On the surface, this post isn’t really going to be about Freemasonry, but I think it just might be helpful to some leaders of our Lodges. If it isn’t your thing, thanks for putting up with it.
When I was involved with the leadership of my Lodge, one of the things we did on a somewhat regular basis was hold Lodge Game Nights. Sometimes this would be a complex, adults only game like a Murder Mystery Dinner. Other times it would be a truly adults only game like Cards Against Humanity. Most often however it was an evening at which all ages were welcome. Card games, board games, dice games. Kids and adults, all mingled together.
These Game Nights were super easy for the Lodge to hold, and extremely popular with our Masons and their families. If you are a Lodge leader, looking to build the bonds of brotherhood between Masons, and between your Masonic families, one of the easiest and best ways to pull that off is by hosting Lodge Game Nights.
Recently I posted about a new Masonic Game created by one of my Lodge brother’s VW Burk. That post was quite popular on Facebook and Reddit, so it became clear to me that at least some Masons are interested in using Games to improve their Lodge.
If you missed that post, you can find it: Here.
VW Burk’s game is absolutely superb for Masons playing together. Perfect for Lodge dinners or other Lodge social events. It wouldn’t work nearly as well however in a mixed group with wives and children. It is simply too focused on Freemasonic knowledge, something most wives might not have much interest in, and kids would find dull.
So, I decided that today I would post the rules of a game that works perfectly for Lodge events that include families.
I think it perfect for Lodge hosted events because:
It is very easy to play while socializing. It can be played well while laughing, drinking, snacking, whatever. It does not require a lot of concentration.
It scales very easily, tables of 8 or 10 people can easily play, with more tables added as needed, or can be played by as few as 2 people.
It is a game that young kids can easily understand and play well. My own granddaughter of six plays it with me all the time, and with larger groups whenever some or all of our family gets together.
We’ve played it for years as a family, with friends, and as a part of Masonic Game Nights. It is, in our view, the very best game for casual game nights.
The thing was though, we never had any rules for it written down.
We learned it from my wife’s father. He called it by the name of another Game, but when looking up the rules for the Game he said it was, it quickly became clear that it wasn’t the same. My theory is that he didn’t actually know the rules for the game he thought it was, so made them up as he went along. However it came about though, it is a truly superb game, and it plays faster, better, and with proper strategy having more impact, than the game he thought it was.
The other day, with VW Burk’s game on my mind, I decided to take some time to actually write the rules of the game, as we play it down. My intention was to just do it for our children and friends, so there might be a wee bit of humor thrown in to them, but then I decided that it might be helpful to at least some people here on Emeth, so I decided to post them here as well.
If you are familiar with it, you will find these rules similar to the Domino Game Chickenfoot, but it is different from every set of Chickenfoot Rules I’ve ever found online. If you care, I leave it to you to decide if it is a different game existing in its own right, or just a variation. To my mind it doesn’t matter, what matters is that it is a tremendous amount of fun, and for a Lodge, can help to create important bonds between Masons.
Host a Lodge Game Night. Give it a try. I think you will be surprised about how much your Masons and their families enjoy it.
To pull off a Lodge Game Night like this all you need are:
Some Snacks
One set of Double 15 Dominoes for every 8 to 10 players, the best can be purchased here: Puremco Double 15
One ‘hub’ for each table of players, you can get those here: Round Train Hub
A Domino Rack for each player, you can get those here: Domino Racks
That’s it. Pick a date, reserve the Lodge, convince your Masons to come. It’ll be great. I promise.
All of that out of the way, here come the Rules!
Long Beach Bones*
A Domino Game
Rules Compiled By Cameron M. Bailey
*Bones is a widely used, super cool, alternative name for Dominoes
I did not create the rules for Long Beach Bones, they were drilled into me over hours and hours of play at where else but beautiful Long Beach, Washington. I will however take credit for the name, alas, I had to call the Game something.
I’ve searched extensively for the rules of this particular variation of Dominoes but have been unable to find them anywhere. I presume therefore that this Game is unique. My father-in-law, who taught it to me, called the Game Chickenfoot, but it is different from the Domino Game Chickenfoot according to the rules laid out by Chickenfoot’s creators Louis & Betty Howsley. This is a faster playing Game, with in my view, much more potential for good gameplay and strategy to impact the result. I am unsure if this is a Game that my father-in-law learned from others, or if he just forgot the actual rules of Chickenfoot, so made it up as he went along, with a great deal of Italian Wine assisting his imagination. Either way, it is a superb Game, greatly enjoyed by our family and friends, so I decided it was important that the rules, as I received them, be written down for posterity, and so that others can enjoy the Game as we have.
Long Beach Bones is a Domino Game, an improved variation of the popular Domino Game Chickenfoot. Chickenfoot is itself a variation of the Domino Game we all remember from childhood, Draw, with elements of the Domino Game Maltese Cross added in. All Domino Games seem to have evolved from each other as local variations take hold and become popular. Long Beach Bones clearly fits the pattern of a new Domino Game, evolved from older Games.
The Game can be played from 2 to 10 or more players, depending on the size of the Domino Set used. For example, a Double Six Set works well for 2 players, while a Double Fifteen Set works well for 4 to 8. Even larger Sets are available for larger groups of players.
The object of the Game is to play all of your Dominoes in any given round, and have the lowest score at the end of the Game.
Long Beach Bones is played in rounds, with one round for each Double within the Domino Set. IE: Double Six, Double Five, Double Four, Double Three, Double Two, Double One, Double Blank. Thus if playing with a Double Six Set, there would be 7 rounds in a complete Game. With a Double Fifteen Set, 16 rounds (can’t forget the blanks) would comprise a Game.
As playing this many rounds can make for an extremely long Game, players may want to determine a lower number of rounds prior to starting a Game. For instance, 3 rounds could be agreed to be a complete Game.
Prior to the start of any round all of the Dominoes are placed face down on the table, and mixed thoroughly. Then each player randomly selects an equal number of Dominoes to create their hand.
Dominoes left unclaimed by any player after the draw form the Boneyard, to be drawn from later as required by the Rules of the Game.
The number of Dominoes drawn will depend upon the Domino Set being used, and the number of players participating in the Game. For example, if two players are using a Double Six Set, each player would draw 7 Dominoes. If 4 to 6 players are using a Double Fifteen Set, each player would draw 14 Dominoes, if 8 or 9 players were using a Double Fifteen Set 10 Dominoes would be drawn, 10 players using that same Domino Set would each draw 9 Dominoes. The number of Dominoes drawn will of course change with different Domino Sets, for example Double Nine, Double Twelve, and Double Eighteen.
The number of Dominoes initially drawn by each player is not important to the outcome of the game, so should simply be decided upon by the players prior to the start, with the two goals being large enough hands for play to begin with a bang, and enough unclaimed Dominoes to leave a large Boneyard.
The player with the Highest Double begins play in each round. If using a Double Fifteen Set, ask if anyone has the Double Fifteen. If someone does, he or she plays it, if not, ask for the Double Fourteen, and so on until someone plays the Highest Available Double.
Once a Double begins a round, it does not start another round for the remainder of the Game, so Beginning Doubles should be noted on the scorecard.
The player with the Highest Double lays it down face up in the center of the table. He or she will also then play any additional matching Dominoes in his or her hand up to the maximum number needed to complete the formation. In other words, if the player lays down a Double Six, and has two additional Dominoes with six on one end, he opens the round by playing all three Dominoes.
Play moves clockwise from player to player after the initial Highest Double is played, opening the round.
Play beyond this Initial Double can not continue until the entire starting formation is completed. In other words, every player must play against that Double Six until all positions in the starting formation are filled. If a player can not play because he does not have a six, he must draw a single Domino and then play passes to the next person. Conversely, if he has two or more sixes, he may play as many as possible until the formation is complete.
If a player is forced to draw at any point in the Game, he or she may play the drawn Domino as a part of that same turn, if it can possibly be played. All draws during a round consist of drawing a single Domino.
The starting formation is dependent upon the size of the Domino Set being used. A Double Six Set will result in a 5 Domino formation. The center Domino, with another coming off each of its four sides. A Double Nine Set will use a starting formation of 7, the center Double, with two sets of three coming off each of its long sides. Sets larger than Double Nine will all use a starting formation of 9, the center Double with one Domino matching up to each of its short sides, and three Dominoes matching up to each of its long sides. Hubs can be purchased from Domino manufacturers to make this layout easier.
A played Domino must always match. An open end of six can only be played on by a Domino with an end, or ends in case of a double, that matches that six. Sixes play on sixes, fives on fives, fours on fours, blanks on blanks, and so on.
Once the initial formation is created, play continues with one player playing after another, matching a single or double Domino to any open end on the layout. If a player can not match any end of his or her Dominoes to an open end on the layout, he or she must draw, but may play the drawn Domino as part of the same turn if it is possible to do so.
If a double is played instead of a single, it is laid crosswise to the layout, and no other play can be made until a formation of three additional Dominoes is laid against its open long side. This formation can be filled by a player using multiple Dominoes if possible. For example, if a player lays down the Double Blank, and has three other Dominoes with blank ends in his hand, he may play all 4 of those Dominoes in that turn. If however he can’t complete the formation, play moves to the next player, who must lay a matching Domino, or if possible, Dominoes. If a player can’t match the open formation, he or she must draw one Domino before play passes to the next player. Once this formation is closed, play returns to normal, with each player playing a single or double Domino on the open layout in turn.
When a player lays down his second to last Domino, leaving only one in his hand, he must call out the words ‘Last Bone!’ before he removes his fingers from that Domino, leaving it on the layout. If he fails to do so, and is caught by any other player, he must draw a single Domino from the Boneyard.
Play continues until either: one player lays down his or her final Domino, or no legal play can be made by any player and no Dominoes remain in the Boneyard to draw from.
When one of these two things happen, the round is over. All players turn their remaining Dominoes face up, and the numbers in each person’s hand are added up for his or her score. This score is then noted on the scoresheet, next to an indication of the Double that started that particular round.
Please note that the Double Blank counts as 50 points, if a player has it in his or her hand at the end of a round.
When all rounds have been played, either by prior agreement as to the number of rounds in the particular Game, or because all possible rounds in the Domino Set have been played, the player with the lowest total score wins the Game and is declared the Undisputed Domino Champion Of The Universe.
After the Game it is the winner’s responsibility to celebrate as if he or she has gone quite mad, and it is the loser’s responsibility to go home crying.
These are the Official Rules of Long Beach Bones. Laid down in Centralia, Washington, September 13, 2022, by Cameron M. Bailey, Self Appointed Dictator of Dominoes, King of the Bones.
(We shan’t talk about the fact that the Dictator of Dominoes was beaten badly at Long Beach Bones on September 12, 2022 by his six year old granddaughter.)
Equipment Needed to Play Long Beach Bones:
-A table large enough to accommodate the number of players, and the Domino layout. Dining Room tables are great for this.
-A Domino set. We prefer a Double Six Set for two person Games, a Double Fifteen Set for more players. Numerals instead of dots on larger sets make play much easier and quicker, especially for kids.
Equipment that enhances playing Long Beach Bones:
-A nine slot hub made for either Chickenfoot or the Mexican Train Game. This will make creating the starting formation easier, and get the layout off to an organized start.
-Domino Racks to hold the player’s hands. We greatly prefer the large plastic racks to smaller wooden ones. These racks will help keep the player’s hands organized, and keep their Dominoes from being easily knocked over or dropped to the floor.
We have spent countless fun hours as a family playing Long Beach Bones. We hope that it becomes a great tradition for your family too!
Has your Lodge hosted Game Nights? If so, how has doing so worked for you? What about D&D? I know we have a handful of Brothers here on Emeth who love it.
At Port Orchard Lodge, we tried several times to organize game nights with varying degrees of success. We had anywhere from 30 folks show up (family game night) to five for the brothers only. I've even bought a number of fairly expensive board and card games (not monopoly or sorry) that you have to buy from a game shop, not at walmart. I bought them specifically to play in lodge with my brothers, which for the most part just gather dust. I guess part of the reason is that for most people, a game that costs $70+ dollars, with an unusual premise, intricate rules and well crafted presentation are not as enjoyable as yatzee.
We also did movie nights with mixed success. It's difficult to pick the right movie that everyone would agree to. We provided the movie, popcorn, sodas, etc. We'd get maybe 6-10 folks to show up.
Now, that lodge had at that time over 140 members. We also had OES and all three youth groups. You'd think we'd do better.
The holiday parties were usually about the only really successful events.
I guess what I'm driving at is that lodges should throw ideas at walls and see what sticks.