For the overall standings, are the requirements of inclusion for that just a mirror of the Sub-League but applied to the whole league (i.e. four of six weeks, regardless of location)? Or can the Finals be calculated under a different set of rules (like a different points system, or counting a different number of weeks for example).
I appreciate all the replies.
We would assume the Parent/Sub league data used would be ‘the same’ with respect to number of weeks, points earned, etc.
The Sub league data is simply filtering out that overall league data into the individual location/meeting nights as appropriate.
For my women’s league, I usually run a high score side tournament on the same nights. Basically, during the 4 hours I’m present, players can submit scores on 8 of the machines for TD approval. There is unlimited submissions over the same number of weeks we run league - now six weeks. Then on the same night as league finals, we have a matchplay finals for the top 4 qualifies of the side tournament. This format is great for our new players as it encourages them to play and learn the rules of games that are not their favorite.
Now that “tournaments” have to be finished in 7 days, can this high score tournament be called a league and run concurrently with our matchplay format league?
If you have less than 50 league members then you can run a league format that contains indirect play for the regular season. You would have to run a finals that consists of a direct play format consisting of at least 10% of the participants from that league season.
Hey Josh, what becomes of house leagues that meet at different houses every league meeting as part of the “let’s play on a lot of different collections” aspect, nothing to do with maximizing WPPRs , like my house week 1, Jimmy Bob’s house week 2, Etc? Or a league that would tour around to different locations but still there is only ONE spot and time everyone is expected to be for each league meeting.
These are unaffected I believe.
No problem at all. It’s how the league works here in Chicago that I’m in (and offer to host once a year).
This rule is only for leagues that have “flexible scheduling” for their sessions where players have the choice between time slots and/or venues for the same session.
@pinwizj - given that sub-leagues are their own IFPA entry now, is there anything in these rules that prevents a person from playing in two places within the same week?
Example:
That would not be a problem. We’re leaving it to the Parent league organizers as to how they want to set up those rules for the sub-leagues.
They can restrict play to once per session, or allow multiple plays.
They can take a player’s best score from each session, average, first attempt, last attempt, etc. as long as those rules are laid out before the season begins.
Is there a way to officially contact IFPA through email? I searched the site and didn’t see a ‘contact us’
“Contact Us” is under the About menu in the IFPA site nav bar.
I’m curious how leagues are responding to the new rules. If you have info about a league you run or play in that was affected, please share the path you’re taking. This may be better as its own spin-off thread, but I suppose it could be split by a mod later if there’s enough conversation.
I run Cleveland Pinball League, a direct match play format that operates as an 8 week season and offers 4 meets per week at 3 different locations. Players choose one meet to play each week and their lowest meet score is dropped, with the best 7 counting toward their final season standings. We typically have around 80 players and our locations vary in size from 5 machines to 25 machines, with a max capacity of about 40 league players at any one time. I’m currently polling my player base to gather opinions and ultimately decide between three paths going forward.
Please share how your leagues have responded and anything currently in the works, particularly any format changes being made.
I’d open it up to allow players to play in as many sub-leagues as they want 
I got some PPL data and was able to run things ‘the new way’ to see what that looked like:
https://www.ifpapinball.com/rankings/custom_view.php?id=249#rankings
The ‘old way’, DJ won the league for 41.73 WPPR’s that went towards the PA SCS.
The ‘new way’, if DJ wanted to go insane and play in every sub-league, win them all, and then win the league circuit final he would earn 56.42 WPPR’s towards the PA SCS.
I was wondering if that PPL data ever came together. Thanks for that, it’s nice to get a look at a practical sample.
Love the angle of “this is actually MORE valuable” haha. It would also be $4 for his league participation to the SCS fund instead of $1! See everyone, it’s more WPPRS and bigger payouts! Very clever, Josh. I’m sure my league treasurer would be happy to track that for the grinders 
How is this possible? DJ must choose one sub league to play in each week, and drop his 2 lowest scores. This means he can’t play in all 3, right?
Greg, that’s entirely up to the league director to decide. They could decide to keep it the way its been or allow players to go wild and play them all. Miss playing with you btw!
I play in BAPA ,which is only making a minor change for the upcoming season that has nothing to do with the rules changes (10 weeks instead of 12). That said, BAPA is one of the oldest pinball leagues. I’m told that in the 90’s, they had to split into two groups because of growing attendance. The split was done by skill level. Better players one night, weaker players another night.
Love your format and attendance numbers. Getting too popular should be a good thing.
Sorry, I’m not familiar with the BAPA format and why the rule changes don’t affect it. Does the entire league play in the same place on the same night?
Yes, everyone together at different locations each week. Ten weeks. 4 games per night per 4 player group (scored 4,3,2,1), 5 games per night for three player groups (scored 3,2,1 with a 1 point bonus for winning all five. Better seeded players (from previous weeks) go first to the three player groups. Worse two weeks are throw aways, playoffs at end of season. Regular season determines playoff seeding. Top 16 playoff separate from B playoffs.
We probably average 25-35 people a week, which sounds close to your location limit. Most groups finish in under two hours. Rather than splitting by skill level, maybe you could split by location? Start two new leagues (different nights) using one common location (hopefully in the middle, drive-wise for most) and one each of the other two locations to distinguish the two leagues.
I know FSPA gives away their software and I believe their format is similar. The guy who wrote the web-based software for BAPA (which also handles playoffs) says anyone is welcome to use it for free. If you do decide to make a switch, the software makes it easy. Players enter scores on their phone and scores are verfied by another player in the group before being accepted.
FSPA does have our web-based software freely available for any league that wishes to use it (with a perpetual tip of the hat to the fine folks at PAPA/Replay who donate hosting)… doesn’t matter what your league’s format is, we can probably accommodate your needs. Or feel free to just reach out and bounce ideas around, happy to help any league. Our software currently serves about 170 leagues and (I say jokingly, yet not) about 180 rulesets. http://league.papa.org Kudos to BAPA for sharing their system too! Kudos also to matchplay.events, another fine system.
Much to my surprise, I haven’t had any inquiries yet about changes in response to the proposed WPPR changes, but I’m sure they’re coming… 