Domino is a type of board game in which players compete to place tiles (called dominoes or bones) across a line from end to end in such a way that all the adjacent faces match either the same value, or form some specified total. Most dominoes are printed with dots that indicate their value, but some sets also use Arabic numerals or a combination of letters and numbers. Each tile may have anywhere from six to no dots. Each domino is normally twice as long as it is wide, and a typical domino set is composed of 28 tiles.
The most common game uses a double-six set and is played by two people. The remaining tiles are shuffled face down to form a stock, or boneyard, and each player draws seven tiles in turn. The player who plays the first domino must then place it on the edge of the stock, and continue playing tiles until he or she cannot any longer. Each player then scores the number of his or her tiles equal to the sum of all the other players’ scores.
A person who specializes in creating elaborate domino arrangements is called a “domino artist.” Hevesh, a YouTube celebrity with over 2 million subscribers, creates domino setups that take hours to build and can take several nail-biting minutes to fall. Hevesh has worked on projects for movie premieres, television shows and events, including an album launch for Katy Perry.
The earliest dominoes were printed on wood, but since the 19th century domino sets have been made of many other materials. For example, European-style dominoes are traditionally made of silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or a dark hardwood such as ebony, and often feature contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted on the ends. Most modern plastic dominoes are designed to look more like traditional wooden sets, and some even have a woodgrain texture.
In the comics, Domino is a member of the mutant super-team X-Force, and has fought for them against human adversaries, as well as other mutants. She has also battled for the future of humanity, and was snatched out of time by Halloween Jack, who tried to warn her that her teammates were about to die in the events of Operation: Zero Tolerance.
Whether you compose your manuscript off the cuff or carefully plan your plot, it all comes down to one question: What happens next? Using the Domino Effect in your fiction will help you answer this question in a compelling way. Whether your characters need to react to a climactic event or they need to solve a complex problem, a Domino Effect can help them reach their goal. It’s an easy, fun and effective tool for any writer to add to their arsenal.