Domino is a game of strategic planning. It’s all about how the dominoes are arranged and how much momentum is needed to push them past their tipping point.
During a mission in El Salvador, Domino disabled a combat droid that was being neurologically controlled by rogue CIA agent Ekaterina Gryaznova. In revenge, Gryaznova implanted Domino with a neural blocker that interferes with her synaptic relays.
Origin
Domino was the product of a top-secret government breeding program that sought to create the perfect weapon. However, the program failed when her mutant ability of ‘good luck’ activated. She escaped the project and became a career mercenary. She later joined the Wild Pack, also known as Six Pack and became an ally of the time-traveling mutant Cable.
During her tenure in Six Pack, she assassinated Flagsmasher in Rumekistan and led the team in an assault on Providence. After that, she teamed up with Deadpool to track down Copycat (whom she resented for impersonating her). She then rejoined Cable and the Hong Kong branch of X-Corporation, where she hindered John Sublime’s mutant organ harvesting movement. Her ‘luck’ ability is triggered by stress and is not consciously controlled.
Rules
Before play begins all dominoes are shuffled and mixed then players draw an equal number of dominoes for their game from this pool of shuffled and unseen dominoes. Any odd dominoes that are left unseen become the boneyard from which they can be drawn later in the game.
Players take turns placing dominoes in a line joining them to matching ends. Doubles can be played across the line but cannot be joined at their ends.
When a player has all of his or her dominoes in front of him he wins that round. If no one can go the round ends and players count the value of the dominoes remaining in their opponents hands. The winner is determined by the lowest total of pips.
Materials
Dominoes are made from rigid material and may be made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or dark hardwoods such as ebony. In many games, dominoes are placed in a line to form structures or a pattern of play. These lines are called the “line of play.”
Most domino sets use a standard double-six size. Larger sets are available for more complicated games and can be used by two or more players.
Most domino players hold the tiles in one hand stacked side by side or on end. Some players use a tile rack to hold the pieces and keep them organized. Using the right equipment can make all the difference when it comes to having fun playing dominoes.
Variations
There are many different ways to play domino, and each game has its own set of rules. Some are more complicated than others, while some use a unique scoring system. There are even a few games that use dice.
A domino has a line running across it that visually divides the tile into two squares, one with a pattern of dots, or “pips,” and one blank or identically patterned. The number of pips determines the value of the domino, which is called its rank or weight.
A domino has several types of ranks, including singles, doubles, and aces. A single domino belongs to only one suit, while a double can belong to two suits. The aces and doubles can be added or subtracted from the total for scoring purposes.
Scoring
Domino has a psionic aura that alters probabilities, giving her luck in dangerous situations. This ability can vary from making an enemy’s equipment malfunction to hitting just the right button to shut down an overloading machine. It is unconsciously controlled, but she can activate it by placing herself in a situation where she could be harmed.
In most domino games players take turns joining one domino to another on the ends of a line. The number of pips on each domino is important to note. If a player cannot play a tile they knock and pass the turn to their opponent.
The game continues until someone has played all their tiles. At that point the winner adds up the total number of pips in their opponents’ hands to determine their score.