Nylon-ppong

Nylon-ppong (or Nairong-ppong) is a traditional Korean Hwatu rummy game for 2 to 6 players. It combines elements of Mahjong with traditional rummy mechanics.

Gameplay Flow

The game is played with a standard 48-card Hwatu deck (12 months, 4 cards each). Players must be familiar with the Korean month sequence (1 to 12) to calculate scores and sequences.

A round proceeds counterclockwise. On their turn, a player follows these steps:

1. Draw: Draw one card from the face-down draw deck.
2. Check: If the resulting 6 cards in hand form a valid combination, the player may end the round immediately.
3. Discard: If no combination is formed, the player must discard one card to the pile to end their turn.

The round ends if the draw deck runs out of cards, a player "goes out" via a special action, or a player calls a 6-card combination.

Special Actions

Ppong (or Pong)

If a player holds two cards of the same month as the card just discarded to the top of the pile, they can call "Ppong".

• This can often be done out of turn.
• The player discards the matching pair from their hand.
• They must then discard one additional card to end their turn.
• If a player has no cards left after the final discard, they have gone out, and the round ends immediately.

Stop

A player who has only 2 cards remaining in their hand (after having called at least one "Ppong") can choose to call "Stop" instead of drawing a card.

• This is only allowed if the sum of the month numbers of their two cards is equal to or less than a predetermined limit (usually 5 or 10).
• Calling "Stop" ends the round immediately.

Combinations (6-Card Hands)

If a player ends the round by claiming one of these combinations, they ignore standard penalty points and instead receive the combination's value (which can be a negative number, reducing their total penalty score).

Scoring and Penalties

At the end of a round, players typically receive penalty points equal to the sum of the month numbers of the cards remaining in their hand.

• Failed Stop: If a player calls "Stop" but another player has a lower (or equal) hand sum, the caller receives an additional 30 or 50 penalty points.
• Ppong Victim: If a player discards a card that allows another player to go out by calling "Ppong," the discarder receives an additional 30 or 50 penalty points.
• Starting Player: The player with the most penalty points from the previous round becomes the starting player for the next round.

Winning the Game

The game consists of a predetermined number of rounds. The player with the lowest total penalty points at the end is the winner.