OBJECT OF LEIDEN: The object of Leiden is to be the first player to score 100 or more points.
NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2 players
MATERIALS: A double 6 domino set, a way to keep score, and a flat surface.
TYPE OF GAME: Connecting Domino Game
AUDIENCE: Adult
OVERVIEW OF LEIDEN
Leiden is a connecting dominos game for 2 players. The goal of the game is to reach 100 points before your opponent.
SETUP
The dominos are shuffled, and each player takes a hand of 6 tiles. The remaining dominos form the boneyard.
Special Tiles
There are special tiles called the Matador. These include the tiles that pips equal 7 or 0. [1-6], [2-5], [3-4], and [0-0].
GAMEPLAY
The player with the highest-ranked double, that is not the double 0, starts. They will lead any double, other than double 0, to start the round. For future rounds, the loser starts and must lead any double that is not double 0.
If a player does not have a double to lead, they may draw from the boneyard to acquire one.
If a player refuses to lead, the other player may. If both refuse, then the round is redealt.
After the first domino is led it becomes the spinner. The first four dominoes played after this one is lead must be played to each side of the spinner. This creates the four arms to be played on.
To add a tile to the end of an arm or to create the arms, the two touching sides of the tile must sum to equal 7.
Doubles do not have special rules and are played in line and not across.
The matador tiles can be played onto any arm or next to the spinner without equaling 7. They may also be placed with either end in line or across. if played in line the arm has one extension to be played off of. If played across then the next player to play to the arm may choose which side of the tile to play off of.
If the [0-0] is played this way to an arm it can only be added to by another matador.
On a player’s turn, they may choose to draw as many tiles as they wish from the boneyard as long as the last two tiles remain. If a player cannot play, they must draw from the boneyard until they have a playable tile or until only two tiles remain. The last two tiles will remain in the boneyard and cannot be drawn by any player.
The round ends when a person dominoes and has no tiles left in hand, or when all arms are blocked and cannot be played on.
SCORING
The winner of a round is the player who dominos or has fewer pips left in hand if the round is blocked. The winner scores points equal to the sum of the number of pips in each player’s hand. This is unless both players hold the same number of pips. In this case, no points are granted, and the same player starts the next round.
END OF GAME
The game ends when a player reaches or exceeds 100 points at the end of a round. This player is the winner. If both players reach 100 or more, the player with the higher score wins. If both players tie, neither wins.
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