Victorian Riichi Mahjong League Season 2

Welcome back to another season of the Victorian Riichi Mahjong League! This is a regular competitive league for players to show their skill against some of Melbourne’s best riichi players.

Players must know how to score hands for the common fu values (30, 40, and 50 fu hands), and must maintain a high level of etiquette (including pace of play, mannerisms, and general competitive integrity).

I don’t have time to read/I can’t read, what do I need to know?

You should really read everything on this page, but here’s a summary:

  • When: Every Tuesday night, from March 31st to June 16th (12 weeks).

  • Where: Harry’s place in Southbank, played on auto tables.

  • Format: Each player must play 10 out of 12 weeks. Each week, a set of 4 players will play 3 hanchan together, with no time limit.

  • Ruleset: WRC 2025 full ruleset with no red fives and standard penalties.

  • Fees: $5 per person per week played.

  • Prizes: Yes.

  • Set Games Only: set games will be made based on a weekly RSVP process.

  • Entry requirement: Yes. All players must be registered members. Additionally, players may qualify through either the Melta pre-season scoreboard (top 8), or through a form submission with an online rank requirement (Ex3/1D), or be endorsed by 2 players of a higher rank requirement (Ms3/4D). Previous VicRML Season 1 players will also be invited to compete in this season.

  • Late, No Show, and Rescheduling Policies: Yes, please read below.

Registrations will close on March 15th.

Registration Form

Quick Links

Players must be a part of the Discord server to participate in the league.

Discord Server

The regular season will run for 12 weeks from March 31st to June 16th inclusive.

There will be a final cut for the top 4 players, who will schedule and play a final round of 6 hanchan.

Players will play on AMOS JP-EX Color automatic tables at Harry’s apartment in Southbank. The location will be shared after registration closes.

If there are enough players for a 3rd table, we may use another autotable, or change to hand-shuffled tables.

 

Every player will play 30 hanchan over the regular season, 3 hanchan per week, for 10 out of 12 weeks of the regular season.

Player scores are the cumulative sum of all hanchan completed.

Players may take breaks for 2 out of 12 weeks of the regular season. Additional absences will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

A weekly RSVP process will be used. Every Friday, RSVPs will be made for the following Tuesday session. Players who wish to attend the session must RSVP to this event. RSVPs close the Monday night before the session.

The first 8 players to RSVP will then be shuffled into two groups of 4; each shuffle will account for previous matchups to reduce repeat matchups (where possible). These groups play all 3 hanchan among themselves, with seats and winds assigned.

There will be an RSVP waitlist: If a player wants to come but 8 RSVPs already reached, they are added to the waitlist. Waitlist priority will be given to players who have already taken 1 (or 2) absences.

In the event that there are less than 8 players on the RSVP list, League Staff will arrange for substitute players. It is possible (though not always guaranteed) that substitutes will change from week to week, and they might not be registered league players.

There will be no entry fee for this season of VicRML.

For each week of play, each player will pay $5. All fees must be paid directly to the association bank account maintained by League Staff.

Entry Requirements

Players must be a registered VRMA member, and must also be part of the Discord server to participate in the league.

In Season 2, there will be multiple qualification paths for entry.

Players may choose to qualify through the Melta Summer Season scoreboard, where invites will be extended to the top 8 scoring players who have completed at least 12 games.

Players may also choose to register directly, however are required to have an online rank of at least Expert 3 on Mahjong Soul or 1 Dan on Tenhou. At this time we do not accept ranks from other platforms. The account must be submitted in the entry form.

Players who are unable to meet either requirements are still encouraged to apply, however they must be endorsed by 2 players who are at least Master 3 on Mahjong Soul or 4 Dan on Tenhou. The endorsement must demonstrate your knowledge of the rules of the game, that you are competent at scoring hands (at least 30, 40, and 50 fu hands), and that you will be able to maintain a high level of etiquette (including pace of play, mannerisms, and general competitive integrity).

In addition to the above criteria, players who competed in Season 1 of VicRML will also be invited to compete in this season.

Signups will close on March 15th. To signup, please do so via this form (opens a new tab): Google Forms Link.

First place will be crowned Saikoui (with a neat custom role on Discord), a trophy celebrating their achievement, free entry to the next Victorian Riichi Mahjong Open, and free entry to any 4 meetups for the year. They will also be invited to defend their title in the next season’s finals.

Second place will also win free entry to any 4 meetups, valid for the same period.

Other prizes may be awarded at the end of the season, and will be announced at a later date.

The ruleset used will be the WRC 2025 Rules and Penalties with no modifications. These rules can be found on the website.

Below is a summary of these rules (this is not exhaustive and should not be treated as the truth; always refer directly to the WRC rules):

  • No hanchan timer. Each hanchan will conclude at the natural end of South 4 (see the rule on Agariyame below).

  • 30,000 points start, 30,000 points return. No extension to West. 300 point honba.

  • 15/5 uma, no oka. Tied placements will split uma.

  • Red fives OFF (aka nashi)

  • Kiriage mangan: 40 han 30 and 3 han 60 are rounded to mangan

  • Agariyame OFF: Game continues in all last South 4 if the dealer is in first place and wins the round, or if the dealer is tenpai at the end of the round

  • Bankruptcy/Tobi OFF: Game continues if a player goes below 0 points

  • Headbump ON: In the case of two players announcing ron, the next player ONLY in order from the discarded tile will win the hand

  • Abortive Draws OFF

  • Kan dora flips immediately

  • Riichi: Allowed even in furiten or if there are less than four (even up to zero) tiles remaining in the live wall.

  • Any riichi bets remaining on the table at the end of the hanchan stay on the table

  • Nagashi Mangan OFF

  • Kazoe Yakuman (Yonbaiman) ON for 13 han and greater scores

  • Double Yakuman OFF

  • Pao (Yakuman liability payments) ON

  • Penalties: WRC 2025 Full Penalties, including a -30P penalty for chombo added to the final score of the hanchan. The full list of penalties can be found here.

Players are expected to abide by our competitive etiquette expectations, which can be found here (opens a new tab).

To ease pressure on League Staff, players may apply to become referee-players who will participate in the league as a player while also being responsible for refereeing and making rulings for games they are not currently playing on. These players will be subject to stricter requirements, including an exam and signed form, to avoid any such perceived conflict of interest. Further details on this staffing procedure will be announced prior to the start of the season.

Notwithstanding the above, League Staff will always have the final say on any ruling.

Players are expected to follow the highest standards of competitive integrity. This includes but is not limited to a strict ban on collusion in any form, leaving a hanchan midway without a valid reason, and intentionally feeding other players in a way that does not improve your personal placement.

Rescheduling Games

In all cases, a player who is late or does not show up to their scheduled games may be required to reschedule all their missed games, either with the same players or with other players.

Rescheduled games must still be played at the venue, but may be done so on a different day. The player must also cover any additional table costs.

Late Penalty

The late penalty is -1P per minute late, up to 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, the player will be considered a no show, and be penalised -30P per game missed.

Points Penalty for Changed RSVP or No Show

  • Any RSVP changes made before 3:00 pm Monday will not be penalised.

  • Any changes made after this time will be penalised with -30P.

  • Cases where a player has already used their 2 absent weeks but still does not attend after making an RSVP will be handled individually.

Multiple no shows or unexplained RSVP changes may be penalised further at the discretion of League Staff.

Penalty Fee for Changed RSVP or No Show

There will be no penalty fees for Season 2 (this is changed from the penalty fees structure for Season 1).

Substitute Players

In the event of a no show, generally players will be substituted. The substitute player’s score will not be counted for the absent player, however the other players on that table will have their scores recorded as normal. The substitute player will be chosen by League Staff, and may not necessarily be a registered league player.

Scores for Missed Games

If a player misses a game and a substitute is found, the player’s score will be recorded as -30P for that game. If no substitute is found, the player will receive a -30P penalty, and must reschedule all missed games.

Changes

The policies outlined here are designed to encourage players to notify League Staff early of any scheduling changes, and to ensure every player gets an even and fair number of games played.

Penalties will follow the general guidelines below, however special cases will be handled on a case-by-case basis by League Staff.

League Staff also reserve the right to rewrite the penalty structure at any time during the season for the purposes of clarity or to cover additional situations as they arise. Any changes will be communicated to players as soon as possible.

Any player who is found to game the penalty system, such as intentionally taking an absence or late penalty, will be considered cheating and face disciplinary action by League Staff.

By registering for this league, you are intending to commit to the required 10 weeks and 30 hanchan for the duration of the season.

Any player who wishes to discontinue their participation in the league after it begins must notify League Staff as soon as possible. If the reason given is considered inadequate, the player may face further sanctions, such as a ban from all official/competitive VRMA events for some period of time.

There will also be no guarantee that any fees paid will be refunded upon discontinuation.

League Staff reserve all right to handle late/no show/other penalties in ways they determine appropriate, using the above outlined policies as a guideline.

If the venue and/or tables are unavailable for a specific session, the options will be (preferentially) between rescheduling those matches to a different day, or potentially extending the season. The final decision will be at the at the discretion of League Staff.

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