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Quoted from Gornkleschnitzer:Excellent. *Rubs hands together in secret lair*
First time bringing a game for me, so that'll be a slightly new experience.
that is awesome!
it is the best show ever when you bring a game!!!!
excited already for you!
Quoted from Gornkleschnitzer:I remembered hearing a rumor last year that MGC was considering moving back towards summertime. That would definitely address the snow problem - any thoughts about doing that in future years or are there preferences/technicalities keeping you from a warmer season schedule?
Can't wait! I loved seeing your Fireball last year. Hopefully my homebrew will be well received.
thanks and what homebrew are you bringing?
I need to decide what winter game hits the docket this year for MGC restoration.
April 13th average MKE temps range 40-55. The snow last year was an anomaly for sure. Fingers crossed we never have to deal with that again!
Quoted from pinzrfun:We're actually thinking of passing this year, for the first time in years. That was a LOT of walking back and forth from the hotel to the show, skyway or not. "Oh, we're gonna go grab a bite to eat? Let me go get my jacket - be back in half an hour".... To me, part of the fun of the other venue was it's "underground" feel, walking through the halls in the hotel with a beer, not knowing what you were gonna find around the corner. It was like a treasure hunt. Last year it just felt like a buncha games in a big room like any other show. Loading/offloading definitely needs to be addressed too. Let me close by saying this show quickly became my favorite, and the only year I missed was the first one, but not a fan of the new venue. Unfortunately probably a deal breaker for my (older) crew and myself.
And I know nobody can tame Mother Nature, but last year WAS a mother........
I had the opposite experince. Easy to walk across the street from springhill, a few really good food options in a short walk, and lots of new exploring on multiple floors with even crazier rooms.
If you did not explore anything but the big game room then You only saw a fraction.
Give it another year. The first one will always be a few bugs. Second will surely improve.
Quoted from KingPinGames:We will be back for sure. Working on some fun "other games" for this year. Probably only going to bring 10 kiddie rides instead of 28 (while it was a lot of fun,it was also a lot of work). The two Sega farm games might return (udderly tickets and wac-a-doodle doo). Obvuously we will have pinballs from all of the manufacturers we proudly represent (and possibly a few from those we dont represent). Open to any suggestions on how we can make our "booth" more attractive (minus better looking staff in the booth.. I can only do so much with what I'm given to work with).
Always a fun (long) weekend. We loaded the semi and our truck and were out of the building by midnight. A 3 hour drive home, instead of 2, and a return trip at 8am for 2 kiddie rides we just couldn't fit on the trucks. All in all, great show!
Note to self, may e some anti-fatigue mats for in the booth.
maybe run a high score tourney on 1 game. Even better, do if for the kiddies only on one of the duplicate game. Specifically denote that game is only to be played by those 12 and under. Put high score at 10 digit so they can enter their name. Even cooler if a JJP game where it can take their pic for high score.
Could be a fun way to engage the kids more (and maybe sell a few games to parents of the kids 
)
Quoted from snakesnsparklers:Typically no new game announcments at MGC, you never know though. No auction. Game prices are generally fair so don't expect any amazing deals.
last year, wasn't this the big show for maiden? Pretty sure it was the first chance for lots of play on it.
MGC is getting bigger and bigger, so I would expect a decent shot of an announcement there.
I would encourage anyone looking to get the full MGC experience to bring a game. That is always my biggest advice. The game bringer after party is so much fun!
If not bringing a game (or in addition to it) the VIG experience is well worth the extra time and cost IMHO.
Quoted from HHaase:Hmmmm. If I can figure out a way to park a trailer easily I may even bring a couple games this time around. The blizzard kinda tainted my opinion of driving around in the area for loading and unloading.
Thinking about going bigger somehow if I can figure out what I want to do.
The load in/out is the one and only thing i would like to see improved from last year and my impression is that they are on it...
I personally found it pretty straight forward for load in, since people are coming at separate times over the course of a day.
I then just paid for the surface lot 1 block away and everything was good for the weekend.
For load out, I am hoping they will have additional routes out of the building and I plan to use them. This will alleviate the crunch time of all leaving out one ramp/main door.
All said, take away the snow and I think it would have been much smoother anyway.
Quoted from Marvin:I get why you want games to stay, but the buyer should be under no obligation to leave his/her games at a show. If the vendor refused to let them take the games then the vendor should have refused to take the money. The vendor essentially stole those games for 3 days.
no, the vendor negotiated as part of the sale that the games must stay on and be playable.
I respect and buy from vendors like that.
Pretty much every show is going to have rules around game removal and that is clearly a good thing.
There is a reason MGC continues to grow, multiple manufacturers are launching games at the show, and it is steadily become a can't miss show for so many people!
You are doing great things Dan(and everyone that makes it all happen)
I can hardly wait! xmas is almost here!
Stern Pinball - A lot of people asking for Black Knight... first public viewing... MGC, Milwaukee Wisconsin!!
STTNG for sale/trade. COuld bring to MGC for parking lot deal
Quoted from FatPanda:Just got an email from Marco Spec stating that BK3 Pros and Premiums will be at the Marco Booth. Looking forward to checking them out!
yup!
Madison Pinball will be buying/bringing a BK3000 for everyone to check out.
We are also hosting an official launch party on Sunday May 5th back in Madison
Quoted from RichieWrench:By Any chance anyone not going and cancelling of their rooms - I am looking for a room for the weekend and need help - Last minute decision for me - But I am going.
Any help on where I can get a room -- Thank in advance
If all the rooms in the mgc block are gone, try calling the hotels directly on the phone..
If that fails, there are other hotels just a few blocks away
Quoted from goatdan:$50 to remove before then
it is $50 per game, correct?
If not, then it should be.
Quoted from cavalier88z24:I heard the snow is traveling through the Midwest on Wednesday? also for people coming in from madison 94 east bound heads up the Kilbourn tunnel will be closed. you will have to get off at the Jackson exit or McKinley
is this not the correct route?
I dont know what "kilbourn tunnel" means as it does not show up on google map
Capture (resized).JPGQuoted from f3honda4me:I can do either day. Just wish I had the info on when. I was expecting to have gotten that information by now. :/
I was under the impression that Marco sets up all the games this year???? Figured it was due to a few unfortunate events of people breaking glass and other crap last year?
Last year I am pretty sure we did unboxings all on Thursday night. If you were not there on Thursday then they unboxed for you. They have lots to get set up so likely can’t wait till fri
Quoted from RichieWrench:If anyone is cancelling out for Friday / Saturday -- Looking for a hotel room for those two nights at the event
Thanks -- Please PM
call around to each of the partner hotels.
They all have rooms left, just no the show block it appears.
I have a buddy that just got a room yesterday by calling.
Quoted from goatdan:Marco should be sending out details. They thought they had.
And yes, if you aren't there to open before the show, they will. The point of a show game is to have it for the show to show it to more perspective buyers. It more or less doesn't become "yours" until 5pm on Sunday.
Marco email went out now with details.
Quoted from FrankJ:Or go a little farther to Madison. Madison Pinball has a few killer pinball locations.
thanks
Quoted from Pinzap:I/O arcade visit a month or two ago revealed a great collection with awesome pins, though very few food options (no kitchen)
thanks
They do serve chips/cheese, awesome pretzel balls/cheese, and have an actual pizza oven to make up some decent frozen pizza. Even better is that you have dank coffee shop, eldorado grill, or bandung thai food on the same block
Not as good as Blue Moon Burgers for sure, as not much can beat those (but I/O is double the pins in quantity and variety 
)
Quoted from PinZig:Bringing the family this year, everyone is super excited! Due to the impending storm we are leaving earlier than expected as well. Gotta beat that storm. We may end up staying in Madison otw. Are any or all of these fine establishments fam friendly?
Www.madisonpinball.com for full list of games and locations.
Assuming you will be on eastside near interstate, pooleys and alt brew are both family friendly and close.
Quoted from cavalier88z24:dammit there calling for rain and snow on sunday
[quoted image]
I would not fret. This is the time of year that weather people really have no Fing clue what is going on (and they can't cause it is very unstable at the seasonal change).
Just keep thinking positive.
Hell, with those temps and the very warm gound, nothing is gonna stick in MKE anyway.
Quoted from f3honda4me:Debating if I want to go open my NIB Star Trek premium at the show hall Thursday evening or not. That is the time slot we were given by Marco. Hmmmm!
DO IT!
It is so much fun to be at the opening party!
Ill be there opening up 2 games.
Quoted from Jediturtle:Yes...you do. Thursday night game opening is one of my favorite times. Bummed I will not be opening anything this year, but super excited to see everyone opening theirs! No way would I want to miss out on opening my own game and letting them do it for me.
want to help open the 2nd one I am supposed to set up?
I hear you are really good at leveling them.
Quoted from hayrebear:In re the Thursday unboxing party, I have a quick question or two. I emailed Marco, but never heard back. Do we just show up at/around the window they mentioned to us?
Also, should we be bringing anything along for this? More curious with regard to whether others bring wax, tools, new balls, etc. Any feedback or guidance is much appreciated.
I suggest bringing everything you want/need to set your game up and tweak how you like.
Quoted from floyd1977:Nope, but if you bring a game, you can play into the wee hours at the after party.
They also offer the paid alternative afterparty at garcade. Good option for those that don’t bring hames
Quoted from cletus:I just used their valet parking last year. It was reasonable and easy.
same
it was nice to use and easy and relatively cheap since I park once and leave the car in one spot for the whole weekend
Quoted from Pinzap:Last year I stayed at the Hilton and the MGC parking rate was on my bill when I checked out because I had stayed as part of the MGC block of rooms. Not saying you can’t get the rate without the stay, but it might be difficult.
everyone can just say they are staying in your room and get the parking
Purdy
2DF4FCF3-95E7-4EF9-8910-01712AC983FB (resized).jpegEACBAA10-4121-4167-A04A-2F74AF4206D5 (resized).jpeg9578282C-2F56-42B2-A5D3-FE29EE0C4D55 (resized).jpegAE1910E2-FE0F-4AFF-9B03-ABAF69E268BC (resized).jpegC13A2BC7-E742-4956-9F80-3DF8DCE0B0A4 (resized).jpegD0E6032D-76CB-41BE-B090-2E30E333C1E2 (resized).jpegQuoted from TomGWI:If anyone thought MGC was good last year, just wait until this year. If you are not impressed by what the distributors and manufacturers are doing this year than their is something seriously wrong with you.
It is INSANE !
Anyone contemplating if they should make the trip, do it! I counted over 100 nib games as of yesterday that are set up and ready for play
Toss on the likely other 200 collector game that are showing up today and WOW!
Then toss on all the other stuff that MGC has and double wow!
Show is probably 50% larger than last year in my estimation
MGC was the biggest and best it has ever been. With OVER 100 NIB games that were courtesy of the local collector scene buying and sharing them for the weekend it was really amazing to see. While JJP, CGC, and Stern brought these games, they only came in that volume because the collectors prepaid and were taking them home. This is why you did not see 200 older and restored collector games, but rather about 150of the older ones in favor of the additional NIB stuff.
With over 250 (308 by my count with all the other rooms, but I may have missed some along the way) this was for sure the largest show in the region. Multiple pinball vendors were there so I am not sure what people are asking for on that? Toss on the board gamers, video games, cosplay, vendor hall, multiple other rooms, etc... IF you can't have fun at MGC and went home complaining then you probably can't have fun anywhere. Seriously, coming from someone like me... why the hell is anyone possibly complaining about this year. IT was phenomenal!
Quoted from Methos:Thanks for bringing these Dave. To bring not one, not two, but three rare games is very much appreciated. Expo always seems to have rare games, but MGC struggles in this regard a bit. There are tons of rare games in the WI collector base too.
Loved the Cyclopes, played great BTW.
Agreed. These were awesome playing and highlights for me! I was only able to bring one ultra rare game this year and sadly little pro went down hard on Saturday around dinner time. Someone maliciously cracked the golfer wheel to break it all to shit. Looks like I will be learning how to 3D print to bring him back to life. Still worth it to see so many people enjoying playing a rare game. I plan to fix him up better than ever and likely bring him back next year as lots of people said how fun he was
Quoted from leonml:That's all an excuse. I think many people were deterred by the fact that they held it in downtown mke, a place many would rather avoid.
Also, there was plenty of room for as many pinball games as they could fit. They other gaming crap vastly overtook prime real estate.
Also, smart people knew that downtown mke would be a disaster to transport games to and fro. And, it was.
From someone that brought multiple games and has done so every year for the past 7? now... It really was pretty easy to be part of this show and have lots of fun along with it. You are becoming a broken record at this point. While there are always things to improve (and MGC does every single year), how about sharing something you actually liked about the show.
If you did not like anything, then I guess that this is just not the show for you and luckily there are lots of shows to pick from.
Of the 20k people in attendance over the weekend, I saw lots of smiling faces.
On a brighter note, just wanted to say a huge thanks to all the game hall workers (Tully, Aaron, Mike, Tom, Keith, Chris, and all the others that I am forgetting to name).
You guys bust your ass every year and this show runs so smooth on the front end due to all you do behind the scenes to make it all happen!
A sincere thanks and it is impressive how much you do and deal with in the back.
Quoted from Deaconblooze:I'm pretty sure it's usually planned with that in mind. The weekend of MGC sort of floats depending on that.
hoping for 1 weekend later next year
Took Monday off work to recover...
Why have I not done that before? Makes everything so much better and helps the fun sink in.
Can't wait for next year.
Quoted from dkazz1:NO separate rooms all over the place.
ummm... you should have gone down to the 2nd floor
Some great rooms in those areas for sure!
Quoted from cavalier88z24:I couldn't believe the price on the P3 game. seriously $5,000! geeks mania wanted that game gone. such a shame, so much potential, I wish I had the money. I would have grabed it.
[quoted image]
I wish I had seen that price!
I assume it sold at the show?
Quoted from dkazz1:LOL Hilton....you know what I mean
I know.
I will say I do miss the elevator pinball and bathroom videogames at the Sheraton.
Quoted from BrewNinja:Ive played the P3 out at geeks. Its definitely been used. A lot of the plastic parts are cracked. I don't know if its just cosmetic or not.
I looked into it a bit more.
Game is blasted out and has some pretty substantial issues from the sounds of it. I was told it has blown multiple boards and has rotary motor issues from someone that checked it out at MGC. Those games get road hard... I have no idea how they can keep up with the maintenance over there.
I now understand why it did not sell even at 5k.
Quoted from aobrien5:I dont know if anyone has said it yet, but I was very happy to see Death Ball back. That game is awesome.
It is pretty kickass! Last backer cab ended up in Madison at IO barcade. If you want and excuse to play some Deathball and pinball...
4C07EB4C-0EFC-423C-8BDF-028390C09800 (resized).jpeg5EA8FA4F-4329-4201-BC9B-12D373640EF4 (resized).jpegC9E485F7-5AA1-4F1A-B388-8F84BA0DE2D9 (resized).jpegQuoted from janus:Some guy insisted we take this picture. I don't remember the context, so I'm going to preface it with anyone who came and wasn't thoroughly entertained, this is for you...
[quoted image]
love it! nice meeting you!
Quoted from epthegeek:My mistake then. must have been the group from the very front room?
star worlds?
Quoted from harmon1728:Does anyone know the dates for 2020 yet?
Thanks!
Hope they announce soon! I would love to get it on the books!
Quoted from janus:I haven't sobered up from this year yet...
nobody says we have to
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Madison, WI