, and Advanced is the strongest.

Players who are joining the game also see the Game Setup page while the host is setting up, but some of the controls are not shown, since only the host can choose bots and start the match.

Once you have a player seated in all four seats, you may press Start Match to start the game.

Previous
NEXT ]]> <![CDATA[4. How to Start a New Game]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=76 Tue, 14 Jan 2025 17:33:05 +0000 tsloper_admin]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=76 4. How to Start a New Game

After pressing New Game on the
Lobby, you enter the Create New Table screen.

You can start a table for only friends to join, or start a table with friendly strangers, or start a solo game with AI players (Artificial Intelligence "bots"). You can also have an AI player(s) fill a seat(s) at a table where there aren't enough people.

The options here are:

Card
Safety ON / Safety OFF
Long Timer / Short Timer
Assigned seating / Random seating
Public game / Private game

Card:
Normally, this will be set to the current year's NMJL card, or the card you previously chose. Each year, a new card will unlock by or before April 1st. If you don't see the newest card in the dropdown list, the card hasn't yet been unlocked for all to play.
It is up to the host (the player who creates the table) to set the card for the table.

Safety ON vs. Safety OFF modes:

Safety ON mode is the recommended mode for the majority of players who prefer not to have to press Pass on every single discard, and who prefer that the computer not permit them to make a fatal error (such as false declaration of mah jongg).
Safety OFF mode is more like real life; it permits you to call for a discard that would result in an erroneous mah jongg; thus the Pass button lights up, requiring you to press it, every time a new tile is discarded.

Timers:
The AI bot players play very quickly in both speeds. The timers regulate how much time you can take "thinking" about every turn.
Long Timer gives players a 5-minute turn timer and a 5-minute reserve timer.
Short Timer gives players a 3-minute turn timer and a 3-minute reserve timer.
Note: there is no "pause" function in NMJL Online.
If you're playing against one or more other people, once you've started a game, you'd best not step away from the game "just for a minute," because "a minute" is never just a minute, and when you get back, a bot may have taken over your seat.
If you are playing with only bots, the timers will continue to run down, but at the end of the timer nothing will happen. You can just keep playing. It's only when you are playing with other people that the game enforces the timers (so people don't have to wait if someone quits or loses their Internet connection).

Assigned seating / Random seating:
When Assigned seating is selected, players are seated around the table in the order in which they join the table.
If Random seating is selected, the players will be seated in random order around the table.

Public table / Private table:
If you create a Public table, the table will appear in the Lobby and other people in the Lobby can join your table.
When you create a Private table, no strangers will appear at your table. You can play by yourself with AI bot players, or invite friends to join your table. The game will give you a "Room Code" that you can send to your friends by email, text, or phone.
For more details, see How do I get people to play with me?

When you're satisfied with the settings, click Create.

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Card
Safety ON / Safety OFF
Long Timer / Short Timer
Assigned seating / Random seating
Public game / Private game

Safety ON mode is the recommended mode for the majority of players who prefer not to have to press Pass on every single discard, and who prefer that the computer not permit them to make a fatal error (such as false declaration of mah jongg).
Safety OFF mode is more like real life; it permits you to call for a discard that would result in an erroneous mah jongg; thus the Pass button lights up, requiring you to press it, every time a new tile is discarded.

Each table visible in the Lobby is a Public table, where someone is hoping you will join them.

Each table is labeled with the Settings options it's set for. If you prefer an easy playing experience, choose a table using Friendly mode. The Hardcore experience is a little more work, with greater danger of making mistakes. If a table is using the 2022 card and you want to play using a later card, you shouldn't click that table. Just check the fine print on a table, and choose based on how you want to play.

1. To join a table, click it. A popup appears with a Join button. Click Confirm to play at that table.

2. To start your own new game instead, click New Game. See the Game Setup FAQ for what to do next.

3. To join a game your friend started, your friend should send you a Room Code by email, phone, or text. Enter the code in the Room Code box (bottom left), and click Join.

Previous
NEXT]]> 3. How to Join a Game

After logging in, you are in the Lobby. Here you may see some tables available for you to join. You can (1) join a public table, or (2) start your own game, or (3) join a friend's private table...

2. To start your own new game instead, click New Game. See the Game Setup FAQ for what to do next.

3. To join a game your friend started, your friend should send you a Room Code by email, phone, or text. Enter the code in the Room Code box (bottom left), and click Join.

Previous
NEXT]]> <![CDATA[2. The Lobby, where you can start or join games]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=74 Tue, 14 Jan 2025 17:28:57 +0000 tsloper_admin]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=74 2. The Lobby, where you can start or join games

After logging in, you enter the Lobby. Here you may see some tables available for you to join.

A table is only visible if it's Public, and it is not yet launched by the player who created the table. When someone creates a Private table, that table is not shown on the Lobby.

Each table is labeled with the options it's set for. To join a table, click it. A popup appears with a Join button; click it to play at that table.

To join a Private game your friend started, your friend should send you a code by email, phone, or text. Enter the code in the Room Code box, and click Join.

To start your own new game, click New Game.

Take a look at the controls in the Lobby:

Top of Lobby screen: New Game, Chat
Bottom of Lobby screen: Room Code/Join, Tutorials, FAQs, Settings, Logout

The New Game button lets you start your own game.
The Chat button lets you chat with other people in the lobby.
The Room Code box is where you enter a temporary code to join a friend's table.
Tutorials - an introduction to how to play American Mah Jongg according to the rules of the National Mah Jongg League.
FAQs - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Settings - you can choose a color theme, an avatar, audio preferences, and more.
Logout - Exit the Lobby to the Login page. If you are playing on your own computer or tablet, you don't need to use this.

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NEXT]]> 2. The Lobby, where you can start or join games

After logging in, you enter the Lobby. Here you may see some tables available for you to join.

The New Game button lets you start your own game.
The Chat button lets you chat with other people in the lobby.
The Room Code box is where you enter a temporary code to join a friend's table.
Tutorials - an introduction to how to play American Mah Jongg according to the rules of the National Mah Jongg League.
FAQs - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
Settings - you can choose a color theme, an avatar, audio preferences, and more.
Logout - Exit the Lobby to the Login page. If you are playing on your own computer or tablet, you don't need to use this.

Previous
NEXT]]> <![CDATA[1. Logging In to NMJL Online]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=73 Tue, 14 Jan 2025 17:27:08 +0000 tsloper_admin]]> https://faqs.nmjlonline.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=73 1. Logging In to NMJL Online

NMJL Online is located at https://play.nmjlonline.com.

To play NMJL Online, you need a game subscription and you need a National Mah Jongg League card. Both are available for purchase at the NationalMahJonggLeague.org Store.

To log in, you must type in your email address and password.
You must use the email address you used when purchasing the NMJL Online subscription from the National Mah Jongg League Store.
You should have received a temporary password a few minutes after purchasing the subscription. If you did not receive one, check your email Spam folder. If you have not received your temporary password after 20 minutes or so, click the Support button and describe your issue.

Before you click the Login button, check to see if "Remember Me" is checked. If it is, you won't have to type in your address and password the next time you log in using the same device and browser.

If playing on someone else's device, it's advised to make sure "Remember Me" is not checked.

On the Login screen, one of many tips is displayed, and you can access the Tutorials, these FAQs, or send an email to Customer Support.

NEXT]]> 1. Logging In to NMJL Online

NMJL Online is located at https://play.nmjlonline.com.

To play NMJL Online, you need a game subscription and you need a National Mah Jongg League card. Both are available for purchase at the NationalMahJonggLeague.org Store.

To log in, you must type in your email address and password.
You must use the email address you used when purchasing the NMJL Online subscription from the National Mah Jongg League Store.
You should have received a temporary password a few minutes after purchasing the subscription. If you did not receive one, check your email Spam folder. If you have not received your temporary password after 20 minutes or so, click the Support button and describe your issue.