The game of domino is a family of tile-based games. The dominoes are rectangular tiles with square ends, each marked with a number of spots. A player’s objective is to collect as many of these pieces as possible. The game can be played with any number of players and is highly addictive.
Rules
The rules of domino are quite simple and follow basic principles. The player who has the highest number of tiles wins. The tiles may be single, double, or triple. The player who finds a tile before the opposite player plays it may take it back and replay it. Otherwise, the player who misplayed a tile scores the difference between the two tiles. The game ends when the player with the highest number of tiles reaches 120 points.
Materials
There are several materials used to make dominoes, but the most common is wood. Other materials used include plastic and aluminum. Some dominoes are made of paper cardstock. These are usually white with black dots, but some are made of a dark colored material. Other styles feature pictures or numbers instead of dots.
Scoring
Scoring domino is a strategy game that focuses on matching tiles to form rows. It is similar to blocking dominoes, but has different rules. Players must match up all the tiles in a row to create a row of tiles that are worth the same amount of points. There are many different scoring variations for this game.
Variations
There are many variations of domino, each with its own unique rules. In most cases, the object of the game is to accumulate an empty hand with all of the tiles in it. Depending on the variant, doubles may be placed anywhere along the line of play, or may be forced on a player’s hand. The player with the highest total score wins the game.
Origins
The origins of domino are murky but the game’s popularity soon spread throughout the world. It was brought to France by Italian missionaries around the early eighteenth century and later spread to the rest of Europe, North America, and China. Today, it is played in more than 100 countries around the world.
Games of a different character
There are many games of domino with a different character, including solitaire and trick-taking variations. The Concentration variation, for instance, is played with a double-six set. The game is won when two tiles match each other to a total pip count of twelve.