I wouldn't mind the hall staying open later as long as the next day's opening time is also pushed back. There needs to be, at bare minimum, a solid 9 hours between a closing and opening. The people who work the show, i.e. coordinators, volunteers, techs, etc., need a full night's rest because they don't necessarily have the same luxuries as an attendee who can come and go as they please. Nine hours gives time enough for a good night's sleep, showering, eating breakfast, and having at least a little bit of down-time before heading back into the fray.

I'm just happy the building has true A/C. Everything else is a bonus.

I found out many years ago that just about any kind of booze slows me down and makes me feel really tired. It's why I don't really consume any kind of alcohol these days. However, my two go-to's that I still do from time to time are: I like to have a nice glass of whiskey before bed if it's been a particularly rough or long day; and if I do ever have a beer(which is hardly ever), it's a Guinness. Don't know why, but I truly like that stuff.

Any thoughts by the organizers to have a food truck circle or something around meal times during the weekend? I think it'd be pretty cool to have about 5 or more different food trucks to come out during certain time windows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for lunch and dinner. It could be a pretty neat way to use the ample space we've got there and add some grooviness to the event. Plus, it'd be super convenient for folks to just walk out, eat, and come back in and play.

That is, unless you've already got certain food vendors lined up...

Wait, you mean people DON'T wear Depends at pinball shows?

Got something again food trucks, do we?

Honestly, I was just hoping for something more than an overpriced, dry cheeseburger or that "tri-tip sandwich" that's an insult to the name tri-tip. Not really complaining as I understand that they were there to help raise money so I know why it's priced the way it is, but it'd be nice to have other options without having to drive anywhere. Especially for those of us that will have RVs there. Plus, most food trucks that partake in those food truck events are typically more chichi and have really great, creative stuff.

Looks like they already do this sort of thing monthly up there:

http://www.visitlodi.com/events-calendar/lodi-food-truck-mania1/

I don't think it'd take much to get them to come out on our weekend. It'd be pretty cool, too, to get them to donate a certain percentage of their profits to the charity chosen by the organizers.

Might be a big ask, I know. But hey, this is a new location with new possibilities. Just trying to help brainstorm!

Hey guys! I know I've been somewhat MIA from Pinside for the past while(life has changed a lot this past six months), but I will definitely NOT be MIA from the GSPF! I've already got my games signed up and I've even got my brother going with me this year. He usually comes with me to CAX since he's more of a vid guy, but since his in-laws live in Lodi, we're staying for free and I'm getting in for free, so it's a great win/win. He usually volunteers at CAX to get in for free there, too, and was asking me about the GSPF and the volunteering there.

He wants to know if the volunteering requirements are time based or number of shifts based, or both. I saw that there are some shifts that are a couple hours long and others can get to be over four hours. So how does it all work? How should I advise him on what to do?

Have to admit that I haven't done much pinballin', let alone Pinsidein', since December. Now that this show is nearly upon us, I'm definitely feeling that excitement again! I really, truly can't wait!

BTW, I absolutely love the poster/artwork design. It's so good on so many levels, even with the minor FT reference.

Anybody bringing any Dialed In's? It'd be nice if there were more than one there this year. I'd really like to put some good time on it.

Most definitely! Yeah it's nice to take a break every once in a while to recharge your love of your hobbies. You guys bringing any games?

Holy smokes, 255 games and counting!

Even if that's where it ended it'd be a great showing, but I feel like we're gonna blast through 300 on that Friday!

I'm really hoping TBL is setup on an end of an aisle or at least with plenty of room around it to watch. Perhaps a camera and monitor setup?

I'll be pretty much parked at TBL and DI as much as possible, unless TJ brings his Kingpin...

As plans finally start falling into place for me as far as lodging and transportation, it looks like I might actually be making the trip Thursday night, which would make for a Friday morning unload since I'm not sure when I'd leave Thursday night. As I'm figuring out all the little details, I've got a couple questions:

I know load in ends at 7pm on Thursday, but will there be people there to let vehicles in after that time and then up until a certain time?

Will there be paid security of some sort that night for the vehicles and folks that are there Thursday night?

Just trying to figure out if it'd be safer to leave my van there with the pins in it at the show Thursday night rather than at my brother's in-laws.

Ok, cool. That should work out well, then. Thanks!

Well crap. I did a great job of remembering to bring all kinds of extra parts, special tools, and all kinds of stuff and ended up completely forgetting to bring my Pinside ID badge.

Another year, another great show! While the new venue is fantastic and better in almost every way, the NCPA proves that it's the planning, people, and execution that really make for a great show. I had a blast this year, having brought my brother to his first pin-only event(he's a CAX veteran). While we played a lot of games together, it was nice to see him venture out on his own and see him really take to a few games.

I think I may have played TBL the most over the course of the show, as I said I would. I got lucky and got to play it right at opening time Saturday morning and really enjoyed all the call-outs and scenes from the movie playing on the screen. They were really well utilized. I know it had issues over the course of the weekend, but TBL is a really fun game that is made really well for fans of the movie. I'd love to own one at some point in the future.

One of the games we played the most was a Star Wars Pro. I don't really consider myself a Ritchie-layout kind of guy, but man that game is fun! Not a huge fan of the Premium/LE version though. I don't think the game actually needs all that extra stuff, it's a great game without it. For me, SW falls under the same umbrella as Aerosmith, a delightful surprise for someone who is usually fairly skeptical of a lot of new games.

As for my games, no real problems from either of them. Just a couple of weird things. TAF had zero issues all show except for a stuck ball next to the Thing saucer(major credit goes to the show-goers who don't feel right shaking someone else's game enough to get the ball free). TZ had a hold circuit wire come off the lower left flipper, which took me longer to get my soldering iron and put it back than to actually do the fix. The slot machine plastic's bulb popped out somehow. It's a #47 and it's even hard to take out by hand! Then, towards the end of the show, the right ramp diverter decided to not work every fifth or seventh time. It was infrequent and independent of ball type(steel or ceramic) or even the ball being there or not. I replaced the coil sleeve, the coil resistance checked out, all the linkages seemed free and clear....it was very weird. Still haven't found a culprit. TZ had 455 plays and TAF had 639 plays. Got lots of compliments on how well my games played, too. Always great to hear with how much work I put into these games so long ago, now.

Can't wait for next year!