Domino is a mutant who became part of the mercenary team Six Pack. She later rejoined X-Force after Pete Wisdom turned it into a proactive black ops unit.
In most domino games, the number of sides on a double determines its count. The first tile played may be a spinner or, more commonly, one of the two ends will be considered an end.
Origin
The game of domino arrived in Europe in the 18th century via French prisoners of war. From there, the rules and tiles underwent a variety of changes as each country developed its own version. The name “domino” may have derived from the black and white hooded capes worn by French priests.
Domino’s power manifests only when she is actively engaged in action. It allows her to influence the laws of probability and shift odds in her favor. She is also a weapons expert; she can fire projectiles from her staff and is an excellent swimmer, hand-to-hand combatant and martial artist.
During her time as the bodyguard of mutant genius Milo Thurman, Domino disabled a prototype combat droid that had been neurologically controlled by rogue CIA agent Ekatarina Gryaznova. After the droid’s feedback left it comatose, Domino went back to her mercenary work. She joined the Six Pack, a team led by fellow mutant Cable (Nathan Summers).
Rules
The tiles are shuffled before each game and thoroughly mixed by touching the sides of the tiles with one’s hands. The player making the first play shuffles again before the next game begins. The players may take turns shuffling or the same player may shuffle before every game.
Dominoes have a pattern of spots, called pips, on one side and are blank or identically patterned on the other. Depending on the rules of the game, dominoes are either doubles or singles. A double with two matching ends is considered a spinner.
In some games, part of the score is determined by counting the number of pips left in the losing player’s hand at the end of a hand or a game and adding this to their total score. The scoring method may also depend on whether a player can buy tiles from the stock, which is known as byeing or passing.
Variations
Many domino games have a wide variety of variations. They may have different rules and names, but they all share a common basic structure. For example, they all involve dominoes that are arranged in a line, and each one has two ends with different values (also known as spots or pips).
The value of a domino is usually indicated by the number of dots on its exposed halves, from six pips down to none or blank. A domino that has six pips on both sides is called a spinner, while one with five pips on one side and four on the other is called a double.
Some of the most popular domino variations are Matador, Bendomino, and Chicken Foot. These games use a different set of rules for matching, and they allow players to start their own personal trains and make fewer passes.
Materials
In addition to the conventional polymer materials used in modern domino sets, sets have been made of natural materials including stone (e.g., marble, granite or soapstone); other woods such as apricot, cherry, oak or redwood; various metals; and even frosted glass or crystal. Traditional European-style dominoes are usually made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or a dark hardwood such as ebony, with contrasting black or white inlaid or painted pips. They are normally twice as long as they are wide, to facilitate stacking and re-stacking of the pieces. A domino has an identity-bearing face and a blank or identically patterned face, called ends.
Scoring
Dominoes are usually twice as long as they are wide and feature a line in the middle that divides them visually into two squares, called ends. Each end has a value, from six to blank or none. The value of each domino may also be referred to as its rank or weight.
Dominoes can be used to play a variety of games, including blocking and scoring games. In blocking games, players score points when a domino’s end is divisible by five or three.
In scoring games, the winner counts the number of pips plus Spinners on all unplayed tiles left in their opponent’s hands at the end of a hand or game. They then gives this total to the scorekeeper. This system is also used in some card games.
