Talk:Dominoes

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This link contains lots of rules for domino games. Its content is not free, so we can't use it here directly, but I hope enthusiasts of one or more games will create articles about those games here, and this link should remain here as a good resource. --LDC

Contents

[edit] Stacy Dominoes?

I removed this passage from the end of the article:

"Another less common variation of dominos is known as Stacy Dominos in which the rules are less concrete and alter according to the whims of the creator of the game. At the time of the publication of this definition, there is actually only one person who knows how to play this game."

Regardless of the spelling errors, there are problems with this. If this is true, and it sounds too far-fetched to be true, it is not widespread enough to be included in an encyclopedic article. Also, the entry is unreferenced. A Google search of "Stacy Dominoes" yields zero hits. All of this leads me to believe the entry needed to be removed. Jamesfett 15:08, 19 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Scoring

"Muggins (or, All Fives or Five Up)
Points are earned when a player plays a bone with the result that the count (the sum of all open ends) is a multiple of five. The points earned are equal to the sum of the ends. Therefore, if in the course of play a player plays a bone that makes the sum of the ends 5, 10, 15 or 20, the player scores that number. All pips on a crosswise doublet are included in the count."
Is this right, wrong, or poorly phrased? The way I learned to play, a player gets points for the multiple of 5, not the number of spots. E.g. if your sum is 15, you get 3 points. And the spots on a double count as long as it's on an end, but not after another dom has been played on it.
—wwoods 23
17, 30 Aug 2004 (UTC)

In English pubs it's common for players to place their dominoes in two rows so they may be picked up with one hand, leaving the other hand free to drink a pint.

[edit] Alabama

Why Dominoes may not be played on Sunday in Alabama? --84.61.54.65 16:21, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Reorganization needed

No offense guys, but this article needs help. Overlooking the monstrous intro paragraph for a moment, I was reading the Common domino games section, trying to learn the game, and was assaulted by these opening sentences:

Most domino games are block games or draw games. In draw games, players draw from the boneyard when they have no matching bone. In block games, players pass and forfeit the turn when they have no matching bone. Otherwise, there is no difference.

Are these really the first four things we want to say about common domino games? As someone who hasn't played dominoes before, this contains very little information. What is a boneyard? What does it mean to "draw" from the boneyard? What is a "bone", and what is a "matching bone"? I realize some of these terms may be defined earlier in the article, but that's not sufficient. A Wikipedia article is not like a software program: you can't just define a bunch of jargon at the top of the article and use it later on without expecting readers to become confused.

To me, the most basic thing about dominoes is that the objective is to play all of one's dominoes before the other player does. Thankfully, this appears in the first paragraph, but for some reason it's hidden at the end. The next most basic thing about dominoes is that a domino is played by matching half of one domino to half of another one. I haven't scanned the article to see if this appears somewhere in it; frankly, I shouldn't have to. I think it should be one of the very first things we say in Common domino games. Instead, the current first sentence digresses to "train games" and "Mexican dominoes" before even describing the basic gameplay.

I don't know enough about dominoes to rewrite large parts of this article, but I'm willing to help with the effort if any of the domino experts in the crowd can pitch in. The first suggestion I'd make is to have a "basic gameplay" section followed by a section on variations. Any takers? --P3d0 15:50, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Come on, somebody. Apparently it's been a year and there is still no 'basic gameplay' section. I came here today to learn how to play but just wasted my time... --Dec 2007 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.113.122.206 (talk) 16:35, 28 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Mexican train

Does anyone know what the difference between Mexican train and Private train to me they sound the same.--Psjoding 20:48, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Etymology

Isn't the etymology derived from Polyominoes? 81.208.165.173

No. It's the other way around. The resemblence between "do-" and the greek prefix "di-" is coincidental, and suggested the coinage of the much newer word "polyomino." -Stellmach 15:42, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Who are you?

Who set the 4M-fall record in '06? Pete Townsend 18:25, 24 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] African American Culture

I am curious as to exactly how the game became such a big part of African American culture. Perhaps this page needs a section on cultural influence/popularity. I know this game is very popular among Italians as well (at least in New York). Scott Free 17:47, 21 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Section for domino Solitaire games

On the Puremco site which is linked at the top of this page there is a domino solitaire game called traffice. The rules are not clear, like many of the rules on that game. Does anyone know this game? How do you play?

[edit] Domino Wars

Evidently invented in 2008-03, this was posted on this page on 2008-03-25. It is 2008-03-30 as I delete it from the page, while preserving the text here on the Talk page, should this "little-known game" have merit.

  • Domino Wars is a little known game invented in March 2008 by Joel Stephenson and co in Coventry, UK. Whilst experimenting with ways to use the seemingly boring pieces. Two players are involved; they sit approximately 2meters apart (although this may vary according to the level of difficulty). Each player has 14 dominoes, and a Coaster. They must use 9 of their dominoes to build a "fortress" which must comprise of two layers. The other 5 dominoes must be used to knock down the opponents fortress. The winner of domino wars is the player with the most dominoes still standing after all 5 shots.

How about some evidence before adding such inventions to the Wikipedia? Or at least a definition of a "Coaster". -- Evertype·✆ 22:02, 29 March 2008 (UTC)