Using BoardGames Dominoes
How To Start a New Dominoes Game
When starting a new dominoes game you will see the dominoes options:
- Double-nine or Double-six set of dominoes?
There are 55 dominoes in the double-nine set and 28 dominoes in the double-six set.
Larger groups or those wanting to play longer dominoes games should choose the double-nine set.
- What dominoe back to use?
The image you see is the one that will be used on the back of the dominoes. Click it to locate a BMP
file to be used on the back of the dominoes. If you use a custom .BMP for your dominoe back, you can
always get back to the default dominoe back by clicking USE DEFAULT under the dominoe image. If people who
are connected to you also have the same custom .BMP file in their BoardGames directory, they too will
see the DominoeBack image you choose.
TIP: You must use a 38 pixel wide by 78 pixel tall .BMP image or something unexpected might happen !
'NOTHER TIP: Swap .BMP images of dominoe backs with your friends so everybody will be in sync !
Customizing the Dominoes
After the dominoes have been created you can change them by selecting DOMINOES ¦ CHANGE DOMINOES from the menu.
You will see the same options available when creating a brand new dominoes game. If you make a selection
requiring a different amount of dominoes than are currently on the table, (i.e. change from double-9 to double-6 or vice versa), the current dominoes must be deleted first.
However, you can change the image on the back of the dominoes without deleting the existing ones.
All of the Dominoe Commands
The following commands are available once the dominoes have been created. These commands are all accessed
through the DOMINOES menu or by Right-Clicking a dominoe. Note that each command has a keyboard shortcut. Once
you learn the keyboard shortcuts, you will increase your speed of play considerably !
TIP: Use care when performing an action that affects all of the dominoes, if a game is in progress
all of the dominoes on the table will get scrambled.
- Shuffle (U keyboard shortcut)
All of the dominoes on the table are randomly moved about.
The FlipOver, Rotate, and Fan Dominoe commands work in a special way:
If there are any dominoes selected, these commands only operate on the selected dominoes. If no dominoes are
selected, these commands operate on all of the dominoes. Remember, you can easily affect all the dominoes on
the table if none are selected, so take care before using these commands if a game is in progress.
- Flip Over (O keyboard shortcut)
If there are selected dominoes, they are flipped over.
If there are no selected dominoes, all dominoes on the table are flipped over.
- Rotate (R keyboard shortcut)
If there are selected dominoes, they are turned sideways.
If there are no selected dominoes, all dominoes on the table are turned sideways.
There are 4 distinct rotation states for dominoes, allowing them to be played in all different orientations.
Tip You can rotate and flip over a dominoe while moving it by using the keyboard shortcuts (R and O) for the ROTATE and FLIP OVER commands.
- Fan (F keyboard shortcut)
If there are selected dominoes, they are fanned.
If there are no selected dominoes, all dominoes on the table are fanned.
The Place In Hand dominoe command will only work if there are selected dominoes:
- Place In Hand (H keyboard shortcut)
The selected dominoes are placed in a separate HandWindow.
Dominoes in your hand can only be seen by you and not other players. Dominoes in others' hands will be placed in their own window and you
will not be able to look at them. Use Place In Hand to "peek" at dominoes on the table.
There are some other dominoe commands which are accessible only to dominoes in a player's Hand.:
- HAND ¦ FOLD (CTRL-X keyboard shortcut)
All of the dominoes in the player's Hand are placed faceDown on the table.
- PLACE ON TABLE (Up and Down Arrow keyboard shortcuts)
Note that this command is not available if no dominoes in the Hand are selected! If there are selected
dominoes, they are placed on the table, either faceUp or faceDown.
Playing a Dominoes Game
Create a new set of dominoes, choosing double-9 or double-6, and a custom image for the back of the dominoes if you wish.
Shuffle the dominoes using the DOMINOES ¦ SHUFFLE menu command. All players should choose a dominoe. The person with the highest total number of spots gets to go first.
If playing with double-nine dominoes, each player should draw seven dominoes and place them in their hand by selecting them and choosing DOMINOES ¦ PLACE IN HAND from the menu.
If playing with double-six dominoes, each player should place five dominoes in their hand.
Dominoes Basics
Each domino is divided into two ends, each containing a set of dots. The player who draws the highest double domino places it in the center of the table to begin.
If no double is drawn, all dominoes are returned to the table and shuffled and redrawn.
The second player tries to match one of their dominoes to one end of the double. For example, if the first domino played is a double seven, the second player may add any domino with a seven on one end.
The next player may play to the double seven or they may try to match the end of the second domino played. Blanks are matched to blanks. Only one domino may be played per turn. Dominoes are placed lengthwise
end to end, except in the case of a double, which is placed sideways. A double forms a branch and either end can be played upon.
If a player cannot match any open end of a row, they must draw from the pile until they are able to play. Should the last domino be drawn with no play possible, the player passes and tries again next turn. A player must play a domino if
they are able. Doubles are always placed at right angles, thereby giving two new directions for continued play.
Winning
Play proceeds until one player has used all their dominoes or until no one can play. The player with no dominoes or with the least number of dots on their remaining dominoes wins the round.
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