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  • League Night Recap for 4/12/16

    Season 6, meeting #6 of 8

    Games played: Lord of the Rings, Iron Man, Monster Bash, Jack*Bot

    Mike's cake
    It wasn’t really pink. That’s just the lighting (if you can call it that) in the alcove.

    My first order of business for League Night on 4/12 was to have a private word with Matt and let him know that we had brought a surprise: a cake for Mike S., whose birthday was two days previous. Aaron jumped in and began giving me grief: how dare I make “unilateral pastry decisions” for the league? I hid the cake in more or less plain sight over near the back door and hoped Mike was too distracted to see it. When it came time to start league play, I interrupted Matt’s assignment of groups by carrying in the cake.

    Mike and his cake
    No one except Aaron objected to my unilateral pastry decision.

    Mike failed to blow out all the candles in one go, so I guess he won’t get his wish. Unless his wish was for delicious cake, since everyone seemed to agree that the cake was especially good. Thanks, Kroger bakery! Despite the excessive size of the cake (I thought more people would be there) it was three quarters gone by the end of the night and Mike took the rest home for his mom.

    This was the least-attended night we have had in a while, largely due to the absence of the entire Grand Rapids crew (Jake, Sam, and Adam). Sam was out of town on a business trip, Jake had to work (a change in schedule that may affect the rest of the season for him), and Jake is Adam’s ride. As a result, we played only four games instead of what has become our customary five. Mike S. pleaded with Matt to add the fifth game (it would have been Theater of Magic) anyway, but it didn’t work.  He and Joseph suggested they would play it anyway and write their scores down in the scoring notebook. I don’t know if they did that or not since at the end of the night I instead stayed downstairs proving to myself that I can too play Jack*Bot.

    Mike blows out the candles
    Mike failed to blow out all the candles, which is presumably why Austin Powers hasn’t been replaced yet.

    This was a bit of an odd league night all around. The smaller number of games meant that everyone finished a lot earlier than usual, on top of this, for some reason people also didn’t hang around afterward. I guess the Grand Rapids crowd must be a good bit of our social glue, because everyone abandoned ship in a hurry until only Mike, Joseph, and I remained.  We went to Theio’s, just the three of us, which just wasn’t the same.

    As of this writing Matt had not yet posted the scores due to pending makeup games, but you can also view more photos in the photo gallery. Tonight is the last regular night of the season which will determine seeding and divisions for the final playoffs. We are scheduled to play Medieval Madness, Simpsons Pinball Party, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Tales of the Arabian Nights and Addams Family (with the last two being contingency games), so we can all look forward to looking at Chris’s back all evening.

  • League Night Recap for 3/22/16

    Season 6, meeting #6 of 8

    Games played: Junk Yard, Attack from Mars, The Walking Dead, Theatre of Magic, World Cup Soccer

    Sometimes I think my chicken purse is more popular than I am.
    Sometimes I think my chicken purse is more popular than I am.

     The night opened with Matt delayed by school obligations, leaving Aaron to get things organized.  Initially it appeared that this would be the first night in quite a while that we would not exceed 16 people, which would mean we would play only four games.  Then someone asked: did Aaron remember to count himself?  No, he didn’t.  But that still only got us to 16 exactly.  Did Aaron remember to count Matt, who was on the way?  He forgot that too, and so happily (for those of us who prefer longer league nights, anyway) we were bumped back up to a five game night.

    Matt, present and accounted for.
    Matt, present and accounted for.

    I mentioned to Russell that he had played a prominent role in the last league night update.  He hadn’t read it, so I filled him in about my mysterious note to myself: “Everyone gave Russell a hard time about everything.”  Someone else asked, “What was everyone giving you s— about, Russell?”  He replied that, as usual, it was about his sliding games.  He asked plaintively why he gets so much grief about that when lots of other people move the games just as much.  I have no answer to that question, but I am sure his reputation for making “Russell Grooves” was bestowed affectionately.

    Speaking of sliding, my group failed to warn Steve in time about the particular quirks of Junk Yard.  I saw him go to give it a shove and I thought, “I should probably tell him –” but by the time I my mouth caught up with my brain, he had already slam tilted.  We had to break the news that this meant he would be getting a zero, but he took it with surprising equanimity.

    Adam and Greg, working hard down in the points mine.
    Adam and Greg, working hard down in the points mine.

    I was playing The Walking Dead when the news made it upstairs: we would not be playing World Cup Soccer.  Was the ramp awarding goals again?  No, that wasn’t the problem this time.  Instead, a lightbulb had come loose and was rattling around the playfield.  WCS was out, Indiana Jones was in.  Ten minutes later, another emissary came bearing news from downstairs: we would be playing World Cup Soccer after all.  If I have it right, Chris and Sarah spent some time whacking the ball at the lightbulb until it worked its way into a spot where it couldn’t do any damage.

    Uncle Stewart wants YOU to join the Lansing Pinball League!
    Uncle Stewart wants YOU to join the Lansing Pinball League!

    I made my last pitch for people to come to the March Hare Madness tournament (more on that soon), though perhaps I shouldn’t have.  When the morning of tournament rolled around so many people had marked themselves as “attending” on Facebook that Chris split into four Chrises and ran in the cardinal directions.  But that’s another story for another recap.

    Our next league night is Tuesday (April 12), which marks one of the unusual occasions in which we have to suffer for three weeks between league nights.  There are only two meetings left this season, so the heat is really on, especially with very slim margins of points between many of the positions, and quite a few people teetering on the border between A and B divisions.  The results from this league night, and the current standings, can be viewed here.

  • Results for League Night #6, Season 6, 3/22/16

    [table id=33 /]

    Results may change due to makeup games.

  • March Hare Madness Tournament Rules and Information

    In addition to the general tournament rules for Avenue tournaments, the following specific rules will be in effect for March Hare Madness.

    March Hare Madness is an “Amazing Race” style tournament.  This means that players will race around a course of games, with the lowest player or players at each station dropping out of the race.  As soon as a player has passed the necessary minimum score to not be in danger, he or she will drain the remaining balls and move on to the next station.  The current score needed to “pass” a machine will be written on an index card and posted on the game’s lockdown bar.

    The number of players who fall by the wayside in each round will be determined by the number of people still in the race at the start of that round.

    14 or fewer racers: 1 person per round

    15-24 racers: 2 people per round

    25 or more racers: 3 people per round

    This continues until only 4 people remain.  Those 4 will then do a playoff round on 3 randomly-chosen games, with 4, 2, 1, 0 scoring.  The highest total score wins the tournament.  If a tiebreaking game is needed, this will also be done on a randomly-chosen game.

    Because I don’t want anyone to come out and not get to play at least 3 games, we will have optional buy-ins for the first 2 stations.  Anyone eliminated in one of the first 2 stations may pay an additional $5 (also going to the charity) to buy back in.  He or she will then pass the round and move on to the next game.  As many people as want to buy in for the first two rounds will be allowed, so it is possible no one will be eliminated until station 3.

    We will also have a rule that when multiple players are waiting to play, the highest numbered (lowest ranked) “seed” always plays first.  This isn’t really “seeding” but just a way of aiming to have the players who are likely to have the shortest games play first, to keep the tournament moving quickly; for the lack of a better term, I’m calling it a “seed.”  The seed will be assigned according to IFPA rank if available.  Example: my IFPA rank is currently 1675.  Joseph’s is 1122.  Let’s say at the tournament he has the 6th highest rank and I have the 10th, so he is seed 6 and I am seed 10.  According to the “highest numbered seed always plays first” rule, if we are both waiting at the same station, he would allow me to play first.

    Extra balls will be turned on, but must be plunged.  See the general tournament rules for more information.

    When players finish a game, they should have a scorekeeper verify their score.  Scorekeepers for this tournament will be me, Joseph N., Mike S., and Chris T.  In the unlikely event of a tie that would affect who will be knocked out, the two tied players will play one ball on the same machine as a tiebreaker.

    The official start time for the tournament is 6 pm.  I will, however, allow people to start early provided I am present and ready to start taking scores.  Players are asked to arrive by 5:45 to register if possible.  Registration will end at 6:15 sharp.  Anyone not registered by 6:15 cannot play, except those who RSVP’d and advised me of a late arrival.  Late arrivers who have contacted me will be permitted to enter until such time as everyone already present and registered has completed the first game station.  Once that first station has been completed by everyone present, no one else can enter the race.

    All games should be played in one-player mode except during the playoffs.  This is due to disadvantages certain games have for multiple player games (such as Theater of Magic and TotAN’s lock-spoiling) and the unfortunately non-trivial possibility of catastrophic failures.

    This is a challenging location, because although it’s a great place to play and hang out (and eat delicious fries), the venue does not have keys, and the games can be finicky and unpredictable.  As with the Silver Balls tournament, the prevailing ethos will be “roll with it.”  This is for charity and for fun!  For general information on what happens in the case of a malfunction, please see the generic rules.  More specifically, the director (that’s me) has the right to remove games from the “course” at her discretion.  I will have a high tolerance for imperfect play, but may need to rotate games out for serious problems.  A game currently in progress, if it suffers from a catastrophic failure, will be removed and if anyone has not yet played it, all players will be considered to have “passed” that station and will move on.

    We will be using all of the Avenue’s games that are considered reliable enough for tournament play and functioning well as of Wednesday.  The exact list won’t be finalized until the day of the tournament.

    Sudden Death Rule

    To avoid outlasting the venue, we will have a sudden death rule in place if the tournament runs long.  If more than 4 people are still playing at 11 p.m., the next game will be declared to be the final game of the race, and the 4 highest scorers on that game will move on to the “Final Four” playoff round.

  • League Night Recap for 3/8/16

    Season 6, meeting #5 of 8

    Games played: Medieval Madness, Indiana Jones, Getaway, Attack from Mars, The Simpsons Pinball Party

    The other best reason to go to The Avenue. Can I have the one that fell on the windowsill?
    The other best reason to go to The Avenue. Can I have the one that fell on the windowsill?

    Joseph is a prolific writer with several blogs, and posts in at least one of them (and often more than one) every single day.  One of the habits he has cultivated is to take notes as soon as he has an idea for a blog post, so that he has something to jog his memory when he sits down to write.  I have tried to take his advice and do this myself, so when I get home from league night I usually jot down a list of phrases intended to help me remember the most interesting things I observed that evening. This usually works very well, with even terse and cryptic phrases readily bringing events back to mind.

    Usually.  This time, however, I find the following notation at the bottom of my list, verbatim: “Everyone gave Russell a hard time about everything.”  I have no idea what this refers to; I can’t remember a single thing that Russell was being hassled about, let alone everything.  On the other hand, it is not hard to picture the kind of scene that would give rise to that hyperbolic note.  I will, then, leave that as an exercise for the reader.

    Some notable appearances included Janine’s son Logan, who got some expert coaching from Chris and a photo of himself in the ‘possum comic foreground[1]; Mike’s cousin Andy, who was brought along specifically with the hope that he would push us into playing 6 games for the night (he didn’t, and ended up deciding not to play); and James, who returned after a long absence to an enthusiastic welcome.  Adam came back for his second meeting and is apparently going to be a regular from here on out, so the rest of us are going to have to step up our Attack from Mars game.

    It was voting day, so the primaries were a major topic of discussion.  Mike complained about how my “I Voted” sticker was a lot bigger and fancier than the one he got at his polling place.  I tried to avoid getting involved in political conversations, but when pinned down I did admit that I am typically a partisan voter and would vote for whomever my party nominated.

    Chris warms up for league by standing under the heat lamp.
    Chris warms up for league by standing under the heat lamp.

    Chris, overhearing this, said, “oh, so you’re a monotypic genus.”  I thought at first that it referred to having the same genus and species name, so I honestly thought for a moment that he was calling me a Rattus rattus and started to respond indignantly.  (I subsequently looked it up and learned that a species “double named” like that is actually called “tautonymous,” a word that delights me.)  After a moment I realized (correctly) that it surely referred instead to a genus that contains only one species.  I said, “Are you calling me a, uh… I can’t think of an example of a monotypic genus… oh wait, wait, I know one!  Oryctolagus!” – that being the genus of the domestic rabbit.  It was only long after the evening was over and I was back home that I realized that this is surely exactly what he meant, as I was wearing my bunny cape.  With l’esprit de l’escalier, I wished I had replied that I was a Sylvilagus.[2]

    Although Mike’s plan to have Andy push us to the six-game threshold did not come to fruition, we did play five games, which has become routine for us this season due to our increasing attendance.  One of those games was Indiana Jones… and we very nearly got away with it.  The very last group of the night suffered the usual ball-lost-in-the-idol malfunction, started another game, and had it happen again.  At that point Matt said he would just scratch IJ, and I dissolved into despair, as I’d had my best league game of it ever at the beginning of the night.  Fortunately (and, I’m embarrassed to say, partly because of my wailing), the group agreed to provisionally take their existing scores with the option to replace them with a makeup game prior to the next league meeting.

    I’m not sure what happened, but I took hardly any photos this time, so I’m sorry to say I don’t have much to show.  I seem to have gotten so engrossed in the night that I just forgot to get behind the lens.  I hope I have made up for it with this exceptionally educational recap, complete with footnotes.  As always I do have the results (pending makeup games) posted.  That’s all for now, folks, but League Night #6 is Tuesday, so I’ll see you then, and we can all resume giving Russell a hard time.

    ***

    [1] Did you know those stand-ups with a hole cut out for your face are called “comic foregrounds”?  Better, did you know they were invented and patented by C. M. Coolidge, the artist behind “dogs playing poker”?  Now you do!

    [2] A genus containing many species of cottontail rabbits.

  • Results for League Night #5, Season 6, 3/8/16

    [table id=32 /]

    Results may change due to makeup games.

  • League Night Recap for 2/23/16

    It’s just about time for another league night, so of course it’s time for my customarily delinquent report of last league night.  February 23 brought us to the fourth meeting, and thus the halfway mark of the season.  There is still plenty of time left in the season for positions to change, but at this point it is safe to say that Chris has a pretty decisive lead, with 56 points over second place Joseph.  Sarah, in third place, trails Joseph by another 15 points, which is more than surmountable.  The rest of the “A division range,” the top eight, are clustered close together, from Matt’s 231-point fourth place, through a three-way tie for seventh place at 226 points.  (You can review the current standings here.)

    League players playing.
    Yes, we had to play Austin Powers. Thanks, random number generator!

    This meeting once again saw a new participant: another Grand Rapids Pinball League regular, Adam.  Jake apparently convinced him to come by talking up Theio’s.  I asked him if he’s planning to come regularly and he said it will depend on his work schedule.  We also were graced with the return of a previous but long-absent league member, Terry.  Terry’s work schedule makes it difficult or impossible for him to attend league meetings, but the new flexible start time has allowed him to join us again.

    Kandus checks herself for a fever.
    The pinball action is so hot, Kandus has to check herself for a fever.

    Chris’s friend Janine returned for a second dance with the Avenue’s games.  I told her I was glad we hadn’t scared her off.  She said that she had to come back because after her first week she was last place in the league standings and her son was razzing her for it, so she needed to at least get out of last place.  This brought back memories for me… memories of how, when I was new to the league, I just hoped not to be in last place every time Matt posted standings!  (These hopes were not always fulfilled.)

    Not that I’m always putting in a stellar performance these days either.  I had one of the most hot and cold days I can remember, starting the night with a 100-million-plus Addams Family (a personal record, yet one that only got me 3rd in my group, since Joseph and Sam both tore it up even more than that) and ending with a six-figure Tales of the Arabian Nights.

    Joseph turns away from Austin Powers in disgust.
    Joseph turns away from Austin Powers in disgust.

    The night ended with Adam getting his promised trip to Theio’s, along with Jake, Sam, Joseph, and me.  As Jake told Adam before we arrived, we almost never talk about pinball at Theio’s — roller coasters are a much more frequent topic — but wouldn’t you know, the conversation this time ended up turning into a bit of a debate about the merits of a certain melon-themed game.  Don’t worry, no punches were thrown, and everyone escaped unscathed.  I hope Adam liked the eggs.

  • Results for League Night #4, Season 6, 2/23/16

    [table id=31 /]

    These results may change after makeup games.

  • League Night Recap for 2/9/16

    League Night 2/9/16. As you can see, all our games are played in the dark at the Lansing Pinball League. It helps us feel more like Tommy.
    All of our games are played in the dark at the Lansing Pinball League. It helps us feel more like Tommy.

    The league continues to grow this season, as last league night – the third of Season 6 – saw three new players.  Kandus brought her husband Joe, who fortunately goes by the short form of the name while my own husband Joseph never does, so I’m sure that will prevent any confusion.  Chris brought his friend Janine, who also does not go by Joseph, so all is well.  And longtime friend of the league Cattie is now an actual member of the league.  Until recently, Cattie had tended bar during league nights, and so is very familiar to the league.  She no longer works Tuesdays, which has been a tough adjustment for everyone.  The up side of this, however, is that she is now free to play in the league.

    Although on the balance the league is growing, we have had a few (possibly temporary) departures from the league.  Aaron and Amanda G. had a good time at their first visit to the league, but have decided it’s just too far for them to come out on a regular basis.  Alex, a fixture of the league for a few seasons, has been too busy with running tournaments and his own league (the Blind Squirrel League out in Fremont) so he hasn’t been able to attend on a regular basis this season.

    League Night 2/9/16.
    The league hard at work.  That sound you hear is wood being chopped.

    When I arrived, Chris, Sarah, Greg, and Janine were already playing their second game, as they had decided to start early.  Matt is now allowing people to start as soon as four people have arrived, supposedly to alleviate congestion now that the league has grown.  I can see the wisdom of this, but, dear reader, I hope that it does not work against the feeling of camaraderie that is the unique quality of our league.

    I’m sorry to say that one of our games this time was Austin Powers, which unfortunately did not break.  I don’t get it; I keep sticking pins in my Austin Powers voodoo pinball machine.  Maybe I need to set it on fire.  I’m running out of time, since it’s one of the backup games for Tuesday so there is a nonzero chance we might have to endure it again.

    Matt adds Mike to the naughty list.
    Matt adds Mike to the naughty list.

    On a brighter note, several people had very good games of Jack*Bot this time, including billion-plus scores for both Greg and Joseph.  At one point it did suffer a total reset during a game, a problem that has very occasionally happened in the past, but it didn’t recur.  That must be someone else’s voodoo; I like Jack*Bot.

    Tuesday’s league night will bring us to the midway point of the season, and we probably will not have to play Austin Powers.  We will get to play Tales of the Arabian Nights, which has gotten its sound fixed at last!  I hope to see you all at 7 p.m. at the Avenue.

     

  • League Night Update for 1/26/16

    Prior to the start of our second league night, Mike S. told me that he was going to be playing in my group.  I asked how he could know that, and he said that he just had a feeling that we would be grouped together.  But it didn’t happen: when Mike’s group was called, I wasn’t in it, and I said, “Aw, I wanted to play with Mike!  I never get to play with Mike!”  Sarah decided to chime in too, agreeing that she hasn’t played with Mike in ages.  Matt yelled at us to calm down, saying “after league is over we can all get in line to play with Mike!”

    Christine and Sam
    Sam: “So do these require a special diet, or can you just buy some Purina chow?”

    The night was the largest we have had in some time.  The league’s practice is to play four games if 16 or fewer people attend, and five games if we have more than 16 players.  We have only added the fifth game once before, quite some time ago, but ever since then, Mike S. gets excited each week thinking we might get to play five games again.  Unfortunately, what seems to keep happening is that we get exactly 16 people.  League Night #2 looked like it was going to be another close-but-no-cigar night until we had a late arrival from Sommer and Allyson.  Between their return to the league and even more new players this week, we hit the magic number and got to play five games.

    Speaking of new players, this week’s new additions were Kandus and Maddie.  I didn’t get a chance to meet Maddie, but Kandus was in my group and told me she learned about the league through another new player, Gabe.  She had initially been worried that she was not good enough to play in a league but Gabe assured her that we were a fun group.  I hope she found that to be true!  I fondly remember my first days in the league when my concerns that I would be too inexperienced to fit in were very quickly dispelled by the welcome that I got.  I hope Kandus had a similar experience.

    The Walking Dead: not just my nickname when I come in for my morning class.
    The Walking Dead: not just my nickname when I come in for my morning class.

    Also in my group was Matt, whose usual resolve against taking Secret Mania in Getaway — he insists it always ends in a drain — was tested and found lacking.  When I see those three police cars, I always shriek “SECRET MANIA!” and hammer on the shift stick about 100 times to make sure the game gets the point. Matt, on the other hand, just shook his head with resignation as he slowly and methodically hit the shifter three times to start Secret Mania.  “Enjoy your Secret Drainia,” said Aaron H., watching from an adjacent group.  The words “Secret Drainia” made me laugh so hard I got weak and had to sit down.  I don’t know why it tickled me quite so much.  But Matt showed him: he not only finished his Secret Drainia without draining, but went on to start multiball and get a jackpot in the same ball.  Later I saw Mike B. also choosing to go for Secret Mania.  Someone in his group said “Secret Mania?  How did you get that?!”  Mike just said, “I can’t tell you; it’s a secret.”

    Mike B. and Russell.
    Russell: “I’m confused. Which one is the Wolfman, again?” Mike B.: “Quiet, I’m trying to find the secret fish mania.”

    Another typical moment of Lansing League silliness involved an argument between me and Aaron H. over whether heather is a bush.  It started with a discussion of Tila Tequila and her belief that the world is flat.  Aaron said that we shouldn’t be surprised, since her name after all is Tila Tequila, so she probably drinks a lot of it.  I said, “I don’t think it works that way.  I mean, I don’t spend all the time eating flowers off the moors.”  Aaron didn’t catch my meaning so I explained that heather was a flower.  He said he thought it was a bush.  I said it was more of a low-growing, shrubby flower that covers the moors in carpets of purple.  I believe I meant to say “scrubby” rather than “shrubby,” but that launched me and Aaron into a conversation about the difference, if any, between a bush and a shrub.  And if this summary of a typical league conversation doesn’t make you want to come to the Lansing Pinball League, then you have a heart of stone and will never know joy.

    After league Joseph, Sam, Jake, Mike, and I had our usual Theio’s after party.  Everyone is welcome to come with us to these, so if you haven’t had the Theio’s experience yet, just ask one of us at the end of the next league night.  Which, thanks to my now-habitual late posting schedule, is tonight!  I hope I will see you there.

    Don’t forget that you can always see more photos in our photo gallery and the complete results too.