A domino is a flat thumbsized rectangular block, each face divided visually into two parts, each either blank or bearing from one to six dots (called pips): 28 such pieces form a complete set. Dominoes are used for playing a variety of games, involving matching the ends of pieces and laying them down in lines and angular patterns. A single domino can be used for multiple purposes: as a building block for larger structures or to create intricate designs that test the skill and patience of players.
Dominoes are cousins to cards and are among the oldest tools for game play. The markings on the ends of a domino, called pips, originally represented the results of throwing two six-sided dice. The markings vary from set to set, but the basic marking is always the same, a single line that divides the domino visually into two squares. The number of pips on each end, called the value of that end, determines what the piece can do in a game.
The most common type of domino is the double-six. There are several variants of this, including double-nine, double-12, and double-18. The basic double-six domino has 28 tiles, and each player draws seven of these tiles from a stock or boneyard at the beginning of each turn. Players then build a set by placing their tiles edge to edge in such a way that the value of each piece adds up to some specified total.
There are also a number of non-standard, special dominoes that are not included in standard sets. These can be found in some specialty stores, and may include items such as dominoes shaped like animals or people, as well as asymmetrical shapes such as triangles. Many of these dominoes are used for more creative or artistic purposes, such as constructing mosaics or building structures.
The term domino is also used to refer to a series of events or actions, especially in the context of politics and business:
In a political context, it is often said that a country’s rise or fall can have “domino effects” in other countries—that is, that the fall of one country will cause other nations to fall, as if the tumbling blocks were arranged on top of each other in a long line. The phrase was popularized in the 1977 Frost/Nixon interviews when Richard Nixon defended his administration’s destabilization of the Salvador Allende regime in Chile on domino theory grounds.
In writing, the concept of the domino effect suggests that scenes in a story should be carefully crafted so they have a natural impact on what comes before and after them. Whether you’re a panster who composes a manuscript off the cuff or use a program such as Scrivener to help you plot, understanding how to construct scene dominoes can help you write an effective novel. Get your scene dominoes in a row, and you’ll have an engaging story that builds and builds to its big climax.