Every woman in my family has played for generations and I've never seen or heard of a Maj mat. Is this a new thing?

yes

I would have replied even sooner but I was in the middle of a game with DDs and DH!

Mats, often neoprene, make a nice surface to move tiles without them falling over, and it deadens the noise. Many also include instructions, helpful for newbies.

This is mine:

@porkandham, they make such pretty mats! Love the Great Wave!

A woman in my neighborhood is selling ”bespoke” Mah Jong sets. I have no idea what bespoke means in that context. .

They monogram the mats, and maybe the tiles or racks etc? It is definitely a "thing"

@mtnrdredux_gw I'm so glad to see your tiles have the traditional symbols. On one of the current faceebook mah jongg pages I follow, some of the new tile sets have some odd looking tiles which I don't recognize as bams, cracks or dots. However, some of the new sets have really beautiful tiles...but the prices for some of them are absurd. I've heard that Tiffany has a set for $25,000, but in the pictures I've seen it doesnt look like anything special.

I inherited my MIL's late 1950s set which I played on for years, but I recently bought the set from Costco so I could teach new learners with the larger size tiles.

I'm so glad to see your tiles have the traditional symbols.

I looked at the more stylized sets, but I thought it was too confusing for our newly formed group to have to learn multiple sets of symbols depending on the table they sat at. I thought my set was a good compromise between a pretty pattern and easy to read faces.

I hate to think of deadening the noise with neoprene. The noise of maj tiles carring from the other room was the soundtrack of my childhood. I love hearing it!

We have so many different, old sets floating between family members. Really beautiful ones from long ago in worn leather cases.

Are there recommendations for an app for beginners to learn the game online?

@bbstx Bespoke Mahjong is a brand, so they could be selling that. I love their Year of the Dragon mats.

I have several sets and mats and enjoy mixing and matching for different looks. I like using a mat as I think it protects both the table and the tiles.

@cozzie, tons of good Youtube videos. Then try playing online. I like ilovemahj.com

@kendrah, i often hear that. But I find it much nicer with a mat, mainly for moving the tiles

Neoprene mahjong mats provide a cushioned, non-slip surface that reduces noise, protects tables from scratches, and helps tiles slide smoothly during gameplay. They enhance the experience by preventing tile damage, making tiles easier to pick up, and often feature printed rule reminders or Charleston guides for American Mahjong.

I inherited my MIL's late 1950s set which I played on for years,

My BFF since 7th grade grew up with MJ but has no interest in playing. Her Mom is giving me her set!

@Cozzie Most of my friends took in person lessons. I had a friend teach me. She invited two of her friends and we played two games that afternoon. (A little bit of being thrown into the deep end!) She loaned me a book (A Beginners Guide to American Mahjong by Elaine Sandberg) which I studied over the next couple of weeks before I joined my neighborhood group.

I use I Love Mahj for practice.

Is everyone playing American mahjong? That has been most of what I had been seeing, but recently I discovered our library is having classes for Chinese mahjong. My neighbor grew up playing that version with her parents when they were living in Africa and there was no TV, and she says if you travel, it is the version everyone else is playing. The lady at the library said they are doing the Chinese version because it is easier to learn.

A group of us from the church guild learned from a friend, and it grew from there.

We learned American MJ with a few unique house rules, including blanks. I did not know that was a huge controversy until much later, LOL. We do not play for money, but we do a get "jewel" sticker when we win a hand.

Last night one of my DDs suggested we play a round without jokers or blanks (but otherwise American style). Not surprisingly we had a wall game.

I don’t know anyone who plays Chinese, but I’ve heard it’s easier. We play American and don't use blanks. We don’t play for money but otherwise use NMJL rules. I’ve also played Siamese (two person Anerican where each person has two racks).

Yes, I’ve played Siamese… But I don’t really like it

one of my resolutions was building more community and increasing cognitive challenges

Mahjong is excellent on both counts. It can be frustrating at first because there is a lot to learn and a lot of rules. (DH swears "Mahjong" is Mandarin for " you can't do that"). Highly recommend practicing on line.

There’s a very nice online and app version of Mah Jongg called “Mah Jongg 4 Fun an American Mah Jongg game”. Using currently the 2024 or 2025 NMJL CARD, It's good for learning, practice and just playing. You can choose a practice mode, play against bots or have friends join. Currently all play is free, but the creator has posted that he's instituting a subscription model, but says youll continue to be able to play a limited number of games without subscribing.

ETA link to online version Mah Jongg 4 fun