Try not to over think it. As you noted they are all new to pinball so I wouldn't worry much about settings. Just make sure the games work and try to be present so they understand some of the basic rules. If its to loud or quiet adjust as you go only takes a few seconds.

Don't bother changing the rules nobody cares. As far as sound I'd set everything around 8. WPC games seem to get louder the longer they are on.

Turn on all the games for a full day before hand to stress test your electric, etc

Have plenty of beer on hand and everything will be fine.

As said above, don't overthink it.

WRT machine volume... my experience with having friends over who are pinheads and just casual players. It's as much about the social interaction as it is about playing. Or that's the way it is with the crowds I hang out with anyway. So super loud machines can turn everything into a shouting match and in some cases that actually drives folks out of the game room. YMMV in that regard but we're typically involved in conversations about the game as well as catching up with each other while playing 2-4 up.

Then again, that's the way we spent a lot of our childhood, meeting up at the arcade and playing games at the same time. You know, before everyone just texted and stayed home?!?

When I hosted one i wrote extended rule cards and printed them out and put them next to the machines, basically detailed instructions on how to get the various multiballs, and my strategy to get a good score. was kind of fun to put together, but for 15 machines that might be a bit of a time investment.

For example for pinbot, it's not obvious that you get more bonus for advancing planets and that carries across the whole game, so my strategy is to advance planets as much as possible in the first ball because that pays off across the other balls - and especially if you can get extra balls, but ignore that on later balls
(unless I'm close to a special).

For older games this is helpful, for most newer DMD or LCD games if you shoot at the flashing things you'll generally do ok.

Be prepared for someone to take GC on one of your machines and you'll have to stare at their stupid initials for months until you finally take them down

That seems like too many games to run on one breaker. I would run the extension cord.

Set one game up really tough- real steep and wide open outlanes, no extra balls.
Tell everyone it cost a dollar to play- high score at 10pm takes the pot-
Host not allowed in competition. Throw in a $20 to start the pot. I pick a EM so anyone has a chance.

Yeah, your breaker is going to be a bigger problem then your volume.... 10 games on a single breaker will likely not work. I would try to keep people grouped on 3-4 machines to avoid a trip. No bigger downer then having in process group games shutting off mid play. Could do the extension cord but not a fan of that idea. Be best to herd the group to less games being played. Games that are not played but on draw minimal amps.

If it's the first time with that many games on or people, the room might get hot if you haven't already thought about climate control. My game room debut party just about roasted my guests with 8 pins and a couple other games, I had to install an air conditioner!

Don't forget to list in this thread the time, date, address and type of beer that will be served.....

I over did the electric in my basement for this reason .That being said I never did do the calculations on pins per breaker .What is the rule of thumb on modern games ?

My bad YB I see you said 3-4.

Don’t tell your machines, something will find a way to break. Don’t stress out. It will be a fun night!

Agreed. I have 2 20 amp circuits dedicated for games and 5 to 6 on each at a given time. 10 seems like alot to me.

I have to look when home but I think I did 3 20 amps breakers with 4 outlets on each .Moms doesn’t know yet but there’s room for a dozen this far lol

Post pics. Actually it would be cool to see a dedicated thread for people to post pics of hosting pinball nights at their place, similar to the gameroom thread.

I’m close by so post the address and I’ll swing by ahead of time to test the pins and any of the beer.

i think a 20 amp breaker will support 5 games.

Hmmmm says the guy that does side jobs wiring basements...... lol JK!! The thread below covers many of these questions in detail but it does depend on the type of games era. I stick with 4 games per circuit (being played) as a rule of thumb.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-many-amps-does-a-pinball-use

Something might break. If it does you need to decide if you are going to keep enjoying the party or turn into a mechanic. With the number of games if something takes the machine down I’d just flip it off and keep having fun.

Plenty of pointers given during my last party from two years ago but not until about half way through this video. Enjoy.

John

Again, having them on will only draw a few at best amps. Once however multiple games are firing mulitple 50v coils being played things change quickly and the amp draw goes up quickly.

Lmao.Thanks bud .I’m finally back on mine hopefully finishing up by turkey day

Looking at your Incredible collection I always wondered how many amps you had to run All of those games. Probably dims all of MI when you have an event lol.

Just make sure all your flipper mechs are tidy and tight. I ran a huge party in my game room a few years ago. Every game was being played nonstop for hours.

7/10 problems I had were flipper related. The rest of my issues were little things like stuck balls.

Everything else is pretty much secondary. Enjoy your party!

Run the extension cord if you want. But I was running 28 machines on 2 20 amp circuits and had no power issues on a mix of old and new games. Mine were all occupied at the same time sounds like yours won’t be.

Exactly, I have had 14 machines a single 20 amp breaker for years and never had a problem. Not once. The extension cord is more of a hazard.

Don't stress, if they are cool people they will be happy to see and play a new collection.

If a game breaks down turn if off and laugh about it.
Cheers.

I'd have to count them but when I put the electrical in I really over did it with amps and circuits since the walls and ceiling were open at that time and that's the best time to do it. There is a separate 200 amp service just for the basement itself. I knew I'd have plenty of clocks, neons, signs and more game to come so 200+ outlets was the goal and that way I'd have plenty of power any place I needed it. Never had a problem.

John

WOW

Decades from now people will be scratching thier heads trying to figure out what you were doing in there!

I have a fridge and two pins running off a 12 gauge extension cord for about two years now, it's been fine. I also have about 10 pins per 20A breaker and it has also been fine, but that's kind of meaningless as I haven't hosted a group of 10+ yet so it hasn't been under real stress. I do plug all my pins into these (https://www.tripplite.com/isobar-4-outlet-surge-protector-6-ft-cord-3300-joules-diagnostic-leds~ISOBAR4ULTRA) to protect from surges, spikes, and line noise. They're 12A themselves so if there's too much demand, only one bank of 4 pins will go down instead of all the pins on the circuit. My general rule of thumb for LED pins is 0.5A idle, up to 3A in use.

Yeah I know, isn't it great?!

John

Just keep stepping up on power strips. The heat tells you it’s working!

2B209180-97AA-46C9-8CEF-D6BCEC0E3194 (resized).jpeg

I have a worthwhile piece of advice. Make sure everyone knows how comfortable you are with having your machines banged around. If you are a tightwad about it (I'm not saying you are) make sure people know that. Inevitably, someone will take a good swing at a lockdown bar or glass out of frustration. It happens. Be upfront about how you will respond to that so you don't look like a jerk when you call somebody out.

If you're cool with a little rough play, let people know that too because it will ease up their anxiety about playing too hard. MOST people will be respectful and not abuse games when visiting, but they also shouldn't have to worry about playing with their fingertips (in my opinion).

I’ve never had a tilt warning the few times playing in other peoples homes .I even have a hard time nudging hard on location .I can only full throttle at home .

I don’t see if anyone has mentioned this yet. Make sure that all games are set to 3 balls per game. People will want to try multiple games and especially if some players play a multiplayer game you want to avoid long game times so people can move around freely. And new players can loose interest in a long game. So no 5 balls per game works best.