AFMLE!

It's always hard telling someone else what to buy or what they'll like...everyone's tastes are different.

It sounds like you have a decent budget, which means pretty much all games are available for you to choose from, it's just a matter of picking one.

You said you're probably only going to buy one. I assume you mean that you're probably only going to have one at a time (by the way, that thinking will be changing soon enough as we all said we were only going to have one when we started). Given that, my advice would be to pick one based on what comes up for sale near you, play it, and if you don't like it then sell it and get something else. Don't feel like you have to make a life time commitment to the first game you buy.

As you've probably figured out by now, if you buy a new in box game there's a chance you'll take a loss when it comes time to sell it. If you're looking to buy a game and not lose any money then you're way better off buying an older, proven game, as those prices are likely to stay more consistent.

Don't forget to count having your game and the ability to play it whenever you want to as part of the cost of ownership. In otherwords, if you buy a game for $5000 today, put 500 plays on it, and sell it a year later for $4500, I'd argue you didn't "lose" anything as you had a game available to you to play whenever you wanted - that counts for something.

Given that your wife likes the WOZ theme, I'd probably start there. Yes, it can be a tough game, but if it's a theme that interests her, which may draw her into the hobby as well, then that's a win-win. If you both enjoy the hobby then chances are you won't really be buying "just one game".

Dave

WOZ is brutally hard. I don't find the ruleset particularly deep, either.

Of the games you listed that you like, only GOT and LOTR have deep rules. That's what I'd look for in a game to keep me engaged for a long time if I only had one.

I've had my LOTR for ten years and still haven't gotten to Valinor. It's a very fun game and not likely to lose value in the future.

Of all the ones you have listed, and the criteria mentioned such as friends and family being able to walk up and enjoy the game without having to read extensive rule sets personally medieval madness or monster bash hands down.

Both MMR and MB are games that a new player will love and expert players will come back for more.

All the games you listed are awesome machines, but some cater better to a player who like complex rule sets and having to "figure things out" MMR and MB are really straight forward and super fun themes! But in the end u can't really go wrong with any of those machines you listed. One consideration could be a simpsons or pirates of the carribbean as well, u may be able to buy 2 for the price of one MMR or MB. Best of luck

Star Trek is someplace between "shallow" and "deep" IMO... you get the whole mission choosing thing like GOT but not the whole "house choosing" thing. If you like the Star Trek theme, I recommend it!

Gonna be tough. I wouldn’t worry about keeping it for a long time for two reasons.

1. You plan to only have one. Hard to not get bored of any game in that scenario.

2. You plan to not over pay for the game so selling should be easy.

I suggest you start with a game like jackbot, World Cup Soccer, pirates of the carribean, Adams family, monopoly, etc.

Do your research on prices. Don’t over pay. When the game gets stale, move it on and get the next one.

Also. Since you’re interested in the new games, don’t buy new!!! Buy one second hand. You will save lots of money and will have a better chance at not losing your shirt when you go to sell. Think buying new as opposed to used cars.

I think you just described Lord of the rings

Your game list has is full of winners so I personally don't think you can go wrong.... but perhaps you should revise/re-order your criteria.

#1 shouldn't be number 1. The person who plays it most will be you and that will be true by a large margin. As an example, when family/friends visit me they often walk right past my pins and want to play skee ball first.
#2 should be number 1. Following up on #1, it's all about you.
#3 shouldn't be on the list. It won't significantly change how much others play it but it will work against your #2 (which is now #1).
#4 you've accomplished with the games on your target list
#5 I'm not much help here - I still own game #1 ... and #2 ... and #3 ... I've only sold 3 games in 10 years of owning. I do think every game has a home/fan, so you really should be able to get it's market price when/if you want out. So maybe this is a question of price direction in the larger market and nobody knows that. Don't stress about what can't be controlled. Just focus on getting a fair deal.

-Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or for my pinball 2000 H+V video sync combiner kit

I have WOZ and AFM and would keep AFM if I only had one and was trying to have a game everyone enjoyed. WOZ is fun, but the rules of AFM are really easy to understand but difficult to master. I still camp on AFM and have owned it for over a decade.

Star Trek pro would be my choice.

Check it out since its not far from you.

I would add speaker package and shaker. Also probably the most cost effective.

I have owned ST for close to 4 years, the longest in my lineup.

I keep one pin at my parents' house - Star Trek Pro. Why? Not super shallow in rules (I don't get bored), great non-offensive theme for family, approachable for the kiddos, fun as hell, and it should hold most if not all of its value. Oh, and it has the best repeatable shot in pinball.

Unless you're not afraid of taking a slight hit of buying a NIB AFM and selling it later at a bit of a loss, I'd heavily recommend ST.

If you decide to go new I’d suggest AFM. Rumors on pinside suggest that MB may be the next Pin to be remade, although you would have to wait and see.

Also consider the Simpsons pinball party. A great used game that has proven to be top notch.

My first game was ST and I still have it so I think it would be hard to go wrong there and it meets all of your criteria. Stern is no longer making them so buying a used one it would be hard to loose much money.

#the-hobbit should be on your list. Easily obtained multi-balls for anyone but deep rules to keep an owner interested long term.
#game_of_thrones is also a great choice with lower ball times.

Don't do it. They multiply like rabbits. I said the same thing 3 years ago. Now I own 12.

LOTR, WOZ, and GOT are the deepest ones you mentioned in your post. If you are going for longer ball times, WOZ has the shortest ball times on your list.

WCS is just the right amount of family fun, beginners being able to understand everything in a game or two, and it has ball times right in the middle of the pack. However, you are likely to see everything it has to offer in 20-30 plays.

I liked TSPP. I had one for about 5 years. It is fairly deep but it is certainly not for everyone. You should play one if you have a chance.

One other thing to consider is who will fix the game when it breaks? With a new purchase, you are covered for most electrical and mechanical failures.

I know Monster Bash may be tempting and is a riot to play but IMHO it is overpriced these days for how much unique gameplay it offers.

Lots of good options, to me

SM or IM are great for all skill levels Tron and Metallica are great too.

I had a lot of fun with TZ but it can be unreliable since it’s 20+ years old and lots of things can go wrong.

Games like Woz, Tspp, LotR or TWD are great for better for better players, Woz is a masterpiece and all these pins novice player can play but you really get a lot more out of them if you understand the rules.

If I had to sell my pins Woz and TWD pro or IM VE would be the last to leave.

If you are only getting one pin, and sticking to just one (which I doubt because these things multiply) I would say Medieval Madness takes the cake. I don't own one but it's my grail pin for sure. Regardless of what pin you decide on, I would suggest buying from a reputable seller on pinside. Pins will breakdown eventually, but I find that pinsiders tend to take better care of their machines opposed to regular old Joe from Craigslist. Good luck !!!

One pin is tough. Going for a deeper pin isn't always best. They often have confusing rules and difficult to reach wizard modes. Simpler games that are easier to understand can be a lot of fun but also can get old fast. Truth be told, any one pin played all the time gets old. That's why having at least 3-4 pins is so desirable. You can get a little variety with different type of games, have more than one person play at a time, and still have something to play if one is down.

I have found most kids don't really care about pinball. They get excited initially but quickly lose interest. Same for other people. Most are just not into pinball all that much and don't have the skills to really enjoy them. Trying to explain the rules is not helpful because they are just trying to keep the ball from draining.

Some of the games you listed are very expensive. There are lots of great games out there in different price ranges. I think it's better starting off with two good $3000 games than one $6000 for example. I would just try to play as many games as you can and see what you like. Pinball Arcade or watching youtube videos of gameplay also help get an idea of what games appeal to you. I would get an idea of your budget and get an idea of pricing of games you like.

Getting only 1 pin?? I said the same thing, now I have 5 and I’m looking for more! Get a pin that YOU and your family love. Go play a few together. You can always sell it later, or you may want to buy more!

That sentence doesn't even make any sense...

please do not lie to us.

Make room for at least 4 more. Good luck

I would buy long leg levelers and experiment with what works. Most games you’re looking at will want a pf angle around 6.5degrees (or more).

I’m also going to be the 10th person to say...there will be more than one!

They make legs from 27" to 31" so that gives you a variance of 4". Probably can make up the other inch with long leg levelers.

Mike V

aFMr. Done First game my whole family has enjoyed (from over 20)

AFM, DI, LOTR are good options and then go ahead and save money and make room for several more. Enjoy.

What game? Let us know

You are going to regret option 2 every time you try to move the pin. I don't think shorter legs are ideal either because it will tend to tip over backwards and break a bunch of stuff when you move it onto level ground.

You should move to a better pinball house, where are your priorities?

My 2 cents: Buy the cheapest pin you can that you enjoy so that you won't feel (as) nervous about messing around and trying to fix it. Maybe it's just me, but I was completely intimidated when I bought my first pin earlier this year (T2). But because I bought a well-used T2 and didn't pay a fortune for it, I was more likely to take the glass off, lift the playfield, and mess around. If I screwed something up and completely turned the machine into a pile of ash (highly unlikely), worst case I'm out $2k. Now I'm waiting for my MET Pre to arrive and when it does, I'll be nervous because it cost a lot more, but I'm more comfortable with looking at the playfield and even soldered a fix on a light board just a few weeks ago (with help from LTG, who frankly, is awesome). Once you decide you want a different one, you'll be able to sell it and you'll be that much more confident on your next machine.

Or maybe I'm the only paranoid person here, in which case, ignore my advice.

The other side of the coin is that if you can afford a new (NIB), go with a NIB. Less chance of issues, under warranty, you're not buying someone else's problem. My first machine was a $1200 Bally Future Spa. I put about $800 into it and sold it for $1500. So I got to play it for a year and lost $500. I learned alot but I kinda wish I would have just gotten a NIB to begin with. Again, depends on your family budget. If you make $300K a year, a $7,000 NIB probably isn't going to kill you. If you make $30K then maybe you start with a $1000 pin.

BTW, check out Houdini. Seems like a nice family theme.

I know this has been said but if you can find a used simpsons pinball party TSPP, in decent shape, that game never gets old, one of the deep st rulesests in pinball. But, also super easy to walk up to and have a blast.

We have one at work and people skilled and new both love the game and it gets tons of play. Just s thought, could be a happy
Medium as you should be able to snag a decent one around 4500+-

The Simpsons Pinball Party (Tspp)

Agreed, just wanted to clarify because there is another Simpsons pin.

OP might do better to see what kind of deals are in his area and then decide, sometimes a really good deal pops up.

Attack From Mars sounds like a solid choice for you honestly.

Alien or Dialed In.

I just bought an AFMR LE and My wife loves it! She was very skeptical at first because I had to sell the WOZRR! But now she is having a lot of fun with this game and she is not a big pinball player. I have 4 games (downsized from 17 at the beginning of this year) OP: If you would like to drop by my place you can play: AFM, SS, MM and CC. PM me I will be around this weekend!

If money didn’t matter I’d say st, gb, or afm. But what about the classics? Black Knight or pin bot?

go play a lot of games, anywhere, arcade, friends, distributors then make a decision.

ya... good luck with only one!

I'd suggest Addams Family. Fun, fast, complex, accessible, classic but not crazy expensive.

Or TSPP.

Or any modern Stern Pro.

I do have a TAF too.

For cost:

Consider buying used, let someone else take the depreciation. HUO games mostly look brand new and save you money.

Avoid Prem, LE or JJP to save money.

If you like AFM, the AFMr is a great game at a good price. No need for Prem or LE.

Plan on trading or selling it in a year or two. No big deal if you don’t overpay on a new game.

Have fun!