Domino has inertia – that is, it resists motion until a tiny nudge pushes it past its tipping point. Once it does, the entire line of dominoes can tumble.
A domino is a small oblong tile that bears identifying marks on one side and is blank or identically patterned on the other. The word “domino” earlier denoted a long hooded cloak worn together with a mask at masquerades.
Rules
There are many different domino games, each with its own rules. However, some of the basic rules apply to all of them. For example, players must match their tiles to those on the table by counting the number of pips on each open end of a piece. This pattern is called the line of play.
When a player has no more pieces to play, they pass. At the end of a hand or game, players score the difference between their own and their opponent’s points in unplaced pieces. This is the target score for each player.
Some players also add a marker to their train, making it public. This prevents other players from adding to the train until they have played on a matching tile. The winner of the previous hand starts the new one. If the game is blocked, the highest double starts the next hand. The rest of the tiles stay in the boneyard.
Variations
Domino is a mutant with the ability to subliminally and psionically initiate random telekinetic acts that affect probability in her favor. She can cause improbable events to happen, from making the right shot in a gun battle to triggering a power overload in a nuclear reactor. This has also made her a superb marksman with various firearms and a skilled athlete and swimmer.
In the Draw domino variant, players draw seven dominoes from a face-down boneyard and then take turns playing them. Each turn, a player must lay a domino with an exposed end on the board. Players score points if the total of all the exposed ends adds up to a multiple of five. The winner is the player with the lowest total value of their opponents point left in their hands, minus any points they have in their hand. This value is then rounded to the nearest 5 and divided by 5. A marker can be used in some games to identify a train that cannot be played upon.
Materials
Dominoes are made of rigid materials that can be molded or carved and painted to have a variety of designs. They are often colored white with black pips or vice versa, but they can also be made of other colors or even wood.
In the past, dominoes were carved from bone (typically ox bones) and a dark hardwood like ebony with contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted. These types of dominoes are still popular, but many sets are now available in more modern synthetic materials such as urethane or polymers like polypropylene.
Some dominoes are crafted from natural materials such as stone, marble, granite, soapstone or agate. These sets tend to be more expensive than ones made of polymers, but they also offer a more elegant look and feel to them. Some sets are even crafted from metals like brass or pewter, ceramic clay or glass. These kinds of dominoes tend to have a heavier weight to them than those made from polymers.
Scoring
Domino is a mutant who has used her powers to defend the oppressed. She has fought against human traffickers, mutant hunters, and the Punisher. She was also a member of the Six Pack, but left them after the group’s ill-fated mission in Rumekistan and later joined Cable’s black ops team X-Force.
Most domino games have a scoring system that determines the winning player once all rounds have been played. The number of rounds is predetermined or the game may be played until a point limit is reached. Scoring is generally based on the number of dots in a player’s hand and the remaining tiles on the boneyard.
A popular domino variant is called 42. This game is similar to the card game spades, with players attempting to win tricks. Each trick counts as one point, and each domino with a multiple of five counts as three points. In this variant the first player to make seven tricks wins the game.
