Riichi Mahjong in Singapore

Private Sessions

Private Sessions are organised by anybody in the SgRiichi community. They are meant for everyone to get to know each other and have fun playing Riichi. Any players can join the session by polling at the Riichi Sessions section of the SgRiichi telegram group. They are gambling-free games. Games are typically recorded unless stated otherwise.

Playing in a community means playing with various kind of players, so it is very important to take note of the behavioural etiquette we observe in the community. The list can be found here – https://sgriichimahjong.com/etiquette/

Complaints

It rarely happens but Hosts reserve the right to lodge a complaint if there is any behavioural misconduct in order to safeguard a pleasant playing environment for everyone.

A complaint can be official or unofficial. An official complaint means that the host has tried to communicate to the player his/her misconduct but to no avail, before making a complaint to Sgriichi Administrator. An unofficial complaint means the misconduct is not made known to the player but the host has made a complaint to SgRiichi Administrator. An official complaint is more severe in consequences as listed below:

  • Each official complaint is 1 penalty point, while each unofficial complaint is 0.5 penalty point.
  • For each penalty point, a warning will be made to the offender by SgRiichi Administrator.
  • Once any offender gets 3 penalty points, SgRiichi Administrator will investigate with the hosts and witnesses to verify the facts. If any host is found to have made a deliberate misinformed complaint, the host will be immediately banned from SgRiichi permanently.
  • Offender who accumulated 3 penalty points will be subjected to a ban on any riichi activities in Singapore (this includes non-sgriichi organised activities) for 6 months. This punishment and its expiry date will be made known to all in a pinned message. Offenders on temporary bans are not allowed to poll. If polled, offenders will be removed from SgRiichi group.
  • Every complaint made will expire in 3 years.

This system is meant to manage players who are really creating a negative impact on the riichi playing environment. Any player who is nice and polite shouldn’t be concerned and will adapt well.

Guidelines to Hosting Private Sessions

Use Countmein bot to do a poll with the following essential information:

  • Venue
  • Date & Time can be in information or poll options
  • Rules (Blank = SgRiichi Default)
  • Etiquette level (if blank means anything goes)
  • Players Selection Criteria (Details below)
  • Any other remarks such as extra/removal of certain behaviour within the stated Etiquette level, if applicable
  • The statement – “By joining, I acknowledge https://sgriichimahjong.com/private-sessions/.”

Important: SgRiichi will not support any complaints from the host that have no etiquette level stated beforehand unless misconduct falls under totally unacceptable social behaviour AND/OR the session poll is not found in SgRiichi Private Sessions topic.

Example of a session poll

30 Jan 2024 12-6pm at Orchard
Level 1 if you’re new
Level 2 for the rest
By joining, I acknowledge https://sgriichimahjong.com/private-sessions/

Players Selection Criteria

SgRiichi promotes the inclusion of various players to be played but also acknowledges that the host might want a certain combination of players to achieve a certain playing experience. The below guideline should be followed if the host wishes to have selection criteria.

Hosts should be as transparent as possible about the criteria, and they should be based on something that is factual or information that all players have access to. For example, a higher priority for those who are:

  • Higher Rating/No. of Games (Only top >1700 rating players are visible)
  • New/Unmet players
  • Capable of announcing score themselves / stacking wall without trouble / making a discard in <5 seconds in almost every turn

Criteria that are based on factors that players cannot control or are entirely subjective or bad discrimination in nature are not allowed, such as:

  • Race / Religion / Ethnicity / Nationality / Sexual Orientation / Gender / Age / Physical Appearance / Socio-Economic Status
  • Education / IQ / EQ
  • Medical condition that’s not contagious and/or causes the user to affect the game.
  • Political Beliefs / Organisational Association
  • Players being new (this is different from skill level, where it is based on capabilities)
  • Players that the host is unfamiliar with (The nature of a community game is to play with players you may not know, unlike personal private games)

Management of players with misconduct

It is of utmost importance for everyone to call out players who are not behaving to the etiquette requirement, especially the host. Silence means it is tolerable and is not being kind to the offender who might not be aware of his/her mistake. Here are the steps to handle:

  1. Be firm and assertive, pointing out the behaviour that is not allowed.
  2. If possible, state the correct behaviour expected.
  3. If misconduct persists, state the consequences for the player that he/she will be blacklisted for the host’s future sessions and/or be reported to SgRiichi.

This is just a communication guideline. If the offender apologises, and show clear signs of correction, it’s up to host’s leniency and discretion to adjust accordingly. Most importantly, calling it out and letting the offender be aware of the consequences is kindness.

To lodge an official complaint, please kindly fill up this form – https://forms.gle/TpXdMdaag7GL9AHF9

However, if the host chooses not to confront such an issue, an unofficial complaint can be lodged as well and the communications will be done by SgRiichi administrator. But if the host would like to blacklist the offender, ONLY the host must communicate this.

As of writing SgRiichi administrator refers to Feng only.