First Impression: Domination

By W. Eric Martin
January 6, 2008

Publisher: Patch Products
Players: 2-4
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 30-40 minutes
Rules Language: English & French
Link:

Times played: Two, once with 2 players and once with 3
Version played: Production copy

Despite not being updated since 2006, The Games Journal has an impressive archives with dozens of still relevant articles and reviews, including one article from 2000 by master game designer Wolfgang Kramer (Tikal, El Grande, Expedition) called ”What Makes a Game Good?”

Several comments by Kramer in that articles identify all that’s wrong with Domination – a 2005 release from Patch Products – such as his opening comment on originality: “Any new game must be original. It has to possess elements that have never – or at least not in this particular combination – been part of a game before.”

At heart, Domination is the pencil game Dots & Boxes, in which players take turns drawing line segments between dots on a grid in order to enclose and claim boxes. In Domination, the line segments have been replaced by double-six dominoes. Players have a hand of seven dominoes, each of which can be played in four possible locations on the gameboard. On a turn, you play one domino, mark any boxes that you claim, then draw another domino from the supply. The game ends when all the dominoes have been played, and the player who claims the most boxes wins.

From Kramer on the subject of tension: “Every game has its own unique tension curve. But long periods of relatively low tension must be avoided in any game.” For the first half of Domination, players lay down those dominoes that won’t set up another player. Since each domino can be played in four locations, you almost always have a move or three that will be null plays, plays that move the domino from your hand to the board without affecting later plays in any meaningful way since you don’t know which tiles you might draw. Admittedly, you can potentially play the second domino in a box while holding another domino that could be played subsequently in the hope that an opponent would first lay down line number three – but no opponent would do so unless she held that same domino tile as you. Just as you can play safely until the mid-point, so can she, leaving you all to mark time for as long as you can.

In this situation, players have no opportunities for exciting play, something Kramer warns against: “A game should be rich in surprises. Repetition in sequence, progress, and events should be strictly avoided.” Domination has no escalating tension, no build-up. The gameboard is too open, and players have too many options. Just as you don’t make children hunt for Easter eggs in all of Central Park, gameboards must be designed so as to constrict play and make a player’s choices meaningful. A better start to the game could be achieved by drawing one-third of the tiles at random and placing them on the board, thereby skipping the slow, flat build-up.

And speaking of “flat,” Kramer notes, “Durability, functionality, and the visual appeal of the materials contribute greatly to the perceived value of a game.” Domination uses thin dominoes that have no heft – which means they complement the racks created from a thin bit of plastic that could be easily snapped by the press of a finger. The gameboard is nothing more than a grid of lines and boxes, with no organization or visual focus to help you find potential domino locations more easily. You just need to scan, scan and scan some more until you locate all four spots.

In the end, Domination takes home the Douglas Adams “Mostly Harmless” award for Game Most Likely to Look Familiar Enough to Non-Gamers That They Won’t Object to Playing It While You Gossip About Mutual Friends. The nameplate on that award is surprisingly large…

Want to try Domination for yourself? Perhaps not after that less-than-glowing review, but if you do, head to BGN’s Games for the Animals page!

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Comments:

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I always draw in most of the lines that are harmless before I go for the start of the dots and boxes game, as it is exactly like he says with all the null turns. Speeds up the endgame, which is all we care about, that line of boxes that we get them all, and then stick the other with 1 and they have to give you the rest, etc. Glad to know of another game to avoid. Posted by Scott Nelson on Jan 6, 2009 at 07:27 AM | #

Sadly, the best Dominos game is still basic Latin Partnership Dominoes. It has perhaps 3 rules, and rounds take a couple of minutes. While there is quite a bit of luck, there is quite surprising deoth. Posted by Frank Branham on Jan 6, 2009 at 03:37 PM | #

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