There’s something magical about domino: One piece tips over, and all the others tumble down in a cascade of rhythmic motion. In fact, the term “domino effect” is used to describe any action that triggers a chain reaction of subsequent events. For example, if a woman gets pulled over for speeding while driving to her day job, she might be late for work, and all the other traffic around her might get behind her as well. These small actions, often unnoticed or taken for granted, have a big impact on people’s lives.

The word “domino” is also used to describe large-scale social systems or processes. For example, if a politician loses a primary race, it might lead to other politicians dropping out of the election, which in turn leads to more losing candidates, and so on. The process can be seen in real-life events, such as a school shooting that leads to other gun-related incidents, or the financial crisis of 2008 that led to a domino effect on the global economy.

Domino is also a game, typically played with a set of 28 rectangular tiles marked with 0-6 pips in each half. There are many different games that can be played with dominoes, but the most popular ones fall into two categories: blocking games and scoring games. Most blocking games involve attempting to empty one’s hand of all the dominoes of a certain value. In scoring games, the goal is to make a certain number of points (usually counting the pips in the losers’ hands).

Block games are typically played between two players and require a double-six set from which each player draws seven tiles. The players then alternately extend the line of play by adding a tile to one of its free ends. Once a player plays his or her last domino, the game ends. Scores are made by counting the pips of the dominoes left in the losing players’ hands at the end of a hand or the entire game.

Traditionally, domino sets have been made from natural materials such as bone or silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony with contrasting black or white pips. More recently, sets have been made from polymer materials such as acrylic or plastic. However, many players prefer the look and feel of traditional wooden sets.

When it comes to writing, a domino image can be useful for visualizing what happens when you write by the seat of your pants (or, more accurately, without making a detailed outline). If you don’t use a tool like Scrivener to help you plot ahead of time, you might end up with scenes that don’t fit together or lack tension. These scenes could be compared to pieces that don’t fit the domino image and might need to be removed from the final product. On the other hand, if you’re a writer who takes advantage of the Domino effect, you might create a scene that dramatically increases the tension and excitement of your story.