TAF, AC/DC, BOP, and your choice of fish tales or Avatar

If you like older games, drop the last one and snatch up a black hole

I like to have a variety of gameplay, as well as different eras represented. Just quickly throwing this together:

Something older. Fireball has been on my mind, and I can't think of a much better early game with no cap noted in your request.

Something stop/go. You've already got a flow-monster, add something like WW to represent another great era, and some Lawlor pick-your-shot type play.

Something deep. TOM is great, but not really considered deep. WPT would be a nice shooter that has some deep rules to complement TOM.

Wildcard. I don't know. Rounding out a collection with AC/DC Premium never seems like a bad idea?

Today I would pick:

AC/DC
STTNG
TZ
LOTR

Personally, having owned TOM, CV and Totan, I would switch TOM for CV with the home roms, deeper and more polished. This will change as more new machines come out I suspect

AFM
TZ
MET
SOF

Ok, I went with a great shooter's game with great callouts(AFM), a game that is stop and go, but also has a ton of shots, a game that looks to be Stern's best recently(and yes, I've played a ton of games on it, and I really like it), and an old school game that everytime I run into one I can't stop playing.
My one slight hesitation is that AFM and MET seem to be a lot alike, but I couldn't leave it off that list.

I've also got subs for each of those...
MB
STTNG
Tron
Banzai Run

Going by my favorites of pins I've owned or played and a desire to have a variety of pins from across different eras...

Indiana Jones
Funhouse
Eight Ball Deluxe
Quick Draw

However, there are lot's of pins I could substitute...

Medieval Madness
Whirlwind
Star Gazer
Surf Champ

I like the idea of something old-something new. Have at least one system 11 or even an early solid state classic (I have Centaur, Fathom, Cosmic Gunfight and Joust currently - anything from early Bally or Stern solid state era that is fun and fits your budget). I'm rounding out the "newer" side of my collection with TZ, Metallica and Predator (the latter two I'm still waiting for). TZ could be swapped with anything from that B-W era that you enjoy playing, and Metallica with AC/DC or something newer from Stern. There is no one right answer!

Tough one! But if I was only left with 4....

Judge Dredd
Big Hurt
Getaway
Fireball

So... you have no budget?

toilet-coffee-mug-ibd-gift-idea-yuck.jpg

If I was putting together a "dream collection" of TOM + 4 more machines, I'd want it to be as diverse as possible so no game felt like a "worse version" of another. I'd pick...

Tron (my favorite "New Stern", sci-fi/arcade theme)
Medieval Madness (another approachable hit like TOM, fantasy theme)
WHO Dunnit (like nothing else out there, mystery theme)
Eight Ball Deluxe (my favorite solid state, pool/cowboy theme)
Abra-Ca-Dabra (my favorite EM, magic theme -- a perfect old school compliment to TOM!)

Ugh, but leaving out so many good ones! I'm like, System11-4-lyfe and don't have a single one on there. This is really fun to think about

TAF
ACDC
FT
LoTR

Lastability with a reasonable budget.

AFM/SM for speed
BSD for difficulty
LOTR for depth
FH for creepiness

Out of what I own, I would narrow it down to TOM plus

IronMan - short ball times, killer hard yet incredibly simple
AFM - good depth (or LOTR- crazy depth, but I already have a Stern in the list)
CFTBL - best total integration of all aspects that go into a pin
OXO - all-time favorite EM with probably the most relays ever in any EM.

Dan

I did a mod to the two FHs I have owned where I painted the inside of Rudy's mouth all red and hung a red bulb in there attached to the jaw motor, so his mouth glowed red whenever the jaw moved. Then I put a red bulb in the eyes so his eyes looked totally bloodshot.

That latter one was too much as it made him too creepy even for me. That is the perfect word to describe Rudy. I had to take it out.

Could you imagine a drunken Rudy? How nasty would his disposition be then!

Dan

I'd go with:

AC/DC Premium
Congo
White Water
Pin*Bot

One of each version of Metallica...

I'd go with
AC/DC Premium for modern fast flow great all around battle pin
TSPP/LOTR for depth and greatest rules/stackability
BSD/FH/WH2O for quick fast playing hard interesting early 90's
Flash Gordon/Paragon for tough but affordable classic Bally 80's fix

-Jim

TOM
CFTBL (Just Fun)
AVATAR (lets you get close, always leaves you wanting more)
FIREPOWER (Fast Fast Fast)
CENTIGRADE 37 (Classic EM and Challenging)

I personally like having a progressive lineup of "systems" to highlight pinball's evolution.
I'd do something like:

Gorgar (System 6A)
Black Knight (System 7)
Sorcerer (System 9)
Whirlwind (System 11)
TOM (WPC)

_{Post edited by Ranhorton : added my 4th}

I'm pretty close to your list heckheck.

LOTR - Depth
WH2O - Ramps/Speed
Flash Gordon - Difficulty
CFTBL - Theme

Tough decision,
TZ - all around great game
Cyclone - awesome flow, call outs and love the ramps
CFTBL - love the theme and ruleset
AC/DC - really love playing this pin, can't get enough!

You get one more!

Whoops.
Added

Now I just have to find space in my gameroom for a system 7 in my lineup so I have this "progression."

TZ - nice deep compliment to your TOM
W2HO - all the ramp action you could ever want
Classic Bally- I prefer Flash Gordon, but I wouldn't kick a Fathom outta bed
Old school Gottlieb - C37, Sinbad/Eye of the Tiger, Atlantis, (Abra Ca Dabra would be a nice bookend to your TOM)

Since you already have the Popaduik...how about

A Lawlor, Richie (Either brother),Gomez, and Kordek from an oldie

TSPP, stop and start, my first game, pinball nirvana, will never beat it, theme implementation and unique ruleset makes it a must have.

WOF, (shame it will never see Keith's vision) Flow, ramps, ball never leave the top side of the field. It's my wife's favorite so not going anywhere.

Breakshot, old school flavor with modern convienence, match sequence second to none.

AC DC prem, on the way. Love the music, felt to me like a non battle spiderman that is more fun.

Metallica. They are the Beatles to me. At least up to the black album.

the only correct answer is bsd, jackbot, afm & mm.

AFM and MM are basically the same game as far as shots go. Why do this?

That's why I kept my AFM and let the MM go.

Dan

HS2 smokes them both.

Forgot about Fathom. Would add that and lose TOM.

Dan

BSD , HS2 & IM .. Nuff said ..... My 3 Keeper's ..

Demo_Man_#_4_020.JPG

because those are the four games i own.

I see.

ACDC Premium
WH2O/Tron
Avengers LE
TSPP/LOTR

I'm not seeing much love for DE on these lists. A well balanced collection needs at least one DE or maybe Sega. I played a DE Star Wars at Underground Retrocade and that's a fantastic machine.

Decent games, and short money usually, great bang for the buck. They don't have lasting power in small collections for most people. I enjoy them a lot, but in other people's collections.

ya like Tftc , mb all around fun. if you need a de, you need a gottlieb. stargate?

The OP seems to have one pin in his collection: Theatre of Magic. THIS ISN'T HYPOTHETICAL AT ALL! I declare shenanigans!

If I were to do a 5-pin lineup with TOM a part of it, though, there are a few ways I'd consider doing this. I'd probably want some layout like:
Slot 1: Theatre of Magic (could eventually sub in a CV, TOTAN, or a Papadiuk game.)
Slot 2: Lawlor game
Slot 3: Steve Ritchie game (Or maybe Fish Tales)
Slot 4: Some classic game
Slot 5: Am EM or something Random

A couple potential lineups I'd consider
If going SS and DMD:
1. TOM
2. Whirlwind
3. Getaway
4. Space Shuttle
5. Haunted House

Or, if going all DMD:
1. Theatre of Magic
2. Addams Family
3. Terminator 2
4. Lord of the Rings
5. Champion Pub

Missing

Yeah, I don't know EMs well enough to suggest an extraordinary one, but I think a good lineup could easily include one.

afm ( or mm ), tz ( or IJ ), totan or cv in place of tom, fh ( or ft ) , lotr ( deep stern ) or tspp