Domino is a game of skill and chance. The domino is a flat, thumb-sized rectangular block with either a blank face or one bearing from one to six pips (or dots): 28 such pieces form a complete set of dominoes. In a domino game, players draw a hand of tiles from the stock. The player with the highest number of pips takes his seat at the table and chooses whether to play first or pass. After a player has drawn his hand, the remaining tiles are returned to the stock and reshuffled before the next player draws. In some games, the entire stock is reshuffled between turns, to ensure that each player has an equal amount of dominoes to play with.
A single domino may be used in various ways to score points depending on the rules of the particular game being played. For example, some games require a double, and sometimes a spinner, to be played as the lead tile, and then all other tiles are added in a line of play with that domino. Other scoring methods include determining the number of points scored when all ends are covered and counting the total number of pips at each end of the line of play as the game progresses.
Despite their small size, dominoes can create incredible art and structures that amaze viewers. Domino art can be as simple or elaborate as the artist wants. Straight lines, curved lines, grids that make pictures when they fall, stacked walls—the possibilities are endless. Some artists even set up a track for dominoes to fall on in order to create an impressive display of physics at work.
The word domino is derived from the Latin verb dominus, meaning “lord” or “master.” It is also thought that the word came from the French term for a long hooded cloak worn with a mask at masquerades, and in fact, the earlier sense of the word in English referred to the garment as well.
Another meaning of the word, which reflects its history as a game and then a piece of architecture, is the idea of an effect or chain reaction. This is often seen in a domino show, where domino builders try to set up complex, imaginative, and breathtaking effects using hundreds or even thousands of dominoes—all eventually brought down with the nudge of only one.
When it comes to writing, the domino image can be helpful in describing the impact that each scene should have on the story as a whole. For example, if a scene is at the wrong point in time or doesn’t raise tension enough, it may not do its job. If you’re a pantser—that is, you don’t plot your book ahead of time, but write scenes as they come to you—this can be a problem.
In addition to the traditional polymer dominoes, sets of dominoes have been made from a variety of natural materials including bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell, mother-of-pearl, ivory and ebony, with contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted. More recently, sets of dominoes have been constructed from stones (such as marble and granite); other types of wood such as hickory or ash; metals like brass and pewter; and ceramic clay.