Dominoes are a type of tile with identifying marks on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. They come in various materials, including bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory and a dark hardwood like ebony.
After the tiles are shuffled, each player draws seven dominoes from the stock. The player with the highest double makes the first play. The players then place dominoes in the line of play, joining them to matching ends.
Origin
Domino is a mutant who can manipulate the laws of probability to shift odds in her favor. Her skills have made her a valued ally of Cable, and she has also worked with other heroes like the Six Pack and X-Force.
The word domino is derived from the Latin dominus, meaning “master of the house”. It is also suggested that it may have a connection to hooded coats with black and white lining worn by French priests.
The first appearance of the character Domino in Marvel Comics was actually by an imposter named Copycat, who continued to assume her role when she joined Cable’s team after they broke from the New Mutants. The real Domino made her main debut in X-Force #11 (March 1992). She is the sole survivor of a top secret government breeding program, Project Armageddon, intended to genetically engineer fighting soldiers.
Rules
The rules of domino are similar to those of a deck of cards, but they differ in some ways. Players can choose to seat themselves by lot or to play in a clockwise rotation. The first player to make a move begins the game, and the winner of each round takes their turn to the left.
When it is your turn, place a pawn on one of the dominoes facing up on the table. Then, flip one domino over so that its number matches a covered domino on the edge of the board.
If you cannot match the available numbers, reveal two of your hidden dominoes and draw more until you can. When a player can’t go, the round ends and the players count the value of the remaining dominoes in their opponents’ hands.
Materials
There are several accessories that can make playing domino more enjoyable. For example, a domino rack can help players organize their tiles and keep them from falling over. A score pad and pencil can also be useful for keeping track of points during a game.
Dominoes are made from a variety of materials, ranging from simple plastic to expensive wood sets. Some dominoes are even molded from solid frosted glass.
Traditional European-style dominoes are usually a light color (such as bone or silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell, often called mother of pearl, or ivory) with contrasting dark colors such as ebony or inlaid black pips. Modern mass-produced dominoes are typically molded from a type of hard plastic. They are available in a wide range of colors and in different shapes.
Variations
Many different variations of domino exist. These include games with different rules for pairing tiles, extending chains, and scoring. In some variants, pairs can be made of any two dominoes whose pips sum to 12. This creates a game called Concentration, popular in British pubs and social clubs. In other variants, the winner of a hand starts the next one.
The Block game is the most basic form of domino, and most characteristic domino games are elaborations of it. The game ends when a player plays their last tile, or if a line of play is blocked by an opponent’s play. The winning player scores the total of all remaining dominoes in their hand.
Some games have branching doubles, where the first played tile becomes a spinner that can be played from both sides. This creates a longer chain and makes it harder to block the line of play.
Scoring
A domino is a tile with dots, called pips, on both sides. The number of pips determines its rank and value. The higher the number of pips, the more valuable the domino.
The rules for scoring depend on the game being played. In blocking games, the score is determined by counting the pips in an opponent’s remaining tiles. In scoring games, the player who makes the highest count wins.
A popular game is Mexican train, which involves adding tiles to an opponent’s train. Players may also make a domino “train” of their own, though there is usually a limit on the number of tiles that can be added. In some games, a player is given the choice of seat. The winner of the last game played starts the next.