Dominoes are a series of flat tiles with an arrangement of dots on one side and a blank or identically patterned other. They are used in many games to build chains, form squares or rectangles, and draw lines. They are also popular in art, architecture, and forensics. They come in a variety of colors and shapes, although most sets are made from the same basic material – polymer. Some sets have a traditional look and feel, and are made of materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or a dark hardwood such as ebony, with contrasting black or white pips.

The most basic domino variant is the block game for two players. This requires a double-six set, from which each player draws seven tiles. Each player then lays down a domino in line with the previous tile, or with a double, and extends it by adding another matching domino at either of its ends. Players alternate playing to the domino chain until a player cannot play, or reaches his or her score limit, which is the total number of pips in any of his or her hands.

A player’s score is the total value of his or her hand when it is complete, irrespective of whether it is in a winning position or not. A player can win the game by playing all of his or her tiles, or by blocking the other player. The most common types of domino games involve layouts, which are grouped into two main categories: blocking and scoring.

In the Block game, each domino has a number of pips on its surface, and the player must match it with other dominoes with that same amount of pips. A domino can have only one pips on a side, and it may not be matched with another tile that has no pips on its face.

Often, the first domino played to a given line is called an “opening double.” If a player has this domino in his or her hand, then it is the player’s turn to choose the next domino from the stock to play. The next highest-valued domino is called the second opening double, and so on.

Whether you write your novel off the cuff or carefully outline your work, the plotting process ultimately comes down to answering one question: What happens next? The use of scene dominoes in your fiction writing can help you answer this question in a way that’s compelling to your reader. By using scene dominoes, you can create a plot that’s both exciting and unpredictable.