The name Tien Zi stands for son of the god or another name for the emperor of China. Que stands for Sparrow, the cover bird for the game. This quick little card game has quickly become a favorite of mine.
Object of the Game:
Tien Zi Que is played over four rounds. The goal each round is to create five MahJongs (sets). The first player to create five wins that round and scores his or her cards. Points are added together at the end of four rounds. The player with the highest total wins!
Components / Set-up:
The game comes with 54 cards. There are 12 Directions cards, 3 of East, South, West, and North. There are also 3 Red Dragon cards, 36 Currency (Suit) cards, and 3 Tien Zi Que cards. The Tien Zi Que is the wild card. These cards are all inspired by MahJong tiles. The cards are shuffled and five are given to each player. The other cards are placed face down to form the draw deck. Players choose who will be the starting player. Each player will start two rounds.
Game Play:
Players may take one of three actions (draw, pung, chow) during each round.
Draw: Players may draw one card from the deck and then discard one card face up into the discard pile.
Pung: Players draw a card from the deck and create a set with any three cards from their hand. A set may be either in sequence or triplet. A sequence is three cards of the same suit, in numerical order (1, 2, 3). A triplet is three cards in the same suit and denomination. For example three of the same direction cards or three currency cards.
Chow: Players can also can create a set by taking a card discarded last turn by the other player and two cards from their own hand. If the opponent discards a red five the player may take that card and his red four and red six to create a set.
If a player is able to create a set they choose one card and place it in front of them. This card is now a score card and will be used to score points at the end of the round. The other two cards are placed in the discard pile and the game continues.
The only card that can not be picked up from the discard pile is the Tien Zi Que card. This card is a wild card when creating a set. The Tien Zi Que card may be kept for scoring but only counts as a black color card and not a wild.
End of the Round:
After a player completes their fifth set, the call MahJong and win the round. Only the winner counts their cards for points. But it's still possible to recieve 0 points if you are the winner.
Scoring:
When playing look a the score table and score your hand. You may be able to score in more than one way.
Flush (3 points): five cards of all the same color (red, blue, green)
White Flush (4 points): five cards all in white
Elements (4 points): five cards each in different colors
King of Sparrows (6 points): three Tien Zi Que cards
Dare Dragon (6 points): five numeric cards in sequence
Pair (2 points): two of a kind
Three of a Kind (5 points): for example, three ones
Four of a Kind (10 points): for example, four ones
Word: 1 type of word (1 point), two types of words (3 points), three types of words (5 points), four types of words (9 points)
All Directions (12 points): the word score points are not added
Honors (16 points): any five words, the word score points are not added
Winning Draw (1 point): complete the 5th set from drawing or cards already in hand
End of Game:
After the end of four rounds players add up the scores and the person with the most points wins!
My Thoughts:
Tien Zi Que is my go to game when I want a short, quick, and fun challenge. I think I suggest it almost every time. I have copies of this game at home and work. I think we even gave a copy to my in-laws. Other's I know have a more lukewarm inkling towards the game.
It may take a play or two to get the strategy, but it is a pretty quick game to learn. I'll admit that the only MahJong I've ever played is the solitaire computer version so I'm not a good reference on how closely it resembles MahJong.
I also like the strategy and the little bit of push your luck. Maybe someday I'll be able to pull off the Honors Score. In reality during most games I'm lucky if I am able to score over 10 points. The temptation is to go for the larger and better score but as the game plays out, and your opponent is close to his fifth set, you start going for whatever you can get. And yes...I have won a round and scored nothing or just one point.
The great thing is you have four rounds to play, and it goes by fast. If you lose this time, you can always try again!
With a list price of only $10.00, and the possibility to pick it up for only $4.00 at Boards & Bits, its a game worth getting. It's also worth keeping because of its small compact size. Try it with your significant other, they may also be drawn to this little gem.
Quick Stats:
Designer: Ta Te Wu
Artists:Victor Ta Te Wu
Publishers: Z-Mann Games, TZQ
Number of Players: 2
Playing Time: 625 minutes
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