Still waiting on one more date, but full schedule looks something like this:
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So not to overlap . The next weekend in outer banks is marathon weekend . We could probably change date to November 18-20. Will check with David at flippers. Is that ok doug?
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INDISC is January 13-15, 2017
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Thatās a good idea and a nice gesture. Less likely to get snowed in down there, too 
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Talked with David at flippers and we will change date to November 18-20
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Looks like it will be tough for Dutch players to make it to Oklahoma and vice versa
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how many Dutch made it to OKC in the past?
Throughout this discussion, Iāve been blindly nodding in agreement at the idea of the circuit as āgrowing pinballā. But is that really the case?
Giving an event the badge of āCircuit Eventā will cause some people who are sufficiently obsessed with pinball a reason to travel to an event they wouldnāt have otherwise traveled to. Yes, that is growing the number of player in an event.
But when we talk about growth, arenāt we more interested in bringing in new players, or at the very least, turning some home-play-only players into regulars at competitive events? People who fall into those categories donāt give a damn about whether something is a Circuit Event or not.
I have pins on location (and run small local tournaments and leagues), so Iām always thinking about how to grow pinballā¦but getting a Circuit Event is probably the last thing Iād try as a means to that end.
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This is an interesting point! In some cases, making an event a Circuit Event can actually discourage players from attending. We had an unlimited HERB format tournament on the Circuit a few years ago that ādid its jobā in that it attracted lots of traveling point-chasing high-level players, but between a more crowded field and out-of-town contestants with deeper pockets than our local players, many locals opted out entirely.
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The primary goal of both Papa and IFPA is to promote competitive pinball. If you look at the rapidly increasing number of ranked players over the last few years, they both have been very successful at that.
I wish we had an organization that had a primary goal of promoting pinball, period. I donāt have the time to organize something like that and Iām not even sure how it could be done, but I damb sure would be willing to help. Playing pinball is fun. Itās an easy sell. Get them playing first, then get them playing competitively later.
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Iām not aware of Charlotte, NC ever having a PAPA Circuit event. In a perfect world PAPA would support us having an event piggy backing on one of the comic con shows at Charlotte Convention Center. It would be a bit easier if I had PAPAās support as I spoke to the comic con organizers. That is an example where I think PAPA would accomplish a bit of what your talking about.
Weāre blessed to have an event at Flippers which is about a 6hr drive east of me. To add in what @CFFLegs mentioned, its $30 flat fee entry + coin drops. You also receive a commemorative t-shirt. I think there is value in that and the locals will come and help support the event.
Isnāt that what leagues are for?
Many leagues play only in private locations (homes). That promotes competitive pinball and maybe the collector side, but doesnāt do much for the overall hobby. If we want the growth in the hobby to continue, we need noobs. Lots and lots of noobs. 100k games built in some years during the 90ās by all manufacturers, maybe 15k tops last year by Stern and others? We (potentially) have a long way to go.
Iād still like to see leagues and tourneys held primarily in public locations be worth slightly more points than events held in private locations. Havenāt got a lot of support from IFPA on that.
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There are currently 4 different leagues in our area right now, 3 of which are regularly welcoming between 50-100 players per season. This is up from an average of more like 25 players just 3 years ago.
In past iterations of WPPR, the vastly less attended āprivate locationā league started with the same value as the public ones. Now that more players = more points, the public leagues actually are worth way more than any private one could be. Maybe there are private leagues somewhere that can take 100 players, but thatās definitely not possible here.
As far as I can tell, promoting competitive pinball is the best way to promote pinball period. I see way more people playing casual games around town these days, now that we have regular weeklies, monthlies, and multiple leagues.
I donāt think the intention of the Circuit is or should be to bring new players to events. Tons of aspects of PAPA already do a great job of getting new people into pinball, but that doesnāt mean everything they do should have to focus on that. I think the Circuit works better as something that adds to the profile of the event by being a showcase for great players.
Also, just because you are running a Circuit event doesnāt mean you canāt make it work for noobs by having novice/juniors/classics/womenās divisions, or running it as an inexpensive and friendly format. Lots of new people have been coming to our monthly battle, which is basically a cheap one-day mini-pinburgh, and thereās no reason that format couldnāt work for a Circuit event.
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Because a PAPA circuit event attracts the best players in the world, it provides a venue for newer players to meet and observe top tier players in action, increasing competitive juices for everyone. Think of it as a pro sporting event where you can not only watch the best players in action, but you can also compete against them. Most players will walk away with a dozen different ideas for improvement, which increases their desire to practice more, which increases demand of on-location pinball; an important feedback loop.
But to your point, how do you get players to be interested in pinball in the first place? As the stated goal of IFPA is to identify the best players in the world, it is designed for competitive players who are already really good, and has little value for those outside of the top 1000. That leaves it up to local events and leagues to be creative and provide incentive to bring friends (i.e., newbies). Iāve seen two stellar examples of this
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Team leaguesā¦ Even with no WPPR points given, the enthusiasm is as substantial as a PAPA circuit event. Thanks to Ryan for bringing this to Colorado, Iāve heard nothing but good things by those involved.
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Pinball Campout (Dory Hill)ā¦ I doubt there is a better way to immerse oneās self in competitive pinball than to do it in a no pressure out-of-doors environment with so many nice people, and get WPPR points to boot.
Ultimately not having both ultra competitive and ultra-casual pinball events leaves a gap in any pinball community. The casual events provide the growth, and the competitive events provide the stickiness.
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Why are games multiplayer? To compete against your friends. Pinball is a game. Itās competitive no matter how you look at it. Everyone is trying to beat someone or some score. Even a lone player at a bar is trying to beat the replay score at the least to get a free game ganes save high scores so people can compete without ever seeing or knowing your opponent. I see all inclusive comparative events as the perfect way to promote pinball.
The 24 hour final battle includes everyone for every round for all 24 hours. No eliminations unless you fall asleep or pass out. We even have cash payouts for every group in the final round and custom marathon medals for every players who plays the whole event.
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One of the thinks I think is brilliant about the Pinburgh format is the way it starts out in the early tournament mixing up the noobs and the pros, so the noobs can have some experience seeing the pros in action up close, and as the rounds go on, puts players up against the closest players to their skill level, so they can compete against those they are most closely matched with, and manages to to this in the same tournament.