A domino is a tile-based game where players place an open-ended array of matching numbered tiles in a line on the table. When a player plays the first domino in a turn, this opens the end of the line for subsequent tiles to be played across it, either from the left or from the right, in order to form a pattern of totals, or a sequence of moves that leads to the winning score. There are many games of domino, and the rules of a particular game vary from region to region. However, the basic principles of the game remain consistent.

The identifying marks of a domino are an arrangement of small squares or spheres, called pips, which are used to identify the piece and its position in the line of play. The pips on a domino are arranged in groups of two, three or four depending on the type of domino and the game being played. Historically, dominoes have been made from natural materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl or MOP), ivory and dark hardwoods such as ebony, with contrasting black or white pips inlaid or painted on the top. More recently, dominoes have been produced from polymer resins and plastics which provide greater durability and affordability than other materials.

In Western domino games, the pieces are arranged in a row, called a string or line of play. Each player draws a number of tiles from the stock, or boneyard, to fill his hand according to the rules of the game he is playing. The number of pips on the tiles remaining in the stock when a player has filled his hand determines his score at the end of the game. The player who draws the highest number of pips takes the lead, and then draws the rest of the tiles from the stock until he has his hand full again.

Once the first domino is placed, its pips will indicate that it must be matched to another tile in order to fall. The other side of the domino, often referred to as the tail, must match that of the previous tile, and it is the responsibility of each player to make sure that the matches are correct before the last piece in the line falls. This process is known as the count.

Before a Hevesh creation goes up, the domino artist tests out each section of the installation by setting up flat arrangements and then assembling them into their final lines. This allows her to see whether each part of the setup works as intended, and makes corrections before the real thing is put together. In her largest displays, the final dominoes take several nail-biting minutes to fall as the laws of physics work their magic.

In both a domino display and in a story, timing is everything. Just as the dominoes must be spaced correctly to achieve a cascade of movement, so too must scenes in a story be spaced to move the hero forward, while avoiding becoming too long or weighing the story down with details or minutiae. The most effective stories are both brisk and compelling, moving the hero toward his goal at just the right pace.