"Sales Launch"(Christmas). For 2 Weeks (to about 9th of January?).

Blood Sucker Editions available as option for any/all of the 750 games, only during this time. Unsure how the BSE Numbering will work, or if this can be chosen.

2 weeks after the Launch, the game will then be available to Non-FC buyers, and BS orders/sales also Close! .

I really hope I have that correct.

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Quoted from Fang Club thread.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/spooky-fang-club

"All Fang Club Members will get the chance to buy-in on our games 2 weeks before it opens to the public! You can choose a regular game or Blood Suckers Edition, but please note: ALL BLOOD SUCKERS GAMES WILL BE BUILT IN ORDER, AND BUILT FIRST!
In fact, if you buy a Blood Suckers Edition in the first 48 hours of sales launch, your game will even get another special little graveyard ornamental item AT NO EXTRA COST!"

1,251 posts by 344 Pinsiders so far in this thread.
Look at past game production and sales compared to release hype.
I can’t predict the future, but I am capable of inference.

I’m super happy for Spooky Pinball and I’m not worried about being able to get one of these games.

The wild card here though is that this really doesn't seem to be a "tiny fringe" type Theme, unlike Spookys previous themes. "Tiny fringe" is a fair statment though when producing less mainstream themes like ACNC, TNA, RZ, Octoberfest or Houdini. RaM could be made in the kinds of volumes Stern or JJP produce, not a Spooky "volume" theme really.

But still I agree, in essence. Most glad also that it is being made by Spooky. Ultimate!

I actually was thinking (hoping) a week or two ago that RaM was going to be one of DRs surprises. Obviously I was wrong, kinda glad about that too somehow....

You obviously don't do much international shipping do you. Also, it's more than just the cost of the courier as there is more paperwork required. International shipping is a real PITA. I know.

And sure, it may be cheaper to ship to the UK than say Australia, but what are you expecting different rates to each country for a small company like spooky?

You idea about a membership without the hard goods is a good one. If people are joining the club for the soft benefits, it would be a good option. It will be interesting to see what they say to that!

Jaz

I was just going to point this out. The FOMO is at an all time high right now, but there will be plenty of games to go around. Not limiting the number of games would be a mistake IMO for a few reasons, most mentioned by Charlie already.

One thing I'm taking from all these comments regarding how Spooky runs their business (from all sides of the debate) - they are coming from a place of love and support for Charlie and his company. There's worse things in the world than having people debate about whether you could be bigger than you are. There is a lot of passion here from the customers (both current and prospective). That means something.

......so, we’ll go break into the spooky shop and take photos for pinside...... Hey, is that guy listening to us? Yeah, I’m pretty sure he can hear us. “Dolores, I’m going to need you to run a 199 on a possible Doolittle. He might have heard our plans to invade spooky”
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Spooky have the theme the clips and the callouts covered . I really hope the Playfield and code live up to people's expectations but with Scott and Bowen on-the-job I think they're more than halfway there . I hope they pile on the humour , I want to be insulted by Rick when I fail and get a backhanded compliment when I do something good . The humour of this game is what could make it really great .

I agree it is about the humor. And please don't water the edgyness down, be true to the show.

No, with friends and family all around the world I do plenty of international shipping, particularly to and from the States. I’ve also been responsible for the shipping of medical equipment between New Jersey and London on a very time sensitive basis. It doesn’t cost $50 to ship a key ring and a poster - in fact, I literally just had four posters shipped to me from Illinois for $25 from a Kickstarter campaign.

The other thing to consider is that for US customers who pay $45, shipping is included - so if you assume that for US shipping there is a built in cost of say $5, it’s actually more like $55 for for shipping for international customers. I recognise that international shipping is a pain, and I wouldn’t expect different rates for each and every country, but it may make more sense to have one cost for Europe, another for Asia, another fo Australia etc.

Normally I wouldn’t mind so much as you always have a choice as to whether you feel an item is worth the cost, but the main benefit of fang club membership is access to early pre-orders and the ability to select the BS edition. Overseas customers are already paying more for the machines themselves, so it stings a bit to have to pay more than double than US customers do for the ability to order in the first place.

Not sure why people need to join a club and go in blind? You have to pay $100 to join a club, that put's you on a list ahead of non-club members to purchase a game without even seeing game play? What if it is not up to a particular persons standards? Do they get a refund on the club membership? Are there any guarantees? Do you get a T-shirt with colored sleeves? Do you get a sticker? So many questions on this club process?

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So how do people think this is all going to play out for game storyline?

Will there be episodes featured as modes?
Will the game essentially be its own episode/ adventure and a completely unique storyline?
Characters as shots on the pf?

I see so many fun directions this could go!

I really hope the storyboard for this has the show creators involved also.

I rekon between Scott and Bowen they are going to hit the layout integration for a Six!! ... but having the authors in on the whole thing would give it that edge, I hope so too!!!

Im curious what shipping costs will be in the states if you order directly from spooky. If your going through spooky vs. A distrubitor you would think it would be a little cheaper cause your cutting out what the distributors cut would be....havent purchased directly from them. Someone else have any experience or knowledge on this.

Shipping is same. All games ship out of Benton wi.

No difference

Also, spooky let’s people pick up games so there is always that option no matter whom you buy from.

Oh man. I've rarely seen such high expectations for a game. And we know what that usually leads to. But, this isn't a Stern, so maybe it will actually live up to the hype.

If you are a fang club member you can order the game from your favorite distributor two weeks earlier than a non fang club member. The fang club membership gives you a chance to buy a game to order a game 2 weeks early from any Spooky distributor or directly from Spooky. It is possible that all the games allocated to distributors go to fang members .

It is impossible for any game to live up to all the hype. First week of reveal most everyone will be excited. Then some folks will nitpick the hell out of it. It's really how every release goes. The best thing that can happen is for Spooky to get games out quickly. ACNC type waiting won't help. I have a feeling they will ship MUCH quicker this time along.

At first I thought they were making a mistake by calling this table a limited edition and telling us they won't make any more R&M tables, ever. But think about it:

750 units at <=10/week is 75 weeks of building R&M. If they start on January 1 2020 and manage 10/week solid throughout the whole run (clearly not possible) the last table would roll off the line June 11, 2021.

Spooky has said they don't want to hire a bunch of staff intending to have a string of megahits and then have to lay people off when one table doesn't go stratospheric. So, 10/week is their business model, and at that rate 750 total units should carry them 1.5 years. One would presume they intend to keep designing pinball tables, and it's a safe bet that by the time 750 rabid R&M fans have their tables that there will be MORE hype for whatever's coming next.

Consider the options:

1) Limited run of 750: They will easily sell 750 tables with a combination of rabid fans, gotta-have-it collectors, and FOMO. When they're done they tear down the production line and start making their next thing. Nice and clean, and they're nearly guaranteed to sell 750.

2) Limited run of 1500: They MAY sell all the tables. But they have to hire a bunch of people to do so, and suffer the giant HR hassle of temporary staff. No-shows, walk-offs, and staff who are either bad at making pinball tables or are good but take a dozen tables to learn their trade. I'll pay extra for the "Non-Temp Edition", please.

3) Build 750, but leaving the door open for future runs: People will play wait-and-see, like many of us do with Stern releases (like I'm VERY glad I did with Deadpool, and wish I had with Ghostbusters). They might sell 750, but there won't be a rush. And a couple years from now when more people want R&M, their production line will be busy with their newest table. Spooky added uncertainty to their 750-unit run, and gained a PITA later to re-tool to build a few more tables for those that weren't sure they wanted a R&M.

Knowing that Spooky can make 10/week makes this 750 unit limited run a very wise move, IMHO.

Love my new shirt my wife got me .

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this is a VERY good point and I think why we have seen steady increase in all aspects of build quality and consistency with Spooky.

I think many of the major issue I experience on route games with other companies is largely due to a boom/bust temporary staff that makes mistakes and is in constant learning curve.

Yeah, it is a smart move for them...

Just on the capacity vs staff/employee numbers, it is possible to get *some* capacity improvements without additional staff/employees. There are other ways, of course still with various degrees of costs. Squeezing out a consistent 15p/w, at the usual great quality, has them all done in less than 12 months .... Is the next game ready in time though, if they were to do that with no additional staff?. But also, isn't it partially an efficiency saving from initial cap. investment/cost, and roll it over.

Also, 750 and leaving the door open: Wait and See? ... in some respects why not? ... if they are confident it is a great game, some people want to test first then buy after that without the pressure, FOMO. It can sell on it's merits that way. TNA people realised is a great unique game, eventually, and now demand is still there.

Found a cheap topper with lightning via USB. It‘s like 40 bucks over here in Europe dunno maybe cheaper in the US.

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Looks kinda life size

I posted this elsewhere in this thread, but R&M is worldwide popular. It's not just a small niche market. It 'might' be a smaller market than Stranger Things because yes it is a cartoon and it is on Adult Swim, but it is indeed very popular across many demo's and countries.

There’s a rick and morty picnic blanket from loot crate that can be found on eBay fairly cheaply.

It might be cool for the floor or wall behind a game image (resized).jpg

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Spooky. Please just give this thread a picture of the box it’s shipping in so we can argue about the cardboard your using and if it’s recyclable in Europe and get off the endless loop of how many your building business plan. Please! Lol

If Spooky’s true plan is to take 18 months to build, that is too long. Who wants to wait 18 months for a nonessential toy to be built? I could make a baby and they’d be talking by then. Why doesn’t Spooky contract build half the batch through American Pinball? That keeps them both busy for nine months and if Charlie’s isn’t ready with his next title, he could throttle down the number of games AP is building to stretch his timeframe to a year. That would be a valuable benefit to give all their customers. It would make the top of the Fang Club list for valuable benefits.

I don’t buy Charlie’s worry about not staffing up because of having to lay people off. Everybody’s job is expendable. I’ve been with a company for 20 years, and if I finished my project and there was no work or the economy was slow and business was down, I’d be gone in a month. That is the most extreme case we are talking, usually life is more manageable. Letting people know the risks when you hire and train them allows everyone to feel safe and cuddly.

"No soup for you!"

I have no problem waiting. I don't understand the need for it to happen on that scale. Charlie said himself they have a system in place that works for Spooky, and for their employees. I feel confident I'll be able to get one someday, and that's good enough for me.

Like you said, it's a non-essential toy... so what's the hurry?

Could be! It's a tough call. On the one hand, they may sell some more R&M's. On the other hand, they're probably going to sell at least as many of whatever's AFTER R&M's 750, if they can keep the hits coming.

I like low second-hand prices, but I'd rather see more new designs from Spooky that are hard to get my hands on than fewer, more numerous tables. And it's not like I couldn't get my hands on an AMH or RZ or TNA tomorrow if I REALLY wanted one.

I've been to Spooky's location. I liely would NOT want te game if American Pinball made the game. Spooky is a known entity. For me, American Pinball is not.

I've worked for small shops where layoffs are a Big Deal. So I disagree with you there. But if you don't see it, think of other factors:

1. It's expensive to hire and fire
2. Benton, WI doesn't have a huge labor pool to pull from
3. More production = more overhead (real estate, equipment, administrative staff, etc)
4. Some people just like working in a small shop, with fewer people

We've got a pinball market that stretches from Stern down to Spooky, and I think we're all fortunate for that. Stern can do things Spooky can't, and vice versa.

What’s all this about tables? This is the Rick & Morty pinball machine thread...take this table talk to Furnitureside!

I think you need more research.

https://www.barrons.com/articles/heres-how-big-the-boomer-millennial-wealth-gap-is-51575586317

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/12/03/precariousness-modern-young-adulthood-one-chart/

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-depressing-chart-shows-the-jaw-dropping-wealth-gap-between-millennials-and-boomers-2019-12-04

I wonder if I’ll ever see one, let alone get the chance to play it. Doubt I’ll have the chance to own one, unless a bunch make it north of the border.

Forgive me if this one has been done...

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That’s right... It’s rush with the crappy toy phase.

How many times do you want the same question answered?

You don’t “buy” Charlie’s perfectly reasonable explanation?

Then don’t buy Rick and Mort. Buy a stern game you can have in your home in a week. Much better plan than continuing to whine and pretending you know how to run spooky’s business better than they do.

I’m sure someone else will be happy to take your spot without berating spooky and saying they are idiots for sticking with their smart and successful business plan.

Having a bad day? I have no worries about getting one in 9 months because I plan on being in the first 350 orders. It is not about me, it is about the customer who buys game 699 and who will have 1000 things come up between now and then. Nobody misunderstands what Charlie has stated, but I don’t agree with it and that is what I stated.

Maybe you’ll learn that Spooky’s previous runs have taken about a year. Therefore, if they increase production size - a better approach is to increase capabilities to be able to make your desired games in the same period. It is not the end of the world but the system could be improved.

No, just from New York.

And Sanctum and Flipside

Ya, Im a member of The Fang now. I guess I gotta shave my head.

The isn't going to be Jesus walking on water, it's going to be a pinball machine. The fan driven hype behind this machine can, of course, never live up to the reality of what it will be; a ball in a box.

I can hear it now after the reveal, "What, it's just a pinball machine? I'm out!".

Well, not those exact words, but pretty much those words.

Did you get the secret hand shake how to email so we Know your in the club?? I suspect the club is filling in fast. Interesting play by Spooky I like it.

It will Never be Scoregasm!

I played TNA for a good hour plus last night looking for secret messages. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

I just want to know if there's gonna be a Tiny Rick Mode/