Make your own domino game - a template

Origin of dominoes

It is believed that the game of dominoes was first played in ancient China, possibly in the 12th century. Over the centuries, it spread around the world.

Depending on the country and region, there are different variants of the domino game.

However, the classic domino game still consists of rectangular pieces that are split in the middle and have a certain number of dots on each half.

These points are called eyes and they usually range from 0 to 6.

Starting with 0/0 and the highest number on a domino is 6/6.

A standard domino set usually has 28 pieces.

This is because each eye combination is unique.

Domino is a game for young and old. A mostly entertaining tile game that is fun even for children. It promotes concentration and requires a bit of tactical thinking.

The rules of the game of dominoes

Preparations

The game begins by shuffling all the tiles face down and then dealing them out to the players. Dominoes are usually played with two to four players.

With two players each player receives 7 stones, with three to four players it is 5 or 6 stones and in variants of the game where up to six players can participate it is three to four stones. The remaining stones are placed on the table as a supply, the so-called "talon", which is drawn from during the game.

Gameplay

A starting player is chosen. He places one of his stones face up on the table. The next player must place a stone whose number matches one of the ends of the previously placed stone. This is how it goes now. Each player takes turns placing stones whose ends have the same number of dots as one of the open ends on the game table.

If a player does not have a suitable stone, he must draw one from the talon. And that until he can dock.

The game ends when a player has discarded all his stones or when no player is able to place a stone. In this case, the player with the fewest points on their remaining stones wins.

But just like the gameplay, there are different variations here too.

Before you start the game, you should definitely clarify with all other players which variant is being played, in order to be able to rule out misunderstandings in advance.

Material for your domino game

 

 

The domino game from the Mr Beam design store

Storage for your dominoes

In the file in the Mr Beam design store you will find, in addition to the game pieces, also a storage box, which you can of course personalize according to your ideas.

To personalize, you can either add a font of your choice to the desired name in your graphics program, such as Adobe Illustrator, or directly in BeamOS with the fonts available there.

The storage box is a collapsible box that you can simply plug into each other after lasering. To make them more stable and durable, I recommend gluing them.

Start your Mr Beam and load the file into the workspace.

Put your birch plywood in the Mr Beam and focus the laser head.

In BeamOS you position the elements of the storage box for your domino game on your wood.

In order to have the right camera view, don't forget to set the object height correctly as well.

Laser settings for birch plywood are already stored, but you should adjust these settings depending on how intense you want your engraving to be or how hard your wood is.

In order to get a cleanly contoured engraving, I let the Mr Beam circle the engraving area once by placing a different coloured contour around it in my graphics program. This contour is initially recognized as a cutting line in BeamOS.

To do this, simply slide the cutting symbol into the engraving field.

You can see the settings adjusted for my wood in the picture.

After lasering, you get the elements out of the Mr Beam and prepare everything for gluing.

Assembling the box for your dominoes:

• Apply glue between the slots.
• Start assembling the two long sides.
• Then you put on one of the sides with the recess for the lid.
• Lay the lid loosely on the box and guide the pin into the recess.
• Now you glue the last side to your box. Make sure to also guide the pin from the cover into the recess on the side.
• After the glue has dried, you can start painting if you wish. Here you can let your creativity run free. Just as with painting with spray paint, it is better to apply several thin layers.

The dominoes

Either you use the dominoes from my file in the Mr Beam design store, or you create your own in your graphics program.

All you need is a rounded rectangle, which is cut by the Mr Beam and a centre line as an engraving and a total of 14 points. Arrange the dots like an "H".

From the points, you mark the number that you need for the respective stone and slide them into the rectangle. Do this for each stone until you have created all 28 stones.

Dominoes are often white with black dots, or vice versa. Sometimes you can also find coloured dots. This makes playing with younger children easier, for example if each 5 is red, then they can orientate themselves on the colours and invest accordingly.

Painting dominoes - beautiful and more durable

Since an engraving on wood is always dark, and I wanted to make the dominoes a bit more resistant, I painted my birch plywood white before lasering.

To paint the wood, look for a place that is protected from wind and rain, and protect your surroundings with a paint booth you have made yourself from cardboard.

Prepare your spray can according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Most of the time, this means removing a fuse and shaking it for several minutes.

Keep the recommended distance when spraying.

Most acrylic paints dry quite quickly, and you can start lasering after about 30 minutes.

If you have only partially painted your wooden board, you can use the camera view in BeamOS to see where you have painted and align the dominoes in a targeted manner.

The laser job on the dominoes takes a little longer due to the engraving, but once the Mr Beam is finished, all you have to do is pull out your dominoes and start playing.

Have fun!

Your rina