Usually I use the ones my mom wrote on the back of my undies before shipping me off to cub scout camp. If I’m at a league location, I might leave IBL behind to represent the Iron Bullies.
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Bowden’s are SSB for GCs and FWB for other scores (I think)
I’ve always translated SSB in my head to (Francesco Voice) Super Steve Bowden
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I really need to join a pinball gang so I can feel the comradery of tagging a rival gangs turf. Maybe I can convince the Canadian pinball community to start tagging machines outside of Canada with EH.
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If I put up a respectable score - “DDD”. “D” is my first initial, and it’s simply faster for me to just keep mashing start. My tendency to overnudge has unofficially branded “DD” as “double danger”, but I maintain that it officially has no particular meaning. If there’s 10-letter scores, I’ll try to work “DDD” into some game-related pun.
If I get on the high score board with a crappy score (say, the high scores just reset) - probably just POO or SHT. 
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I saw my sister put ACE as her initials on a game when I was probably 9 or 10. Mid 1980s. I thought that was cool, so I started doing it. Now it’s kinda embarrassing. I did see an ACE on a KISS in Chicago once at HQ. I got the HS right next to the other ACE which was also interesting. So I am not the only one using ACE. Recently I got a HS I didn’t deserve and put in WUT. And at pinburgh I put NKY on Sopranos in honor of the NKY pinball league. Also ACE is SUPER easy to enter.
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A B, cause its ma name and real simple and fast to put in.
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HAX - I didn’t like my initials all that much and I was a hacker growing up so I decided to go with that.
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COL for GC’s – I don’t recall why I used that instead of CM or CMM as a kid.
For other high scores, or for getting my initials up outside of Austin, I’ll put up DSD (Death Save Disciples) or BCP (Bat City Pinball).
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One of my friends uses the initials DMC (his first initial and Mc first 2 letters of last name). I always thought of it was a delorean reference (of course and his name). One night we were playing BTTF in league and I went up and asked if he was excited to be playing the DMC machine. He looked at my blankly. I explained the car company and pointed out the targets on the machine. Nope, it was never a nod to BTTF.
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DAM…because that’s my initials.
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I usually type whomever I steal the grand champ from’s initials backwards.
If I used any buy-ins, I will type he’s.
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Could you gaslight someone by putting in their initials?
I hope I get to use my initials as an alibi one day.
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LAW. Because name. Because word. English?
Also as @Snailman said, BCP when rolling outside Austin, a few guys here do it I think. DSD if I used death saves or bang-backs to earn the spot.
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SWL (Specials When Lit) because I am/get SPECIAL When Lit.
Other initials used when 10+ letters are available:
- SSPECIALSS
- RAYRAYBOOM
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If I’m in league play I put in EXB (my team is called extra ballsy) but if it’s just me, I go with BLU which is short for bluecontinental (i use the same username on most sites/social media)
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My actual initials are EBG but I put in EDG because my first name is Ed, my last name begins with a G, and I started using EDGY in Halo for my over-the-avatar clan/player tag because it’s pronouncable.
‘EDG’ can be pronounced ‘Edgy’; having a pronouncable 3 or 4 letter initial / tag in a game like Halo makes it easier for random people who you’ve been partied up / grouped with to call you out (Hey Edgy, guy went to your left) instead of RH34 or something that takes too long too say and by that time you’re bapped.
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TSR are my initials and on video games they were always fun to put in because they were adjacent so could really pop them in, that carried over to pinball. I did play D and D but I am not affiliated with them in any way.
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POO is my goto for a high score if it just reset as well. I have nothing to be proud of scoring 57,000,000 on GB!
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JDS
James Daryl Swain Jr
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If it’s 10 letter then I always put PAPA CHAMP. Not because I am, but because that is what I aspire to be. If it’s 3 letter then I almost always use KME. I figure he always puts someone else’s initials so I’m gonna put up his. Every once in a while I’ll put up my own initials, JCW.
3 Likes