DOMINO ROUNCE

Welcome to Domino Rounce, a thrilling domino game designed for 2 to 4 players. The objective is simple: be the first player to reach a score of 0 or lower before your opponents do.

SETUP

Let’s get started by setting up the game. Each player will begin with a starting point total of 15.

To determine the first dealer, we’ll rely on chance. The dealer position will then rotate to the left for each new round. Once the dealer is established, they must shuffle the dominos and create what we call the boneyard – a pile of tiles for drawing.

Now, each player will draw or be dealt 5 tiles from the boneyard. After everyone has their tiles, the player sitting to the right of the dealer will draw an additional tile, known as the turn-up. This special tile will reveal the trump suit for the round. The trump suit is determined by the higher number on the tile, and it remains visible to all players throughout the game.

In a game of tiles, you have a few options when it comes to your hand. If you don’t like your hand, you can either fold or exchange your tiles. It’s up to you to decide which one to do. Here’s how it works:

If you’re playing with 3 or 4 players, folding is one of your choices. This means you give up and don’t play your hand. Another option is to exchange your tiles for new ones. You can do this if you don’t like what you have. To exchange, you discard all your tiles and draw 6 new ones from the boneyard. One of these new tiles will be discarded face down with your old hand. Remember, the tiles you discard and the one you put face down are out of the game for that round. It’s important to note that only up to two people can exchange their tiles.

Now, if you’re playing with 4 players, there’s a different option called calling a dummy. To do this, you discard your entire hand and draw the remaining 7 tiles. Then, you discard 2 of those tiles. This move is only available to one player in the game.

Once you’ve chosen to call a dummy, you can’t change your mind and fold. It’s a one-time decision.

When you decide to fold, you’re giving up on the current round. You discard your tiles and don’t participate further. This means you won’t earn or lose points, but it also prevents you from being rounced, which I’ll explain later.

When it’s the dealer’s turn to call, they have the option to not dummy and instead take the trump tile that’s been revealed. They can then discard any tile from their hand. If all the other players have folded, the dealer loses 5 points.

In a 4-player game, if all players except one have folded and that remaining player has taken the dummy, the dealer may call to play for the score. This means that if the dealer wins, they won’t lose any points. However, they can’t be rounced either. They’re just playing to prevent the other player from automatically winning all the tricks.

Tile Ranking

Hey there! Let me tell you about this cool game I found. It’s called “Tile Rank” and it’s super fun! The tiles in this game can have different numbers on them, ranging from blank to 6. Some tiles can even be doubles!

Now, each tile has a suit and a rank. The suit is determined by one of the numbers on the tile, and the other number tells you the rank within that suit. The rank goes from lowest (blank) to highest (6). So, when you play a tile, you get to choose the suit, and the other number tells you its rank in that suit. The only exception is if the tile has the trump suit on it, then you have to use it as a trump tile.

Now, let’s talk about how the gameplay works. The game starts with the player to the left of the dealer. They get to lead the first trick by playing any tile they want. If the tile they play is not a trump tile, they have to announce the suit they’re playing.

To play this trick-taking game, there are a few rules you need to follow. If you have more than 2 trump cards in your hand, you must play one of them. After winning a trick, you have to start the next one with a trump if you have any. And when it’s your turn, you have to play a card of the same suit as the one that was originally led. If you can’t, then you can play any card.

The winner of a trick is determined by the highest-ranked trump card played. If there are no trumps, then the highest card of the suit that was led wins.

Once all the tricks have been played, the round ends.

Now let’s talk about scoring. Scoring is done after the round is over.

If a player didn’t win any tricks during the round, they have been Rounced.

For each trick you have won, you lose 1 point. But if you were rounced, you add 5 points to your score.

The game ends when all rounds have been played, and the player with the highest score wins.

The game comes to a close when someone’s points reach 0 or go below. That person becomes the winner.

I’m Amber (They/Them), an Austin writer and gaming expert. I proudly claim the title of a gaming master, and I absolutely adore dogs, plants, and D&D.