This is a golden mahjong tile. Mahjong is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has since spread throughout the world. It is usually played by four players. The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout East and Southeast Asia and have also become popular in Western countries. The game has also been adapted into widespread online entertainment. Like the Western card game of rummy, Mahjong is a game of skill, strategy and luck. To distinguish it from mahjong solitaire, it is sometimes called mahjong rummy. The game is played with a set of 144 tiles based on Chinese characters and symbols, although many regional variations may omit some tiles or add unique ones. In most variants, each player starts by being dealt 13 tiles. Players take turns drawing and discarding tiles until they complete a legal hand, using the 14th tile drawn to form four sets and a pair. A player can also win with a small class of special hands. Although many variants of mahjong exist, most variants have some basic rules in common, including how a piece is drawn and discarded, how a piece is taken from another player, the use of suits (numbered tiles) and honors (winds and dragons), allowed basic types alliances, how to deal the tiles and the order of play. Beyond these basic general rules, there are numerous regional variations that can have vastly different criteria for legal combos and winning hands, radically different scoring systems, and even crafting additional rules. A group of players can introduce their own house rules, which can significantly change the feel of the game.