Checkout the new website that Wayne (websherpa) put together:

http://www.torontopinballshow.com/

I hope everyone can make it! LMK if you're interested in being a vendor @ $299 for both days.

I can also offer the MAACA Grand PooBah(s) a free booth space if you guys want to promote the group or have a swap meet HQ, etc. LMK if interested!

Stay tuned for announcements of celebrity seminar speakers at the show!

Standard Blurb follows:

May 15 & 16th at the International Centre!

For those of you that remember our shows from a few years ago this will be a much bigger show with a lot more exposure!

Please mark your calendars and watch the website for updates. You can also find our event on Facebook!

Interested in being a vendor? Sell off that pile of stuff!
Please email me if interested and I’ll send you the complete vendor package.
Booths are available on a first come first serve basis.
Booths are only $299 each for both Saturday and Sunday with a Friday night move-in!

Questions? Let me know!

Thanks,

Nick Angel

I appreciate the offer but I will let the other admin decide. I have no idea what I could bring...

Quoted from Sparky

I have no idea what I could bring...

In keeping with the forum we could put a member in there and have members give them a public lashing.

i vote terrance he must be use to it by now

sorry terrance i could not resist

dave

The hosts could wear the same uniform in order for the public to recognize they are part of the forum.

Hey, it's the three musket-queers!  

Sorry didnt mean to offend but I couldnt help myself.

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! Funny stuff:

What's the policy on bringing our own machines for sale and / or for freeplay?

Quoted from OTTOgd

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition! Funny stuff:

Surprise and fear ,,, fear and surpise and ruthless efficiency ..... The two er three weapons of the Inquistion.!!

If we bring a pin, what are the chances it will get engraved (OZZY RULEZ), gum collected underneath and/or trashed?

I guess the real question is, should we bring a Bally and keep the Gottliebs safe at home??? Graffiti might actually raise the value of a classic Stern - adds character!

Quoted from OTTOgd

If we bring a pin, what are the chances it will get engraved (OZZY RULEZ), gum collected underneath and/or trashed?

I guess the real question is, should we bring a Bally/Stern and keep the Gottliebs safe at home???  

I don't want to speak for Nick and Mike but as I'll be running the tournament and I'm still looking for games to use in the tournament I'll speak on that point.

Bringing a game gets you into the event for the weekend for free.  I'm not sure what the rules are for selling the game you bring, but I assume it will be something similar to the usual that it can't leave before the show closes on the Sunday.  

As for abuse of machines, from my perspective, machines in the tournament area will be treated with respect and monitored closely.  Abuse of the machines will not be tolerated and people will be removed from the tournament if excessive abuse is observed.  

I assume that Nick and Mike will have a similar stance to games in the public area but I don't want to speak for them.  

Quoted from Vengeance

I don't want to speak for Nick and Mike but as I'll be running the tournament and I'm still looking for games to use in the tournament I'll speak on that point.

What games are you looking for for the tournament?

I was thinking about bringing Spectrum for the novelty but I don't think that would qualify as a tournament game.

Quoted Text

  I was thinking about bringing Spectrum for the novelty but I don't think that would qualify as a tournament game.  

Does it work? Does it tilt? Does it slam tilt?

If the response to all three is yes then it qualifies!

Quoted from OTTOgd

What games are you looking for for the tournament?

I was thinking about bringing Spectrum for the novelty but I don't think that would qualify as a tournament game.

I need games where I can control the settings, so as long as there is a tournament mode option to remove and randomness and an option to turn off extra balls, I'm not against using the machine.

I prefer to use newer machines for the tournament but spectrum falls just above the cusp of a game I'd consider for a classic division so I'd see not reason I couldn't use it in the A/B division.  

My only issue is how are ball times?  I'm trying to use games with quick ball times, I don't really want any marathon games and I've never played a spectrum and from what I'm reading there are no outlanes so sounds like ball times could be pretty long sometimes.  

Quoted from wbradley

Does it work? Does it tilt? Does it slam tilt?

I slam tilt it all the time! My wife doesn't appreciate it though; she's always worried that the glass might break and the lock-down bar chafes her bottom. Wahoooooeeeeee!

nice

Quoted from wbradley

Does it work? Does it tilt? Does it slam tilt?

If the response to all three is yes then it qualifies!

That's not true at all, there are any number of items that make a good tournament game.  

You don't want games with repeatable shots, you don't want games where one feature is way overpowering in the scoring.  Games with cumulative jackpots are also bad for tournaments.  

Examples of games that make really bad tournament games:

No Fear
Star Wars
Champion Pub
Theater of Magic
Revenge From Mars
Etc, Etc

Quoted from Vengeance

That's not true at all, there are any number of items that make a good tournament game.  

You don't want games with repeatable shots, you don't want games where one feature is way overpowering in the scoring.  Games with cumulative jackpots are also bad for tournaments.  

Examples of games that make really bad tournament games:

No Fear
Star Wars
Champion Pub
Theater of Magic
Revenge From Mars
Etc, Etc

And I would add the your list Adam:

Who Dunnit?

tartagliag

Quoted from tartagliag

And I would add the your list Adam:

Who Dunnit?

tartagliag

Hence the etc.  

There are allot more games to that list then what I have there.  

Riverboat Gambler and Jackbot are great tourney games.

I will be missing this show because of a work conference in Nfld. I am excited about the trip, just the timing that sucks.  

Quoted from necro_nemesis

Riverboat Gambler and Jackbot are great tourney games.

Jackbot actually is a great Tournament game.

Quoted from Vengeance

Jackbot actually is a great Tournament game.

You just like to cheat.

Quoted from necro_nemesis

You just like to cheat.

No cheating would be turned off.  

Jackbot makes a great tournament game because it's fast playing with some risky shots and no one item on the game is more powerful then the other to unbalance scoring.  As a tournament player you are going to focus on Multiballs and Casino run but both carry the risk reward issues that go with them.  So Jackbot makes a great game, you just need to find the balance between making multiball too hard and casino run too easy, if casino run is much easier to get then multiball it turns the game into a one facet game, but if you make multiball relativity easy to start multiball can out score a casino run.

Quoted from OTTOgd

If we bring a pin, what are the chances it will get engraved (OZZY RULEZ), gum collected underneath and/or trashed?

I guess the real question is, should we bring a Bally and keep the Gottliebs safe at home??? Graffiti might actually raise the value of a classic Stern - adds character!

Hey my Fathom has AC/DC scribed on the side! Must be worth a fortune now  ......Oh yeah........there was some gum underneath it too  

Quoted from shock_me

Oh yeah........there was some gum underneath it too  

Congrats! Hopefully it wasn't Big League Chew? Bubblicious retains its flavour much better. Watermelon + me = big fan.

Quoted from Vengeance

That's not true at all, there are any number of items that make a good tournament game.  

You don't want games with repeatable shots, you don't want games where one feature is way overpowering in the scoring.  Games with cumulative jackpots are also bad for tournaments.  

Examples of games that make really bad tournament games:

No Fear
Star Wars
Champion Pub
Theater of Magic
Revenge From Mars
Etc, Etc

Can you provide some quick reasons why those games are not good for tourneys? I'm curious.

Quoted from jonny_eh

Can you provide some quick reasons why those games are not good for tourneys? I'm curious.

NF & ST:TNG

Both fall into the category of the wizard mode being worth more then anything else and it is fairly easy to get there.  If you watch my ST:TNG video on you tube, you'll see I employ the same method of starting a mode, catching the ball, and the waiting for the mode to timeout.  I take it one step further in the video and try and complete the mode to gain an artifact to increase my wizard mode score, but it turns the game into an exercise in tedium.  Start the mode, catch the ball, wait, lather rinse repeat.  

CP
I like this game but it's HORRIBLE for a tournament.  Reason is the only thing worth doing is catching the ball and shooting it into the left saucer, over and over and over again.  Reason is it up's your purse value by 500,000 every time after the first fight.  So your rack up your purse value to say 15 million, so think about it, that's 30 shots to the scoop and nothing else.  Then you lock the ball and choose 2x Purse value on the skill shot now your purse is 30 million.  Lock another ball and your purse value is 60 million, start your fight and win and bang 60 million.  Again it's another excersice in tedium and it gets to a point where once one person does it everyone has to for risk of not being able to score as effectivly.  

TOM
Common misconception with TOM, shot the trunk, shoot the trunk.  Actually what you should be doing is shooting the left orbit and nothing else. Left orbits spot Theater letters, it also spots multipliers, it also starts a 50 million hurry up and if you do it over and over again you are building up combos.  The theater letters add toward your bonus and since you are getting X's as well, it makes for massive bonus counts upwards of 500 million or more, so you end up with players doing nothing but shooting the left loop over and over again and once one person does it every starts because you need to be able to keep up with the scoring.  

RFM
Similar problem as TOM, only thing worth shooting for is the lock shot.  If you have a good working RFM where the lock shot registers reliably. Shot the lock shot, catch the ball, shoot the lock shot, lock a ball.  Pass the ball over, rinse repeat.  It's a much safer shot then anything else on the machine, bashing at the modes on the middle targets is very risky as keeping control of the ball is difficult, so players take the safe bet.  

Playing in a tournament is very different then playing at home or even in a league.  Where there is big cash prizes on the line, repition be dammed, you are going to do what you need to do to win that game, even if it is an exercise in tedium.  

That's why tournament organizers strive to use games that are good for tournaments where no one strategy dominates play, so you don't end up in a situation where all players do is shoot one shot, over and over and over again.  

Adam, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Stargate (seriously).  I noticed that getting to Wizard mode is similar to your description of STTNG

Quoted from machine.slave

Adam, I'd love to hear your thoughts on Stargate (seriously).  I noticed that getting to Wizard mode is similar to your description of STTNG

And I'd love to share my opinion, but I don't have one.  I have yet to ever play a fully working Stargate so I don't really have any kind of opinion on the game.  

Bowen wrote a great article on bad Tournament games, that is where my information on the RFM came from

http://tiltwarning.com/blog/2010/01/tournament-approaches-one-hit-wonders/

Thanks for the explanations and link!

Quoted from Vengeance

Bowen wrote a great article on bad Tournament games, that is where my information on the RFM came from

http://tiltwarning.com/blog/2010/01/tournament-approaches-one-hit-wonders/

Thanks, Adam, for effectively destroying the fun-factor on many of my favorite pins. Now, who wants to buy my CBW?

jk. Sort of. Unfortunately, like the HD on the LOTR LE, I will never look at these games the same way knowing their design 'weaknesses'. It's kinda nice knowing ahead of time (before buying them). I have considered waiting out the modes on my CBW but where's the fun in that? But, like you mentioned, when the tournament is on, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Bowen also mentions Police Force's main ramp millions. I understand its failing but easy to choke with that darn cumulative music but I still think it's exciting. Although I suppose that would ebb over time.

Quoted from OTTOgd

Thanks, Adam, for effectively destroying the fun-factor on many of my favorite pins. Now, who wants to buy my CBW?

jk. Sort of. Unfortunately, like the HD on the LOTR LE, I will never look at these games the same way knowing their design 'weaknesses'. It's kinda nice knowing ahead of time (before buying them). I have considered waiting out the modes on my CBW but where's the fun in that? But, like you mentioned, when the tournament is on, you gotta do what you gotta do.

I think the key is also having the skill to make the same shot 30 - 40 times in a row.. which I don't have, so these exploits don't apply to me  (yet)  

Quoted from OTTOgd

Thanks, Adam, for effectively destroying the fun-factor on many of my favorite pins. Now, who wants to buy my CBW?

You still have your slam tilt option