Welcome to Leiden – The Connective Dominos Game

Leiden is an exciting dominos game designed for two players. The aim of this game is to be the first to score 100 points!

Setting up the Game

To get started, we need to shuffle the dominos and deal 6 tiles to each player. The rest of the dominos will form what we call the ‘boneyard’.

Special Tiles

Now, let’s talk about the special tiles in Leiden. These are called the Matador tiles, and they are pretty cool. We have tiles with pip numbers equal to 7 or 0 – [1-6], [2-5], [3-4], and [0-0]. Keep an eye out for these!

How to Play

The player who has the highest-ranked double, but not the double 0, gets to go first. They will lead with any double, except for the double 0, to start the round. For the following rounds, the loser of the previous round starts and must lead with any double that isn’t the double 0.

But what if a player doesn’t have a double to lead with? Well, they can draw a tile from the boneyard to try and find one. It’s all about strategy!

When I play dominoes, there’s a rule that says if one player doesn’t want to start, the other player can. But if both players refuse, we have to reshuffle and start again.

After we start with the first domino, it becomes the spinner. The next four dominoes that are played after the spinner have to be played on each side. This makes four different arms that we can play on.

When we want to add a domino to the end of an arm or create a new arm, the numbers on the touching sides of the domino have to add up to 7.

If we have a double domino, we don’t have any special rules for it. We just play it in a line and not across.

There are special tiles called matador tiles that have some different rules. We can play them on any arm or next to the spinner without adding up to 7. We can also play them in a line or across. If we play them in a line, we can add one more domino to that arm. But if we play them across, the next player gets to choose which side to play off of.

If you play the [0-0] tile on someone’s arm, it can only be added to with another matador.

When it’s your turn, you can draw as many tiles as you want from the boneyard, as long as there are at least two tiles left. If you can’t play a tile, you have to keep drawing from the boneyard until you get a playable one, or until there are only two tiles left. The last two tiles will stay in the boneyard and no one can draw them.

The round ends when a player dominoes and has no more tiles, or when all arms are blocked and can’t be played on.

SCORING

When I play dominos, the winner of a round is the player who gets rid of all their dominos or has fewer left in hand if the round is blocked. It’s a thrilling moment when you’re the one to lay down that last tile! But the excitement doesn’t end there. The winner also scores points based on the number of pips in each player’s hand. Well, unless both players have the same number of pips. In that case, no points are given, and it’s the same player who gets to start the next round. Talk about a close call!

END OF GAME

The game keeps going until a player reaches or goes over 100 points at the end of a round. That’s when someone can claim victory! But what if both players manage to reach 100 points or more? Well, it’s not over yet. The player with the higher score is the ultimate winner. Imagine the tension in those final moments! However, if both players tie with the same score, then neither of them comes out on top. It’s a tie, and no one wins this time.

Hi, I’m Amber (They/Them)! I’m a writer and a serious fan of all things gaming. You could even call me a gaming master! When I’m not dominating dominos, I love spending time with my furry friends, taking care of plants, and diving into the world of D&D. Let’s connect and talk games!

Hi, I’m Amber (They/Them)! I’m a writer from Austin who absolutely loves gaming. I’m a self-proclaimed gaming master, and I’m always up for a new challenge. When I’m not gaming, you can find me hanging out with my dogs, tending to my plant collection, or immersing myself in some epic D&D adventures. Let’s chat about our favorite games!