To help you plan which games to bring, here is the general idea of the point system. Certain games will qualify against more than one of these criteria and earn points in more than one way.
* Pinball games manufactured by Heighway, Dutch, Spooky, American, Homepin, Deeproot, Phoenix, Quetzal, Silver Castle, Illinois, Exhibit, Genco, Keeney, United, Allied Leisure, Alvin G, Atari, Capcom, Century, Game Plan, International Concepts, Mirco, Viza, Wico
* Pitch-and-bat baseball games manufactured by Bally, Midway, Exhibit, Genco, Keeney, United, Evans, Western, Scientific
* Electromechanical arcade games manufactured between 1946 and 1965
* Pinball games with low production quantity, per IPDB
* Pinball games with art by Paul Faris
* Game-designer bonus to be announced later
* Pinball games on the Pinside Most Wished list as of January 1, 2018 (often called “A-list games”)
* Limited Edition models of recent pinball games
* You also get one extra point for each game registered before June 1, 2018.
I took a snapshot of the Pinside Most Wished list on January 1. Here it is:
1. Twilight Zone, Bally, 1191 wishlists
2. Medieval Madness, Williams, 1189 wishlists
3. The Addams Family, Bally, 1138 wishlists
4. Monster Bash, Williams, 1100 wishlists
5. Theatre of Magic, Bally, 1059 wishlists
6. Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure, Williams, 1010 wishlists
7. Attack from Mars, Bally, 968 wishlists
8. Tales of the Arabian NightS, Williams, 958 wishlists
9. White Water, Williams, 884 wishlists
10. Lord of the Rings, Stern, 854 wishlists
11. FunHouse, Williams, 825 wishlists
12. Scared Stiff, Bally, 801 wishlists
13. Creature from the Black Lagoon, Bally, 753 wishlists
14. The Simpsons Pinball Party, Stern, 737 wishlists
15. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Williams, 726 wishlists
16. Cirqus Voltaire, Bally, 653 wishlists
17. Fish Tales, Williams, 622 wishlists
18. Wizard of Oz, Jersey Jack Pinball, 618 wishlists
19. The Machine: Bride of Pinbot, Williams, 605 wishlists
20. Whirlwind, Williams, 596 wishlists
CGC remakes would also count, because it plays the same as the original.
An original design homebrew game counts the most of all, probably ten bonus points. Other games are worth varying amounts from 1 to 9 points. Add one extra point if you register before June 1.
The special hat and the Oxhead Tavern gift card will probably become selectable rewards under this point system. The rewards will include a combination of stuff you can take home with you and things to enjoy while in Sturbridge, and you will have choices (while supplies last) based on the plateau you reach. The plan is to have plateaus at 5, 10, 15, and 20 points. This is an experiment that is likely to be tweaked for each annual show.
So look over your collection and try to pick games that will earn you extra points. And remember that even without the bonus points, we still have generous rewards for ALL game bringers!
.................David Marston