Domino is one of the most popular games in the world. Its markings, called pips, originally represented the results of throwing two six-sided dice.
A career mercenary, Domino worked with the mutant genius Milo Thurman as her bodyguard. She later joined a new incarnation of Weapon X and clashed with the time-travelling Cable.
Rules
Domino is a family of games that share similar rules, but vary from one variant to the next. Most of the variations play until a set number of points (such as 100, 150 or 200) is reached.
Each domino has two sides that contain a different pattern of dots, or pips, that identify it as a particular piece. One side of the domino is blank, while the other bears an arrangement of numbered spots that correspond to the numbers 1 through 6.
A common rule variation determines the score by counting the total number of pips left in the losing players’ hands at the end of a hand or game. This method can be modified by counting only one end of a double or adding a spinner to the count (i.e. 4-4 counts as only four points).
To determine who will open the game, a player may draw lots, or begin with the player holding the heaviest double. Play may continue in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction depending on the seating arrangement.
Variations
Domino effects are low-probability high-consequence events that can have devastating consequences. Their complexity makes them difficult to model and assess. They may involve a combination of escalation vectors that result in chain-reaction accidents. These events may also be caused by a primary accident that spreads through neighbouring units or plants.
Dominoes are usually rectangular and twice as long as they are wide. They are numbered on each end, and a domino with more pips is heavier than one with fewer. The pips on each domino are also called values.
There are many variations of the game, but most require players to string together dominoes into trains. In the All Fives variant, the open ends of the dominoes must add up to a multiple of five after each turn. Winners are calculated based on the number of dominoes remaining in each player’s hands. Some games allow players to mark their trains as public or private, blocking other players from adding to the train.
Materials
Dominoes can be made from a variety of rigid materials. In the past, dominoes were often molded from a soft polymer called Parkesine or Xylonite, but now they are most commonly made of wood. They are also available in plastic and in a number of other materials. Each domino is a flat, thumbsized rectangular block with a face that is either blank or carries from one to six dots or spots, known as pips. There are 28 pieces in a standard domino set.
In the Marvel universe, the albino mutant Neena is able to use her powers to manipulate the laws of probability in her favor. She is a weapons expert, an accomplished martial artist, and an excellent linguist. Her unique skills make her an invaluable asset for X-Force and the team’s missions. Her mercenary skills have earned her the nickname “Domino”. She has also been a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s clandestine Weapon X program.
Scoring
Domino has the ability to generate a psionic aura around herself that affects probability, giving her good luck while causing bad luck for those in her line of sight. This enables her to perform improbable feats such as having an enemy’s equipment malfunction or hitting the button that shuts down an overloading machine.
Some domino games count the number of open ends (tiles that are not played yet) to determine the player’s score. Others require the winning player to count the total number of pips on all opposing tiles in their hands.
Domino has appeared in the Marvel Universe, working as a bodyguard for the genius Milo Thurman and as an ally of the time-traveling mutant Cable (Nathan Summers). Following the assault on the Six Pack by the Prime Sentinels of Rumekistan and the implantation of a neural inhibitor by Ekatarina Gryaznova, she joined X-Force and was impersonated by Copycat. She later reclaimed her identity and defeated Gryaznova.
