Longtime flipper, want to own

Really, these days you have to expect most competitive tournament games to be mostly Stern titles with an occasional classic thrown in...

I would suggest a Stern title that you always see in tournaments as opposed to a BSD. BSD may be a good choice for a second game to improve your skills on though.

BSD will definitely make you a better player due to the difficulty, strategy, and lightning flips…but I don't know if it's the best game for a first game. I assume you're in 2-3k market based on you targeting BSD and there are a lot of excellent options in that range. Do you have any specific things you're looking for in a first table in regard to features or anything like that?

Not sure I would call myself a flipper. That has negative connotations.

Shadow seems to be fun and challanging

Pinball is funny... I think it's impossible to get just one game under the premise that it will have repeatability. Yeah, some are way deeper than others...wouldn't argue that...BUT, they all can lose their luster to some degree after repeated plays. If you truly only want to own one pin (at a time), I'd look at this first pin as a temporary resident. That means going for a title that will be fairly easy to move when you are ready for your next challenge. BSD is a perfectly good choice for this...it's fun...it's hard as hell...and you'll probably have a good shot at selling it for close to what you paid (give or take a few hundred) assuming you don't over pay.

I'm going to assume, like Shadow_E, that you are in the $1800-$2600 range (adjusting his estimate down a little). Out of the pins that I've owned... I'd say I would look for a Whirlwind or a Johnny Mnemonic... I'd also consider a BSD, but from my experience (having a BSD in my collection) I think I'd go for the other two first.

You're going to field a ton of varied opinions on this matter...a lot of it boils down to personal taste. Luckily, it sounds like you've played quite a bit so you probably have a good idea of what kinds of game layouts you enjoy.

Good luck (and don't forget to factor in buying magnetic hex drivers, a DMM, and a switch adjuster tool...along with various fuses, Novus, paste wax, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol!)

"I've been flipping these darn things for years and spending the cash on upgrading my speaker system in the car... figured these things are fun or something, so I'd actually like to own one."

Kidding of course.

Come pick up my bsd! I'll sell it to you for 1800 to help your addiction get rolling.

Bsd is one of the best titles from a player perspective. It forces you to fine tune your skills.

I think he might be using the term flipper in the sense of "one that plays pinball" (like a person that flips the flippers), not one that buys and sells machines for a profit.

That's the only way it makes sense in the context of the post.

Anyway, BSD is a GREAT title to add if you are going to play/practice competitive play. It's a title that's currently in our rotation at our league (along with Dr. Who, another lightning flipper drain machine), and it's a great equalizer! It has a big risk and big reward strategy where you can stack multiballs for a huge gain. BSD games are usually pretty fast and heart pounding, at least for me. It's a feast or famine type of game, but that's what makes it fun.

Another more affordable title I would recommend would be F14 Tomcat. It's like pinball target practice aiming for those targets on the lower playfield.

Definitely get a game that you find difficult and one that you CAN'T play on location regularly. It seems like a waste to get a game that you can play anytime you want, even if it's a drive away.

BSD is one I'd like to own.