You got it right 
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My sob story is that I was in no shape or form ready for the intensity of this type of competition. I’ve never been to anything like this before. My tournament experience revolves around the local bar once a month where a bunch of us drink beer, hang out and play some pinball. We have nothing but DMDs so my experience is almost strictly with them.
I played 4 games over the two days that I had actually played before (which I absolutely crushed). I had no idea what to do on any of the other 36 games. Add my lack of rule knowledge to being so anxious / nervous that I forgot all my flipper skills and I ended up much, much worse than I though I would. I was disappointed in myself, but I learned a lot and wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
I’m anxious to go back (is it Pinburgh 2019 yet?) and I know I’ll do better.
I did feel horrible on a game of Volcano. I had a great ball and unbeknownst to me, I had earned an extra ball at some point. I had never seen the game before and had no clue what I was doing. When my ball drained, I walked away thinking I was done. The next guy walked up and accidentally played my extra ball. The girl in my group was just a few seconds late on catching him before he plunged. I felt terrible that I had contributed to him getting DQ’ed on that game.
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The problem with any other rule is that - how could you make it happen? How could you set up a meaningful game where one player can play for 1st or 2nd, another to a 3,4 game, a third to a 2,3,4 game and let the fourth play for 1,2,or 3? I mean, Sudoku can handle it, but not pinball. If anyone is locked in - they get that score, that’s about as hard and fast as the rule can get.
It stinks, but it’s the only fair way to do it.
Edit - this is a reply to @unsmith’s reply to djreddog but it is showing as a reply to @djreddog. I have noted this bug in other forums, but I don’t know if it is a priority fix. I do believe the bug is universal.
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Missed C finals by a point this year. Lost a game of Pat Hand by 800 points, which is only 1 bonus advance, so that really hurts. Just a good reminder that every game and every point really counts.
Don’t sweat it. With extra balls, bonus balls, phantom ball saves, trough pass throughs, playfield validation, and game malfunctions it is inevitable that you’re going to walk away from a machine from time to time thinking the game will advance to the next player. Every player is ultimately responsible to verify that the machine shows it’s their turn before plunging. I’ve found that the vast majority of players accept that responsibility and don’t look to blame anyone else when they play someone elses ball.
I didn’t even get to compete.
My father passed away the Monday night on the same week before it started.
Was all set, too.
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I’m sorry to hear about your father, John. I hope you’ll be able to make it next year.
I almost had the same thing happen on Raven, I somehow earned an extra ball and the next person in my group nearly played it. No idea how I earned it, so I had just walked away as if a normal drain. Still, I have to think that yelling at someone to not accidentally plunge someone else’s extra ball is basically the same as yelling out “hey, you have a ball saver!” If someone is going to hang themselves by not paying attention, you sort of have to let it happen.
Interesting you mention the part about yelling at someone to NOT play out of turn. I witnessed this happening throughout both days. This was my first time at Pinburgh, so I wasn’t sure what to do if this had happened in my specific group. I do know several people made it known in advance not to let someone know they have a ball save activated. So what is the “rule” for this? As Dave mentioned, let them hang themselves? Or be courtesy and tell them it’s not their turn?
I’ll let the various TD’s here answer officially, but I think the prevailing opinion is that it’s bad form because you are affecting people that aren’t you and the other person.
In other words, if this was heads-up and you wanted to tell your opponent that they got a ball saver as they were leaving, then that’s fine, help your opponent all you want. But in a 3 or 4 player group, you are making that decision for at least one other person also, who may not share your desire to help an opponent.
That being said, it sure is a hard reflex to stop.
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“It is the responsibility of all players to ensure the correct player is on the machine at all times.”
PAPA/IFPA Tournament Rules
9. Player Errors, paragraph 9.
It is all players responsibility. You will not be penalized for alerting a player about to play someone else’s ball.
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Yep. I’m always going to speak up when a player is about to play out of turn.
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Telling someone not to play out of turn feels different than telling a player when they have a ball saver. For the former, you’re not coaching or affecting the player when they’re at the machine for their turn – you’re keeping your group from getting screwed up. As much as you’re helping the player in question, you’re also keeping one of your opponents from getting points they didn’t earn.
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Having to play Pat Hand is enough of a sob story in and of itself.
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I had a big conflicted moment about this on Black Belt on day two during round 9. I’d lost on the previous game and wanted to shake it up a bit by choosing to go 2nd instead of 4th. The other player started to walk up to the machine after player one’s (trouncing) first ball. I finally decided to say something because A) I wouldn’t have felt good if this happened, especially given that I had done something unexpected and B) we were well into the last rounds and unlikely the results would have affected our positions unless someone in our group had a perfect round 9 and 10. Everyone seemed to agree with my decision on stage, and I’m glad to see that I made a decision that is supported by the rules. I also agree with @stevevt’s interpretation below about how this differs from a ball saver.
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My 2 cents: only if P3’s correct bonus (and thus, final score) was verifiable by the TD could the ruling be enforced of assigning last place to either P2 or 3, as appropriate. And assigning 3rd place if P3’s score less than P4 and P1. Further, if P3 bonus was verifiable, I’d power cycle the pin, and have P4 play a compensatory ball 5 (set up with any ball5 benefit like auto-2x bonus), while TD watching, in hopes of the bonus resuming counting correctly to resolve the game rather than starting a brand new one.
It all hinges on whether the TD can verify P3’s correct bonus. And P3’s score prior to the incorrect scoring kicking in.
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I saw a small kid (9 or 10 maybe?) try to rage tilt. 
but he didn’t even get a double danger
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Another example of something similar. I was on Ali, player 1. Ended ball 3 with 800k. Player 2 ended with ~300k, Player 3 with ~200k. Player 4 goes up, is playing, when the slingshot starts firing repeatedly. He traps up, we take a picture of his score at 97k and get a tech. Tech can’t fix the slingshot. TD rules that, since player 4 was in last place, none of the positions were ‘fixed’, so we all play a new game from scratch (which of course I don’t win, sob). I think that if player 4 had passed one of the other players (so that they were definitely last) then under the new rules they wouldn’t have been allowed to play the new game and would have just gotten a zero?
Was not a game I was involved in, but as it was explained to me. Ball 3 on Golden Eye. P1 plays satelite multiball. P2 plays satelite multiball. P3 shoots satelite and it grabs the ball, doesn’t start multiball, just drops the ball. P3 plays for a while and drains. P4 hits satelite. It grabs the ball, doesn’t start multiball and drops down the drain.
P3 didn’t ask for a ruling after their ball because they thought it was physical nature of the game. After it happened to P4 as well they called a tech and TD over. They tested twice with glass off and satelite would not start.
Ruling. Scores stand because the game was complete.
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