Celebrate a good ball, even when it wasn’t yours. Seeing awesomeness is good for everyone.

Everyone has a bad ball (and sometimes even three in a row). No one needs a full breakdown of why it happened, it just did. It doesn’t mean you’re a failure as a human being, so don’t wallow in a loss.

Stop whining about “the same people winning all the time” - that’s life. Learn how they do it if its so important to you but (for the love of all thats holy) don’t make everyone miserable about your losses. Play better.

Winning is awesome. Having a good time with friends is more awesome.

Only start a multiplayer game if you have multiple players playing with you.

Always let the OP or location know of issues. No matter how minor. They can’t fix stuff unless they know.

Don’t load up a million credits and hog the machine. Keep it to a few plays a go, then see if there are others waiting to play before going another round.

Always respect others machines. Even if you are okay treating your games a certain way, always know who’s dojo you’re in.

I make my kids always finish they’re games .Wash hands before flipping .Encourage questions no matter how obvious the answers are .Let game sit a few minutes before turning off ...Oh as far as “written rules” there should be zero tolerance for crop dusting .I’m getting fearful of going to our first pin show this year from what i’ve heard .

Why?

Ive read it’s good to let the machine cool down .I actually do this with some of our equipment at work such as chillers .Shut fans down then let chiller run for 10 minutes without a load on it .Hard starts/stops usually are not a good thing .

Doesn’t apply to pinball machines. Totally safe to turn off at any point. Never learned of any issues that can occur with cutting power to a game at any point.

Probably not the greatest idea to flip the switch on and off rapid fire, but not sure.

Dont bang the hosts wife while her husband is playing. Unless shes really hot.

Two Rules:

If you push the start button-play all the balls!

No crop-dusting in my gameroom!

Bathe less than 24 hours before coming over to play. Soap is strongly encouraged.
I’ll return the same courtesy.

If you crop dust, own it. That’s my only rule. Ridicule will ensue. Embrace it.

hmmm...so if i get one of these to wear to the show I shouldn’t wait in any lines .

FD51B74A-7B87-4BE6-AE9A-11ED89053BE4 (resized).jpeg

These two need to be enforced at pinball shows!

I do have a hepa air filter and a scented wax warmer with lilac scent, my gameroom smells marvelous

Pincinnati is the show you’re looking for.

Well crop dusting is still a thing, but we make it very clear that games need to be finished. We help mitigate this by making sure all games that are typically 5 ball are set that way, and all games that are typically 3 ball are set that way.

An addition to the rule.....

If you push the start button-play all the balls!

Also add:

Only hit the start button once per player!

Love it when they hit the start button four times and walk away

Some very good suggestions, especially washing your hands. Nothing makes my blood boil like watching family/friends come over, eat greasy ass pizza, and then immediately walk over and start a game. How clueless can you be?

Yeah it stinks for sure. I just keep some Lysol wipes close and handy. As long as I get to them within a day it’s fine.

The main thing I teach my daughter is to make sure her friends finish games and to come get me if she smells anything burning.

Oh and when we have tons of little kids over, I don’t leave the basement. Haha

I usually do the double monkey flipper mash until someone shuts the game off on me

AF0CE7BB-81F6-43AA-9A89-83FEA815D509 (resized).jpeg

Quarter/token on the glass means next game. Respect the quarter.

It’s hard for this one to take. I don’t play on location nearly as much as I used to, but I’ve only seen this done like once or twice, and all it got was a weird look from the current player. Haha

LOL and even on location, I can’t remember the last time I had to wait for a turn.

Used to be a universal rule and makes me feel old

There was a time when this was really the only "courtesy" rule. Respect the quarter!

It’s still used for other bar games like pool, but never see it for pinball.

I suggest that cropdusting is only allowed on the person in first place! It should be the "blue shell" of pinball.

Feels like days of my childhood were spent waiting for my quarter to be up. I honestly can’t remember how anyone knew which quarter was theirs, but we all definitely did.

As for rapidly toggling a game on and off. It’s a big no no in my game room for anything solid state. Toggling EMs is fine. Most games it doesn’t seem to matter, but it frequently screws WOZ all to bits - maybe because the motherboard is a pc?

Be careful what you ask for.

RWI6wNy.gif

If a bunch of people are waiting their turn patiently. Try to join if there is less than four.

(I’m a social animal.)

If people are waiting next for a game, don’t play another while they are waiting. Be polite...

Case in point, whatever the brand new game is.

NO double gaming!....
If you’re playing a 4 player over here, don’t go start playing something else between turns.

It is a little hilarious to me that a topic like this is actually necessary, but here we are!

I was going to respond that my only rule is to maintain some basic level of healthy adult social skills and avoid being offensively uncouth, but I see that we have already addressed that issue with several posts about crop dusting* and admonishments to shower, lol.

Otherwise, just be a gracious guest and respect other peoples’ stuff! Treat their games like you would treat your own, remember to flush and don’t pee on the seat, floor, or walls (and leave the seat down if women are present), don’t get so lit that you puke or otherwise become a distraction, don’t trash the kitchen, don’t spill the bong, etc. Basic courtesy stuff, really.

*Note that it is perfectly safe to hang onto a fart for a bit, this is just a cartoon:

pasted_image (resized).jpeg

Oh and when we have tons of little kids over, I don’t leave the basement. Haha

Funny you say that ,just last night I was working on our GnR and needed to go in my workshop to grab more tools .Came out and my youngest’s friend was leaning on the side of it facing P/F and had a belt buckle on the size of this little cowdude.I felt like I was about to fall to the ground with sharp chest pains .Needless to say Slash n co. are trading spots with the Griffins pronto ! Sucks i really love that sides artwork It’s a shame to hide it .

910E6D82-B400-447C-8F80-26D9FB4731C8 (resized).jpeg

91D6A20E-5312-47EC-ADC7-B0A90409B6EC (resized).jpeg

E9BE1FEF-89B2-4F20-B76F-5E851952136F (resized).jpeg

I mainly do that so keys don’t get lost, and they don’t keep power cycling the games. It’s really bad when a young kid figures out how to turn games on and off. Haha

Also if they are old enough I try to help them learn to play, how to use the foot stools, etc.

I agree. Double dipping is awful and stupid!!!

Wash your hands before you play if you've been stuffing your face with greasy pizza and popcorn.

Don't beat on the glass or slam/kick/excessively shove the games.

Don't play half a ball and walk away.

And don’t you dare come near any of my games with that damn beer! Especially if your intoxicated. Do you see any pincups here!

Inevitably the rule that will be broken at every party... which is why friends don't let friends take bong hits stoned. Which is an ironic paradox wrapped in an enigma, and tied with a existential bow.

This one. Man I hate that.

Your house your rules, my house my rules.

This is not a bad thing in our circles. If you are doing it right, there is no problem with double gaming, you just need a double game partner. My brother and I do it all the time when playing at shows. It just requires picking the primary game and switching off when its your turn on the main game. Or if your on the secondary machine and are kicking ass, you pass your turn on to your partner on the primary. Nobody has to wait, but the swap has to happen instantly even if you drain your ball on the secondary game. To the people around you it is no different than me playing the first solo and my brother playing the second solo. Both machines are being played, but by two people at once. This saves a boatload of time when there are literally hundreds of machines to get around to playing... and I don't begrudge anyone else doing this either, but when ball three on the last player is over, you give up the machine if people are waiting. And if people are waiting, I will always ask them to join us if we have an unused player. If they refuse to play multiple players, then thats when I don't mind making them wait, even if we play a couple of games, because they could join us and have fun at any time, then play it solo when we finish, or they can stand there, arms crossed, looking pissed until we finish. If you are one of those people, you have my pity, but not my sympathy.

Or be in the moment and engaged in the game you’re currently playing. Cheer on our friends and enjoy the show they are putting on for you.

Why not just play by yourself all together if you’re going to double game?

Don’t cropdust the other players. And for the love of Gawd, wear deodorant.

The reason double dipping sucks is it almost ALWAYS falls apart. It's virtually impossible for people who are drinking to keep track of two (or three! Yes I've seen it) multiplayer games at the same time. It screws up games left and right and it sucks walking around my game room and seeing multiple unattended in-progress games.

I also think its, for lack of a better word, gluttonous. Especially in a free play situation...it's like, greedy and obnoxious and takes advantage of the fact that I've put together a collection of games to share and let folks play for free. Generally, if people have to pay for the games, they don't just run around playing three games at the same time, they are just doing it because the games are on free play.

Don't start a 4 player game if you don't want to play in one and wait your turn!

Walk the f--k away, FAR away if need be, if things get heated during a league or tournament.

We do this as well, it depends on how many people are in our group and how packed the hall is. We do not hog machines nor do we double game during crowds... we do it when the hall is empty and machines are sitting idle. And we pick secondary machines that people are not clamoring to play. If nobody wants to play a machine, why let it sit idle? These shows are about playing games you don't get to see often, if ever at all. We play pinball first, cheer and spectate second. And we are polite and cordial with anyone who wants to play with us, no matter what their skill level is, or how bad they stink. The biggest reason for doing this is we don't suck at pinball, and I don't know about you, but watching my brother kick the living shit out of a pinball machine for 20 minutes can get boring to a player itching to play his next turn.

Yeah I don’t think your being disrespectful or anything, just saying that playing like that isn’t playing together. Just go your separate ways and meet up later if you’re going to play like that.

11th Commandment:

Thou shalt NOT Break Thy Neighbors Game, when Playing.

Well then. All my friends need to go to church. I think they’ve all broken one of my games while playing at some point. Haha

I just thought of another .Be it at home or at a location i can’t stomach people who rub the flipper buttons like they’re a plump set of titties usually followed by a pelvic thrust to the coin door .Makes the room uncomfortable .

Had no idea this was a thing but well said. Tried it ONCE at my own home with my wife and 2 of our friends. Total cluster fuck never to be done again.