For me, the replayability comes from having a few easy to understand but hard to achieve objectives. Stuff like trying to get a lit spinner rip during multiball on Fathom for huge points. Or trying to max out the bonus on Centaur or Seawitch.

If you have the room for some of the early SS (and even the late EM era) you may find that they have just as much fun to offer as newer games. Plus the artwork is usually better, so there's that, too.

I'm in the same boat. Johnny Mnemonic was my first pin. The other two I have are a Motor Dome and a Royal Flush (1976). They are each fun in their own way. I really enjoy Royal Flush and my guests seem to as well. When you mentioned 1970s and 1980s pins, I'm assuming you mean SS, but don't discount EMs-you may be surprised how fun they can be!

Older games without multiple explicit levels of rules are about two things: trying to achieve various hard goals (which newer games can still have), and just feeling good to play. The best early games, in my opinion have one 'hard' objective that you get maybe 1/5 games, one harder objective that you get 1/10 - 1/20 games, and maybe one really hard objective that's even rarer to get. Hot Tip is a good example. Very simple ruleset: shoot the drops to light the spinner, double bonus, extra ball, special, etc, and then of course actually collect/use those things, but the chances of doing that are low. Maybe a 40% of the time I'll manage to get double bonus, and then the nice satisfying double countdown. 20% of the time I'll manage to light the spinner (always satisfying). 10% of the time I'll actually hit the spinner (maybe more than once if I'm lucky!). I light the extra ball maybe 4% of the time, but I only manage to collect it <1% of the time. It's not like the goals are complicated, it's just a hard game to keep going. But it's not like it's brutally hard or anything. Even if a beginner doesn't manage to ever complete the drops they'll be 'oh boy I got 5/6!', or whatever. The important thing that makes all those rare goals work is that it's just satisfying to bat the ball around, nudge it on the slings, etc. Most old games don't give you time to think (not that there's much thinking to do anyway..., except on a few games), you just keep going as long as you can, and it's satisfying. Some games don't have that quality. Sometimes it's down to the specific game (some games just don't feel good if they haven't been maintained properly). It's not something you can find just by reading reviews and looking at pictures. My Super Straight has horrible rules and almost no progression or goals, but it plays soooo smooth and fast I can't get enough of playing it, even if I barely get to flip.

A friend had a Blackout, and like you said, there's not much to do on it, from a rules standpoint. I played it maybe 20 times before he sold it, and never managed to get a blackout once. Maybe twice I managed to light all three colors. I didn't even pay attention to what targets I should be shooting that much, but I kept playing that game every time I was over just because it felt good to play. Nice flowy layout, great sounds, lots of spinners.

You can't compare them to newer games directly, it's just not the same thing. And, hey: if you decide they're not for you, you can just replace them with some newer ones. Even if the price fluctuates, the chances of losing more than $100 are slim (unlike a DMD which could go +- $800 overnight), so what's the risk of trying a few out? It all depends on the people and the games

I started with all DMDs and then branched out.

Nothing from the 70s lasted too long in my collection as most are too easy. The 60s and 80s games I bought have a lasting appeal though.

I think there are some 80's Williams games that can hold their own against 90's DMD games...Sorcerer, Grand Lizard, Big Guns, F-14 Tomcat, Swords of Fury, Taxi...they all have cool layouts, rules, and some have amazing light shows and cool sounds/music. For me personally....the non-DMD games that stayed in my collection were BK2K and BOP...but BOP became 2.0 lol.

I have been collecting pins for many years and I find diversity to be the key. I have 4 games from the very early solid state 80s, 2 system 11s, a few dmd's from the 90s, a couple newer sterns, and a Woz.
Games like flash Gordon, EBD, and Seawitch never get old. FG is one of the hardest meanest games I have ever played. There are many other greats from this era. System 11 is all about jackpots and ramps with fun mbs. Sometimes I play the classics more and sometimes I play dmd's more. It all depends on my mood. I could go on and on. I suggest getting out of your comfort zone a little. Try some classics who knows you might find the addiction has grown further.

Mike

Just played a nice Blackout in leagues last night, it was a blast and would be a great addition to any collection.

My collection started with modern DMDs and an EMs. But I am am really liking early 80's Bally and Williams machines right now.

I have figured out I like machines that are simple, but not easy. That is what gives you that 'Just one more game' feeling. You should be able to score big, but it doesn't happen often. That machine that you are always just one good shot away from busting loose. If the machine feels like this, then lastability isn't going to be an issue.

The good EM's feel like this, and many early SS still had that feel. That's why we all dropped so many quarters in them.

Look for a nice single-level game, without the ramps. Condition makes a huge difference in these games, it has to work well and have a smooth pf to be enjoyed.

Good luck.

I strongly suggest Bally games from 1977-1983 and Williams games from 1980-1985 if you are going for a classic pinball vibe on solid state machines. 1977-1990 is certainly my favorite time period for pinball because those games survived, right along the side of the arcade game industry boom.

Bally games from this era are a little bit easier to find and can be bought cheaper, from my experiences here in the midwest.

Decent early Bally solid state titles (Harlem Globetrotters, SMDM, BOPP, Eight Ball, Supersonic,Mystic,ect.) can be had for $500-$1200 but the better Williams titles are more like $800-$2500. Be aware that there are some really BAD early Williams solid state machines like Laser Ball and Contact that should probably be avoided by a DMD player.

Something about the sounds & FEEL of the EM pins doing their thing that cannot be duplicated.
The clicking of the relays, the whirring of the score motor, the cha-chunk- cha-chunk of the bonus stepper counting down, & the clicking off of the score reel when you hit a solid spinner shot.
Not saying that you need more than one in a collection, but I would recommend a mid-1970's Bally EM, such as Wizard, Captain Fantastic, or Old Chicago. Well made, great artwork, easy to understand rules, & harder than it appears gameplay.
- I challenge you to roll the score & set off the "over the top" buzzer on Old Chicago!

If you are a DMD guy, no need to go back to EMs or early SS, find a sys 11 that you likee
If you find you don't like it, move it on

I started with DMDs and have since spread to the good stuff (classics form the 80s and early 90s mainly)

I play my non-DMD decks way more than most DMD stuff

Iook at my collection. One game stands out as different from the rest. Love it!

I find great satisfaction in rolling the score over on a six digit game. Good luck doing that on a DMD.