Domino is a mutant who has the ability to disrupt technology. She is the result of a top-secret government breeding program that went awry. She used her powers to defeat the Prime Sentinels and became an ally of Cable.
Most domino games count the number of pips in losing players’ hands (a double-blank counts as either one or two). Scores may also be determined by counting the edges of a tile.
Origin
The origins of dominoes are unclear. One theory is that they were invented in China, and brought to Europe by traders. Another is that they were created independently in Europe and Asia.
Tobacco companies were among the first to advertise by buying space on the back of a set of dominoes and giving them away to pubs and inns. After tin plating, dominoes were made with a new plastic called bakelite, which was also used to make chess pieces and dice.
The mutant Domino, portrayed by Gwendoline Yeo in Wolverine and the X-Men, is a career mercenary. She joined the Wild Pack (later renamed the Six Pack) led by Cable and later fought alongside him against the mutant-devouring Skornn entity. She also disabled a combat droid codenamed Jericho on an assignment in El Salvador using her technology-disrupting powers.
Rules
Dominoes are squares of wood or cardboard marked with a pattern of spots, like those on dice. Each end of a domino has an identity-bearing mark, called a pip, which may range from zero to six. Some of the ends are blank or identically patterned on both sides.
Each player must make a play on his turn, as instructed by the rules of the specific game. The player who makes the first play is often referred to as the setter, downer, or lead.
Most games of domino use a method of scoring that calculates the total number of opposing players’ pips remaining in their hands at the end of a hand or a game. This score is rounded to the nearest five. The score can be made up of singles, doubles, or blocks.
Variations
Like playing cards, dominoes are marked with a distinctive arrangement of spots on each end. These are called pips and range in value from one to six. The dominoes also have a blank or identically patterned side that is not used in the game.
Players take turns placing tiles to build a line of dominoes that extends from the center. They must match the value of the open end of their tile to the dominoes on either side of it. This creates a “train,” and players attempt to be the first to complete their train.
Some games, such as Mexican train, allow doubles to form pairs if their pips sum to 12. Other variants, such as Chicken Foot, Bergen, and Matador, use a single double as a spinner, allowing new tiles to play on all sides of it.
Materials
Dominoes (also called bones, men, cards or pieces) are normally twice as long as they are wide and have a line down the middle to divide them visually into two squares, with one side bearing an arrangement of dots called pips. The other side is either blank or identically patterned. The value of each domino is the number of pips on its side.
Historically, European-style domino sets have been made from silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or a dark hardwood such as ebony with contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted. Some modern sets are made from metals, ceramic clay or even frosted glass.
In the late 19th century craftsmen switched to making cheap dominoes from tinplate, which could be stamped or embossed. The next manmade plastic material to be invented was Parkesine or celluloid (now known as Xylonite) and it was used for dominoes until it was found to be highly flammable.
Scoring
The scoring system for domino varies according to the type of game played. Most games are blocking games, where the object is to empty one’s hand while blocking opponents’ play. Other games, such as bergen and muggins, require complex strategy and involve counting the number of pips in losing players’ hands.
In some games, a player begins by drawing lots or holding the heaviest double or single. Alternatively, the winner of the last game may open the next.
Dominoes are a popular team-building exercise because they help foster collaboration and communication. Team members must work together to overcome task dependencies and avoid a domino effect, where the actions of one member can impact other members. This can result in project delays, misunderstandings, and morale issues.
