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London Pinball League is Back!

i only attend league meets for the social aspects : i'm crap at pinball so it's not for the scores, and i'm lucky enough to have pins at home, so it's not to play, particularly. that also means i won't travel to the venues to post up scores, tbh, not if it'll just be me on my tod failing with nobody to laugh with. when i started going to meetings, i knew nobody so the pinball was front and centre, nowadays i know lots of pinheads so the meets are just an excuse to see them, and sometimes i only get to play a handful of games, but spend the time talking and acting the goat. i guess i won't see any of the other crap players again then until the shows. oh well. Matt knows i love him to bits anyway so he won't take this personally.

this move is more geared towards younger players i reckon, and will probably appeal to them with the online angle, less nerds about (like me) and also it'll be good for the machine cashboxes, so good luck with it as anything that increases both op takings and youth interest has to be good for the hobby as a whole. with that in mind, @Matt Vince i think you need a souped-up London League website with as much functionality as you can afford to add. maybe strapped on to this forum?

Rudy's KISS look.jpg
 
First of all, well done @Matt Vince for putting this together. As one of the people in the UK who puts on pinball competitions I know the time and effort required, not just on the day, but beforehand, and after to set these things up.

Just some of my thoughts:

The biggest complaint I get, both with the UK Midlands League & the Monday Night Tilt League, as well as the other competitions is that people can't make a specific time and/or date. This format cures that completely (other than the final) but allows people to play in their own time.

It is likely to draw competitors from a much wider audience, not just the usual suspects from the 'pinball community'. Anyone who plays the machines on site can be encouraged by the staff to post a selfie score and become involved, maybe even leading to them going to other more 'traditional' competitions.

The format itself is more likely to benefit those players who are capable of getting a great score, but not necessarily every time. Current single play formats reward consistency over the odd fantastic game.

People can enter as many times as they like. This is common place in the US. It does not necessarily mean that those with the most money will buy their way to the top. Yes, it will be an advantage to have more attempts, but you can't buy a great score if you don't have the skill in the first place.

The way the format is set up, based over 2 sites, 6 machines and 2 months to qualify it's more likely to encourage locals to enter, rather than people travelling from all round the country (which is more likely to happen for 'on the day comps'). I think this is a great idea - you don't have to enter EVERY competition being ran.

It should generate extra income for the site and the operator, without much more effort from either - as the machines were already on site. No having to lug machines to a particular location for a day, set them up, break them down and then return. One of the biggest blocks to more competitions being held.

I really cannot see anything negative about this. If the format or location doesn't appeal to you, you don't have to enter. There's enough room for many different formats of competition, aimed at many different people.

I'll be very interested to see how this goes, and what hidden problems appear, as I'll be more than happy to run a similar style at @Tilt_Birmingham in the future.
 
I agree with Dan


I really cannot see anything negative about this

made me smile
 
I too do not wish to lose the social side of the league, which is why there will be designated meets at which we can all socialise, play and catch up. The first of these will be on Sunday 1st of May @ Brewdog Shepard's Bush.

Whilst I believe there are positives and negatives to this new format, it was born out of a desire to keep the London League going. Justin is no longer available to help out with his currently very busy life and I am finding it increasingly difficult to move enough machines into one location for the large scale meets we have enjoyed in the past.

As many of you will know, I am currently in the process of applying to the council with the view to taking on a permanent location where we can hold league meets and competitions in future, which I hope will be well supported by the community.

Whilst I believe a new permanent venue would make life easier to hold large meets, it should not be forgotten that machines out In the wild are what will help increase interest in playing Pinball amongst the public. We as a community are very fortunate that Thomas @ The Pipeline has been so generous for such a long time and continues to promote Pinball at his bar. It is also worth noting that since Brewdog in Shoreditch has now removed all its Pinball machines, that these machines may not always be around.

I hope that many of you will join in with the new league format and enjoy the friendly competition it brings, because if the new venue doesn't come off, im not sure how many more meets I will be organising. I make it around 40 over the last 5 years and need to start putting my family first.

Matt
 
Hi Matt,

Glad to hear that it went well today and people enjoyed playing the games in a more relaxed environment.

Will the scores be updated and put online so that people can see what to aim for? Plannng on heading down to play a few games in a few weekends time hopefully.

Cheers, Craig
 
Yes, the scores will be available to view on the London Pinball website from tomorrow.

I would also like to put up some posters advertising the league to try and entice new players, but I'm not capable of making up a poster thats of a decent standard. If anyone can help with this please drop me a message!
 
Thanks Matt - a great afternoon in the Brewdog with four nice pins and good company. And thanks for whipping my **** at AC/DC. Good luck tomorrow
 
Really good afternoon of pinball!
Seems like a more relaxed way of doing a league in this format actually - less pressure on a single game.

We just need a kind of calendar where people can organise 'mini-meets' at Brewdog/Four Quarters....
 
If anyone is interested In meeting up for some games at the Four Quarters, I will be there this Tuesday evening and will bring my laptop to save having to take any photos
 
Matt Vince said:
It is also worth noting that since Brewdog in Shoreditch has now removed all its Pinball machines, that these machines may not always be around.
Click to expand...

Whhhhaaaattttt? When the hell did that happen? They had like 6 machines and a good load of arcade cabs.
 
Nearly 2 weeks ago. Unless site pins attract enough customers, the venues will try other things. In this case I believe it'll be live music now.
 
Matt Vince said:
Nearly 2 weeks ago. Unless site pins attract enough customers, the venues will try other things. In this case I believe it'll be live music now.
Click to expand...

That sucks, I only discovered it maybe 6 months ago and enjoyed a trip there after the Pipeline as they were so close. Another location bites the dust! :(
 
I always felt that it was a bit incongruous playing pinball in Shoreditch Brewdog in close proximity to a load of Hipsters having their evening meals. It always felt a bit crowded in there as well. More profit in putting extra tables and chairs in for more food and craft beer sales I would have thought.

I'll have to get myself down to the Four Quarters sometime soon. It's one place that I've never been to yet. Fancy a trip @Archyta5 ?
 
Given how close Peckham is to me it might make sense for some people to also go there before or after my meet on the 22nd if they want to post scores in both leagues. We're talking about 5-10 mins away in a car.
 
All,

Just chatted to Matt & he confirmed the meet up @ Four Quarters is still on tonight, and will start from 6PM onwards.

Laters,


Richard M Wade Esq.
 
Thanks to those that came along to the Four Quarters yesterday, I had a great time (I just wish my laptop hadn't consumed more alcohol than me ;)).

I'm sorry that the website is still not showing the scores, I don't know how and Justin is away with a new job. This will be sorted, but in the meantime here are the scores so far:

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There are still over 6 weeks to get your scores in, so why not pop along to Brewdog Sheppard's Bush or the Four Quarters in Peckham and see if you can beat these scores?

Please remember that these machines are setup as usual for sites, i.e. not tournament mode and extra balls turned on.
 
Hi Matt, just to be clear - we should submit selfies of 3+ scores on each of the machines? Thanks, looks like fun!
 
Hi,

We will add together your best 3 scores on each machine. You can submit more if you wish, or less.
 
We have a sort of similar league at my local pinball club. We have spreadsheet with all of the scores for all of the members on all the machines and the season lasts for the whole year. You have to type your scores in and we have 30+ machines to play. Our club is open every Friday, but once per month there is an official night where there is hot food and that gets the biggest turnout and the most non-member visits. It's very social and many people play multiplayer games. It works really well and every year I finish fourth.
 
Up to date leader board.

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If anyone is interested in meeting up for a few games, there will be a few of us at Brewdog this Wednesday evening.
 
Had a nice time tonight down at BrewDog - per Matt's request, I'm posting my "selfie" to give people an idea of what he's looking for. Unfortunately, taking such a picture by yourself is more challenging that one would think, so this was taken by Matt. Please don't judge my not-very-good score :)IMAG0565.jpg
 
Thanks to all those that came along yesterday, I believe a great time was had by all!

Here is an up to date overall leader board for you. (remember that the scores are the total of each players best 3 games)

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I must admit, it is easier to have someone else take the picture for you, so playing with others helps (and is more fun!). I'm away at the Dutch Open this weekend, but will be arranging another meet up next week when I get back.
 
I was thinking because it's very hard to get a correctly exposed, in focus shot of the score and yourself that maybe if you get a scrap of paper and write your name on it and tuck it next to the score it'd be easier to get the photo and would still prove it was your score. Yeah? It's something I do when selling something on eBay to prove I actually have the item. my username and the days date on a piece of paper next to the item in question.
 
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