Domino is a word used to describe the way an event affects subsequent events, such as the fall of a domino that causes other pieces to tumble down. It’s a great metaphor for how small actions can have a big impact on the world around you. The domino effect is also a key concept for writers trying to build an engaging plot in their fiction. Whether you compose your manuscript off the cuff or spend time composing your story with a careful outline, you’ll want to consider how dominoes play out as part of your plot. Keeping this in mind as you create your story will help you answer one important question: What happens next?
A Domino is a small rectangular wood or plastic block with one or more faces blank or marked by dots resembling those on dice. It is used to play a number of different games that involve the totaling and matching of the numbers on each end of a domino. The most popular domino game is a variation of Twenty-one, but many others exist that have the same basic rules but differ in other ways.
The most basic form of a domino game involves players taking turns placing their tiles on the table in a line with each other. This configuration of dominoes is called a layout, string or line of play. Often, the open ends of the dominoes must match, but this is not always a requirement. Once a player has played a domino, it may not be replaced unless the next player matches its pips with those on the open ends of other tiles in the line of play.
When there is a line of play that cannot continue, a player can call “knock” or rap the table to stop play and pass to the next person in turn. Often, players will make notes about which dominoes are still available so they can take them in future turns. Normally, the winning partner is determined by counting the total of all the spots on the losers’ remaining dominoes (although there are a few scoring games such as bergen and muggins that use a different method).
Domino rules vary from one game to the next, but most involve players blocking their opponents’ play or using their own hand to set up combinations for their partners to match. In some games, players can only play their dominoes if they have a domino of the same type and number as the existing ones in the line of play. Other games, such as monopoly, allow for multiple players to play the same piece by transferring it from one hand to another.
The basic rules for most games require that the heaviest double be laid first, followed by other dominoes in the order of their heaviness. This rule is not always followed, however, as some players prefer to lay down their dominoes so that they can match the heaviest tile with other dominoes on either side of it, rather than in the order of their heaviness.