Hey all, I just booked a rental car at Dallas Love field via Thrifty's website for $65.15 for the entire weekend!

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-Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or for my Pinball 2000 H+V video sync combiner kit

SO excited for this show, and all the people I'm going to meet. This one's all about the people...I don't even care about the machines. How f**ked up is that???

Wildcard they will probably rent you a Yugo

The show is going to be HUGE! Please stop by and say hello. I'll be busy I'm sure, but will alway stop to meet people. The BIG SMOKE Friday night is not to be missed!

Maybe, but it can't be worse than Payless last year - In November I got a bill in the mail for tolls - that's waaaaaay post-rental! It's kinda silly to have a car since it just sits in the parking lot, but I doubt round-trip airport transit could be had for anything close to $61.

-Rob
-visit http://www.kahr.us to get my daughterboard that helps fix WPC pinball resets or for my Pinball 2000 H+V video sync combiner kit

Pav and I are pretty pumped for the show. Tequila will be a flowing for sure.

TPF-2016 is going to be a massive party this go-round.

Should be amusing to see who the Debbie-Downer drips are that will find the whole event to be noisy and annoying.

This is going to be my first pin fest. For fun, give me a list of the top 5 things I need to bring and then the top 5 things I need to know/do, a la Art Mann Presents.

Top 5 things to bring

1. A pinball machine
2. A pinball machine, seriously. Exhibitors have more fun, extra hours and are totally appreciated.
3. Some beer from your local area to share. (Not that I would support bringing beer in from the outside).
4. Cash - lots of good games for sale and trade.
5. Comfortable shoes. It's a lot of standing.

Top 5 things to do

1. Tournament. It's a great way to meet people.
2. Big smoke. I don't smoke. I hate smoke. It's a nice chance to meet folks.
3. Meet the designers, guests. It's always fun to chat with them.
4. Go out with a group and try some local food. Lots of good eats in DFW.
5. Play the great selection of games. It is a pinball show!

what are the perks for bringing a game? Buddy of mine is driving and has offered to transport a game down/back for me. Contemplating it.

smokers are jokers, but what is the big smoke? Please dont tell me Texas allows smoking inside the venue???

I'll let someone more official repeat the exact details. For me it's the early access and setup time. I get to meet and greet with the other exhibitors before it's so busy that you can't hear yourself talk. There is an after hours time for exhibitors only as well. Free admission is nice, but I would gladly pay the fee for a weekend like this anyway.

Big smoke is a cigar smoke out by the pool or some similar area with Ed and the cigar peeps.

Exhibitor incentives and rewards can be viewed here:
http://texaspinball.com/tpf/bring-out-your-best/

No smoking in the show or hotel itself. The Big Smoke is a gathering for cigar smokers (and anyone who just wishes to join us), outside the hotel bar on the patio on Friday night (some do a repeat on Saturday night). Lots of great story telling and laughing going on.

great game bringer incentives!

Sadly, I can't goto MGC due to prior commitment.

Happily, I'm still going to TPF! Everything's bigger in Texas!

Just going to add one to what has already been said. For some reason some people forget this one. Shower please Inevitably there is always a handful of people that forget this simple task.

here we go again!

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It's bad enough I have to put up with whysnow's sorry ass for the weekend, but yours too??

anyone taking a breakshot to sell at TPF? let me know

I'd ask here as well... maybe someone will bring one?

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/2016-texas-pinball-festival-maybe-for-sale-thread

A friend from Houston is bringing a breakshot for people to play. Not for sale though.
http://texaspinball.com/tpf/game-line-up/2016-game-line-up/

How about all your new playfield goodies? I got my name on the CPR list...

Gosh that was a super fun night. Really looking forward to catching up with you guys!

They were evil and disgusting

Priced fairly? It is a sellers market. There are way more bad deals than good deals. You have to negotiate if you want a decent price because everyone has a guppy price on their pin.

I agree a little more with Jared on this one. Many people may add some negotiating room, but not all. If someone takes the time to bring a game to the show for sale, they would indeed like to sell it. Make an offer. Better yet, take a minute to talk to them and learn a little about the game.

Some people have games they don't want to sell, but keep getting hounded. I know of a few folks that purposely put a "go away" price on a game instead of "not for sale". They figure if anyone wants it so bad they will pay that price, they can have it.

I'm hoping to trade a game this year for the first time. I'm looking forward to it.

I think it is more of a buyer's market. Sure, we see plenty of pie-in-the-sky prices but those never sell if there is nothing to back it up.

At TPF I usually see reasonable prices and plenty of good deals. Still, we often get annoying lowball offers tossed around. It's a weird market. As always, the "main thing" is condition and once you get into the realm of full head-to-toe rebuilds with new cab paint, polished metals, clear coat, lighting, playfield parts, new lamp sockets, etc.... just impossible to use any sort of standard price model without adding it up.

For EM's I use this rough guide:

Base price (average Craigslist find/average condition/average desirability/rarity) - $300-$500
Perfect backglass? Add $100
Full head-to-toe mechanical and electrical disassembly and rebuild, new power cord, lamp sockets, etc. - $650-$800
New playfield parts, mechs, and rubbers - $75
New coin door - $100
New legs and bolts - $75
Professional playfield touch-up and clear coat - $500
"Stealth LED" - $50
Polished rails and lockdown bar - $100
Professional cab repaint - $500
New stronger bottom board w/switch added if necessary - $100

Doing all of the above will take an average Craigslist EM to HEP-level gorgeousness and reliability but we're talking at least $2700 with zero profit margin or consideration for all of the time to find the game, farm everything out, get it assembled and dialed-in, etc. Let's also remember TPF is like a giant pinball store where the sellers go to the trouble of bringing their games to *you*, polishing them up, letting you play them, etc. vs. wandering into a dusty Craigslist barn find hoping to find an outlet and not start a fire.

I'll be selling a Pro-Football EM at TPF. New playfield parts, LED's, full rebuild, dialed in, orange coils, new legs = $1500. That's pretty much a break-even price for me but I'll probably get a bunch of $400-$600 offers regardless. *shrug*

I once heard a guy offer the Buffy homebrew team something like $500 or something stupid.
I looked at him like he was a troll or something.

If someone seriously offered me $500 for my Star_Trek: Mirror Universe homebrew... I'd have to laugh my ash off at them.

Let see:

Hotel: Checked
Flight: Checked (Not driving this year) Sorry crew Berry/Melvin see ya there!
Car: Checked
Hockey Tickets on Thursday & Saturday Night: Checked
Crew to run booth: Checked
Special Show Pricing: Checked
$1,000 give away: Checked

But your flying to the show as well?
Oh hard product to take back on the plane?
oh wait, we have that problem solved too: Checked

Ok, I am excited to hang out with people for a change.

nice, i'll likely be going to one or both of those games as well

TPF @ the end of March, getting married the beginning of April. Not sure which one I'm more excited about.

TPF lasts 3 days, and with that attitude, so will your marriage.

TPF will be a bunch of sweaty overweight pinball dudes that like to drink and get handsy.

Hope your future wife is at least a few notches over that offering...

You just described Beelzeboob to a tee!

Heeeeey! I'm not sweaty...and I'm barely a dude.

TPF will be a bunch of sweaty overweight pinball dudes that like to drink and get handsy.

Hey! I resemble that remark!

The wife and I are looking forward to another round of shots!!

Well, if it's anything like the Houston pinball league we had last fall, the drinks will indeed be flowing.

Ohhhhhh yeah! ...nice avatar BTW.

Im ready to get the drinks flowing

I hope I can find some Jeutel stuff. I want to get this Apocalypse working.