When we hear the phrase “domino effect,” it generally refers to a chain reaction in which one event leads to many other events that have much larger consequences. Dominoes are a classic example of this concept. They are small, flat blocks that can be stacked on end to create long lines. When spaced properly, the first domino in a line can be tipped over by something else and cause the rest of the line to fall over as well. This is why you can make very complex designs with dominoes and a little imagination.
When it comes to writing novels, the idea of dominoes can be very helpful in illustrating scenes in a story. Each scene domino is ineffective by itself, but if you place the right ones together they can lead to dramatic and powerful results.
A domino is a small rectangular tile that has been made of wood, bone or plastic and is marked with an arrangement of dots or pips on one face and blank or identically patterned on the other face. The number of pips on each side of the domino is its rank or weight. The value of a domino is determined by the total number of pips on its exposed ends, called the “score” or “value.”
Most domino games involve a player trying to empty his or her hand while blocking opponents’ play. Some are scoring games, such as bergen or muggins, in which the player earns points by counting the number of pips remaining in his or her opponents’ hands.
Normally, a domino has ten pips on two of its ends, with six pips on the other and one pips on the middle. Larger sets of dominoes are available, however, with more pips on each end. These progressively larger sets of dominoes allow for more possible combinations of ends, and therefore more games to be played.
Dominoes are most often played by two players. Each player in turn lays down a domino, according to the rules of the game being played. When a player has a domino that can be played, he or she must play it before the opponent. The game continues until all the dominoes are played or a player has no more playable dominoes left. In the latter case, that player wins. Many domino games are also played by teams of two or more people. When playing in teams, the rules of the game are a bit different. For example, each team plays in turn, but the first player to play a domino must also be the last one to place that domino. In addition, the team scores based on the total score of all the players on that team. This makes for a fun and challenging game for a group of friends or family members. Some games even feature computer-based scoring systems, which help keep track of the game’s progress. These systems are particularly useful in team-based domino competitions such as muggins and bergen.