Day: October 30, 2023
The Basics of Dominoes
Dominoes are small rectangular blocks of wood or plastic, usually with a surface printed with dots, or “pips,” resembling those on dice. They can be arranged in straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls or 3D structures like towers and pyramids. They may also be used to make artistic designs, such as a track for cars or trains that go around a circle, or to create a domino sculpture. In the game of domino, a player must use his tiles to build a line of play that will eventually lead to his “knocking” or rapping the table and ending the turn. In the process of building a domino line, players must be careful not to knock or rap over already-placed tiles that would disrupt the order in which they will fall. There are many different kinds of domino games, although they all have certain basic rules that apply to them all. Some of these rules, such as determining who will make the first play, are explained in this article. Other rules are specific to a particular game, such as when and how the players draw new hands (See Order of Play below). The word domino is used in both English and French, with the latter meaning an earlier sense of hooded robe worn together with a mask at a carnival or masquerade. It’s possible that this early sense of the word may have inspired the design of the domino piece, which at one time was made with ebony blacks and ivory faces. Dominoes can be played in a variety of ways, and they are most often used for positional games. In positional games, each player in turn places a domino edge to edge against another domino that is either identical, or forms some specified total, such as a specific number or a certain kind of pattern. In some games, the player who plays out of turn is required to recall his tile and make a proper play in his next turn. In others, it is the responsibility of the other players to ensure that a misplay is discovered and corrected before the player making the mistake is able to play again. Whether you write your novel off the cuff or with a detailed outline, you must think of each scene as a domino that will naturally influence the scene that follows it. If your hero does something that runs counter to societal norms, you will have to provide the logic that allows your readers to give it a pass or at least keep liking him as a hero. To do this, you need to develop a “domino effect” for each scene.
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