Episode 64 – E3 2018

Tony and Dennis are joined by Eric and Don to deep dive into the happenings at E3.

Dennis starts the podcast solo, answering questions about the show and bypassing the typical introduction segment.

Pinball: Dennis covers the pinball news alone, talking about Sandra Bullock wanting a Demolition Man pinball machine, Scott Danesi designing a second game for Spooky Pinball, Joe Schober joining American Pinball, and David Thiel becoming exclusive to deeproot Pinball.

After the news, Tony joins the show and wraps up the results of The Worst of the Fall.

Video Games: Tony and Dennis open with what they’ve been playing. After that, Eric and Don join as guests, and the rest of the episode is dedicated to E3, revolving around the announcements from the major press conferences (EA, Microsoft, Bethesda, Square Enix, Ubisoft, the PC Gaming Show, Sony, and Nintendo).

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Episode 63 – Zach Attack!

Tony and Dennis are joined by Zachary Meny, of Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show, to talk about the silver ball.

Pinball: In pinball news, discussion focuses on This Week in Pinball being open to donations, John Popadiuk filing an appeal in his civil case regarding Zidware, a leaked image of the Deadpool playfield from Stern Pinball, the rapid sell-out of the Supreme pinball machine, the announcement that Star Trek pinball is getting a Vault Edition, and Homepin indicating their second pinball machine will target the Chinese market.

After the news, Tony leads everyone into the final round of The Worst of the Fall. Zach then describes his approach as a pinball collector, and how SDTM handles reviewing pinball machines. Finally, everyone tries the SDTM approach and reviews Wrestlemania.

Video Games: Zach, Tony, and Dennis have a brief discussion on the best video game consoles of all time.

Links:
Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show (YouTube channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAoeA05zcyksTEN3dEXCzCA

Straight Down the Middle: a pinball show (audio podcast): http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/httpyoutubeubovjgfcizw

This Week in Pinball donation and giveaway details: http://thisweekinpinball.com/june-giveaway-extravaganza/

Round 6 Worst of the Fall voting: https://goo.gl/forms/5Oco4gF94pukjdf83

Episode 62 – Bruce Almighty

Tony and Dennis are joined by Bruce Nightingale, of the Slam Tilt Podcast and The Silverball Saloon, to talk a bunch of pinball and a bit on the virtual side.

Pinball: This episode has a huge focus on news-driven items. Discussion revolves around liquidation details for Heighway Pinball, that former pinball designer John Trudeau was arrested yet again, the pricing range currently proposed by deeproot Pinball, the Women’s International Pinball Tournament happening at Replay FX this year, Dutch Pinball’s announcement of litigation beginning between them and their former contract manufacturer, and a bit about the evidence regarding the growth of the pinball hobby as noted in an article with This Week in Pinball.

From there, Bruce provides some details regarding operating the Silverball Saloon (and how pinball integrates into that venture). Tony walks everyone through the next round of The Worst of the Fall (a tournament where you vote for the WORST of any given pinball match-up), and the pinball segment concludes with a discussion of code and what old games can be salvaged from being disappointments and transformed into winners.

Video Games: Discussion revolves around The Pinball Arcade and Farsight Studios announcing that the licenses to the Bally/Williams tables was lost and soon will be unavailable for purchase.

Links:
Slam Tilt Podcast: http://www.slamtiltpodcast.com/

The Silverball Saloon: https://www.thesilverballsaloon.com/

Rip Tide Pinball Podcast: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/riptidepinballpodcast

Meltdown Pinball Podcast: https://anchor.fm/meltdown/

Pinball News article on Heighway Pinball’s liquidation: https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/05/10/heighway-pinball-by-the-numbers/

Herald-News article on Trudeau’s arrest: http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/05/17/former-glendale-heights-man-arrested-in-alleged-bolingbrook-sex-abuse-case/azfsnbc/

This Week in Pinball deeproot pricing information: http://thisweekinpinball.com/twip-munsters-to-tpf-deeproot-pinball-price-range-nyc-pinball-championship-more/

Episode 121b of the Pinball Podcast (W.I.P.T. discussion): http://www.thepinballpodcast.com/2018/05/14/episode-121b-kaite-martin-discusses-w-i-p-t-at-replay-fx/

TWIP article on the growth of pinball: http://thisweekinpinball.com/the-growth-of-pinball-an-evidence-based-review-by-dennis-kriesel/

The Worst of the Fall Round 5 voting: https://goo.gl/forms/m9hTluIWwwwj2vIn2

BlahCade Podcast’s Farsight interview: http://shoutengine.com/BlahCadePodcast/bobby-king-wms-licensing-interview-and-commentary-58347

Episode 61 – Heighway v BattleTech

Episode 61 – Heighway v BattleTech

Pinball: After a brief mention of Stern Pinball’s Iron Maiden LE gameplay (provided by Deadflip), we move into a couple legal/business updates. The first is Zidware and pinball designer John Popadiuk’s legal defeat in a civil suit regarding his failure to produce pinball machines. The second is the collapse of Heighway Pinball, its ongoing liquidation, and the rumors/drama surrounding the failure of yet another pinball company. The pinball segment concludes with the results of the Slam the Top 101-200 and the setup of Round 4 of The Worst of the Fall.

Video Games: It’s BattleTech day. Tony walks through his hands-on experience with the latest game in the franchise. There is also a bit of discussion regarding Mad Max and Prey.

Links:
Deadflip’s gameplay video of Stern Pinball’s Iron Maiden LE: https://youtu.be/besY8TS0Ges

This Week in Pinball-The Fall of Heighway Pinball: http://thisweekinpinball.com/twip-the-fall-of-heighway-pinball-new-info-on-elvira-3-iron-maiden-le-more/

Pinball News interview with Andrew Heighway: https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/05/06/andrew-heighway-interview/

Round 4 voting for The Worst of the Fall: https://goo.gl/forms/Dafzodm6HuhClzp53

Episode 60 – Ryan Raps Pinball

In this episode, Ryan C. (of Head2Head Pinball) joins in to talk about all sorts of pinball topics.

In pinball news, there is discussion of Spooky Pinball’s Alice Cooper’s Nightmare Castle at the 2018 Midwest Gaming Classic. From there, we talk about continued fallout regarding Jersey Jack Pinball’s Pirates of the Caribbean with changes to the spinning disc and treasure-chest ball lock for production models versus the prototypes. Finally, there is a brief discussion of Dennis’ Atari pinball article over at Pinball News.

After the news, a collection segment begins, where Ryan gives his thoughts on pin collecting from a player’s standpoint. Two data segments follow this, both involving Pinside data. The first examines game ratings versus category of ownership. The second explores the ratio of wishlist to ownership for the top 200 solid-state pins.

Pinball wraps up with some games. The first is Slam the Top 101-200, modeled on a Head2Head game. The second it the round 3 match-ups in our ongoing Worst of the Fall tournament.

Despite the intention to just do pinball, Ryan asks about some video games. We talk about Peggle, Gears of War, and emotional moments in game storytelling.

Links:
Head2Head Pinball: http://www.head2headpinball.com/

Mrs. Pin’s Pinball Podcast: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/mrspin

Pinball News article on Atari’s pinball division: https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/04/17/atari-pinball/

IE Pinball Hobbit gameplay: https://youtu.be/lwlF9RU-Dkw

The Worst of the Fall: Round 3 voting: https://goo.gl/forms/YKoOaZrIaMf8wnxK2

Episode 59 – Put Them in the Iron Maiden… Excellent!

In pinball, Dennis and Tony discuss Stern Pinball’s recently announced Iron Maiden pinball. They also talk about Pinball Expo (it’s back on, but there are changes still versus prior years). They also briefly spend some time on the Trash Talker Invitational Podcaster Bloodbath. Finally, it’s time for Round 2 of The Worst of the Fall.

The video game segment consists of gaming updates, because updates are good!

Links:
This Week in Pinball’s Iron Maiden information: http://thisweekinpinball.com/twip-iron-maiden-reveal-premium-and-le-info-keith-elwin-interview-deadpool-image-leak-spooky-updates-more/

Pinball News & Pinball Magazine: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/pinballmagazine

Pinball News article on Pinball Expo 2018: https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/04/03/pinball-expo-2018-latest-news/

Round 2 of The Worst of the Fall voting: https://goo.gl/forms/pDN8ZurORASdItff1

Episode 58 – TPF 2018

Discussion revolves around the 2018 Texas Pinball Festival, the first round of our The Worst of the Fall Tournament, and a couple video game topics (Mad Max and Overwatch). A setting was wrong on Dennis’ microphone input so he will have more echo than ideal, sorry!

Links:
Fun with Bonus: https://funwithbonus.com/

Roanoke Pinball Museum: https://www.roanokepinball.org/

The Pinball Podcast: http://www.thepinballpodcast.com/

Head2Head Pinball: http://www.head2headpinball.com/

Straight Down the Middle: A Pinball Show: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/httpyoutubeubovjgfcizw

This Week in Pinball: http://thisweekinpinball.com/

Pinball News: http://www.pinballnews.com/site/

Audio of Steve Ritchie’s seminar at TPF 2018: https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/shows/tpf-2018/tpf-2018-steve-ritchie.mp3

Round 1 of The Worst of the Fall voting: https://goo.gl/forms/MMNJxI6tRsNZ99Vx2

Episode 57 – Games Games Games

No interviews and no guest hosts, just Tony and Dennis talking about games. A big mix this time (even the tabletop segment makes a return!).

Pinball: Pinball topics consist of Chicago Gaming Company announcing they will no longer be revealing their third remake pin at the 2018 Texas Pinball Festival and the announcement of a Pinball Palooza in the Chicago area (due to a split between the two partners who put together Expo for years). Dennis also talks a bit about a project Laser War machine, and an article he co-wrote about Ted Zale.

Video Games: A huge mix of games gets discussed. Specifically: Subnautica, Dragon Ball FighterZ, XCOM 2: War of the Chosen, Gems of War, Into the Breach, South Park: The Fractured but Whole, and BATTLETECH by Harebrained Schemes. We also talk some about the recent Nintendo Direct event.

Tabletop: Yes, a brief return, regarding the fallout of a long-ago mentioned project from Palladium Books for Robotech RPG Tactics.

Links:
Laser War gameplay video: https://youtu.be/zNAFzwZTiks

History of Pinball: Ted Zale video from Pintastic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs0mMEuuoa4

The Renegade of Pinball’s Golden Age: The Ted Zale Story article at Pinball News: https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2018/03/10/the-ted-zale-story/

Robotech RPG Tactics updates: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rrpgt/robotech-rpg-tacticstm/updates

Episode 56 – Taylor Talks Pinball

In this episode, Tony and Dennis are joined by Taylor Reese (owner/operator of Reese Rails and one of the hosts of This Flippin’ Podcast). Given Taylor’s pinball background, most of the discussion centers on that hobby. The guys announce the conclusion of the “shame” pinball tournament, discuss Stern Pinball’s Supreme pin, provide a Skit-B legal update, talk about some quality issues that have arisen with the Attack from Mars Remake, and cover Ben Heck’s announcement that he has left Spooky Pinball. In addition, time is spent on collector aspects of the pinball hobby, and a fun discussion about pinball “conventional wisdom” and where the guys buck the trend on what they favor.

Links:
Reese Rails: https://pinside.com/pinball/biz/directory/1004-reese-rails

This Flippin’ Podcast: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/thisflippinpodcast

This Week in Pinball’s Ben Heck interview: http://thisweekinpinball.com/interview-ben-heck-leaving-spooky-alice-coopers-nightmare-castle-preview-next-ben-heck/

Episode 55 – The Deeproot Interview

This episode kicks off with a lengthy interview Dennis held with Robert Mueller, Principal of deeproot Tech, who joined the show to provide additional information regarding deeproot Pinball and its plans on entering pinball production.

After the interview Tony and Dennis give their thoughts/analysis regarding what was learned in the interview. This is followed by setting up the fourth, and final, round of the “shame” pinball tournament, Spooky Pinball’s announcement that Total Nuclear Annihilation is their best-selling game to date, and some information coming out of the Head2Head Pinball regarding American Pinball securing a trademark for an Oktoberfest pinball machine.

In video games, a discussion regarding the Overwatch League and its impact on the future of eSports starts things off, and is followed by Microsoft and some of the acquisition rumors floating around to further enhance the Xbox’s first-party line-up.

Links:
Flippin’ and Mashing podcast link: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/flippinandmashing

This Week in Pinball’s first deeproot Pinball interview: http://thisweekinpinball.com/exclusive-interview-deeproot-next-misadventure-pinball-revolution/

This Week in Pinball’s second deeproot Pinball interview: http://thisweekinpinball.com/deeproot-pinball-new-home-new-hires-5-days-deeproot-exclusive-follow-interview/

deeproot Pinball’s website: http://deeprootpinball.com/

deeproot’s webinar for Zidware customers: https://youtu.be/MnNntaKjZig

“Shame” Round 4 voting: https://goo.gl/forms/Ur3EWLMoIuXGR0Ce2

Polygon article on Xbox exclusive studio rumors: https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/29/16930892/xbox-one-exclusive-games-analysis-microsoft

Episode 54 – The King of Cashing

Tony and Dennis are joined by Steve Bowden, top world-ranked pinball player and the mind behind Fun With Bonus (a website about all things pinball). As such, expect a pinball-heavy episode.

The pinball topics start with the third round of the “shame” pinball tournament, and wrap-up of round two. Then, the latest pinball news is discussed (focusing on Stern Pinball’s Luci AC/DC Vault Edition announcement, This Week in Pinball’s follow-up interview with deeproot Pinball, and the TWIPY pinball award results). From there, competitive pinball topics are discussed, including some talk of the IFPA’s new $1 fee (which went into effect at the start of the year), games that have fatal rulesets for competitive play and how they can be fixed, and ideas on what local pinball scenes can do to attract new players into competitive pinball tournaments.

There are a couple video game topics as well. The guys discuss the Nintendo Labo (cardboard + Nintendo = Profit?) and Dragon Ball FighterZ (the latest fighting game from Arc System Works).

Links:
Fun With Bonus: https://funwithbonus.com/

Round 3 of the “Shame” Pinball Tournament: https://goo.gl/forms/JlxcKP7EWTFCl8lB3

This Week in Pinball Follow-up Interview with Deeproot Pinball: http://thisweekinpinball.com/deeproot-pinball-new-home-new-hires-5-days-deeproot-exclusive-follow-interview/

TWIPY Results: http://thisweekinpinball.com/2017-twipy-pinball-awards-results/

Nintendo Labo: https://labo.nintendo.com/

PinBox 3000: https://pinbox3000.com/

Episode 53 – Sowing Discord

Pinball: We cover Multimorphic’s P3 for our year-end review (as we did not in the prior episode). We talk a bit of Heighway Pinball’s Alien, Stern Pinball at CES, and Round 2 in our “shame” tournament.

Video Games: We talk about Nintendo’s mini-direct event, Halo Wars 2, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, and Quantum Break.

Links:
Solid Sate Pinball Supply: http://www.solidstatekc.com/

T-shirt Giveaway entries: https://goo.gl/forms/CmIsn8VjRWXz0XFu1

“Shame” Pinball Tournament-Round 2 voting: https://goo.gl/forms/4kUfg2p8DJ3TvA7z1

EGP Discord: https://discord.gg/sgnrsBT

Episode 52 – 2017 Year-End Review

Tony and Dennis summarize 2017 for pinball and video games, plus launch round 1 of the best “shame” pinball machine. Happy New Year!

Links:
Round 1 of 2017 Best “Shame” Pinball Tournament: https://goo.gl/forms/dVSm69UDvpeuGNRU2

Episode 51 – Prometheus is Bad

Pinball: We open with a couple news updates (Stern’s notices for SPIKE systems to fix node board and capacitor issues, plus Star Wars receiving its v1.0 code), following by the TWIPY awards, our “shame” pinball tournament, and the 2018 Texas Pinball Festival.

Video Games: Tony talks Breath of the Wild, while Dennis talks Rocket League. There’s also some more Star Citizen news!

Links:
TWIPY pinball award voting: https://goo.gl/forms/5tUPMcGcVPiZe0Eo2

Submission form for “shame” pinball machines: https://goo.gl/forms/PIFC19xatUz7dw7e2

Episode 50 – Rooting for the Citizen

Pinball: We open with the latest code update for The Walking Dead and Heighway Pinball’s announcement regarding Alien Pinball production. After that, we focus on The Week in Pinball’s interview with deeproot Pinball and Dennis’ latest Pinball News article on Harry Williams and the game’s he designed for Bally in the early 1970s.

Video Games: We start with the latest on EA and Battlefront 2’s loot boxes. From there, an update is provided on the long-awaited Star Citizen and news regarding Battletech. Finally, Dennis talks about about Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.

Links:
This Week in Pinball’s interview with deeproot Pinball: http://thisweekinpinball.com/exclusive-interview-deeproot-next-misadventure-pinball-revolution/

San Antonio Business Journal article on deeproot: https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2017/08/16/san-antonio-financial-adviser-raises-15m-from.html

Dennis’ article on Harry Williams’ Bally-produced pinball machines at Pinball News: https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2017/11/30/harry-williams-and-bally/

EA and Battlefront 2 loot boxes: https://www.polygon.com/2017/11/28/16711474/star-wars-battlefront-2-cosmetics-loot-boxes-lucasfilm-canon

Star Citizen’s land claims: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link//16278-UEE-Land-Claim-Licenses

Star Citizen timeline: https://i.imgur.com/uPgDfdi.png

Battletech interview on the single player : https://www.polygon.com/features/2017/11/29/16712660/battletech-kickstarter-firefly

Episode 49 – Nic Talks Electromechanical

In this super-special episode, Tony and Dennis are joined by Nic (of Nic’s North American Pinball Tour fame) to talk all about electromechanical (EM) pinball machines. They start off with a basic discussion of the three primary manufacturers (Gottlieb, Williams, and Bally). From there, a general discussion of the three basic gameplay concepts employed by EMs in the 1960s and beyond. Then follows a deep discussion of both the IPDB and Pinside Top 10 EM list (we talk each game, but also the ratings systems as a whole). Finally, the discussion opens up into other good EM games and some of the more controversial restoration techniques (using LED lighting and whether or not it is okay to clearcoat).

Episode 48 – Sys 11 vs. Bomber Crew

Pinball: We start off with some news, move into a follow-up on “street level” pins, and close out with the results of our 2017 System 11 Tournament and some thoughts on games with that boardset (such as our Top 5!).

Video Games: We lead off with a loot crate update. From there, it’s EA’s acquisition of Respawn. Tony then goes into Bomber Crew, Dennis talks more Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, and Tony concludes with Endless Space 2.

Links:
Dennis’ Pinball News article on “street level” pins: https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2017/11/16/the-history-of-street-level-pinballs/

Eclectic Gamers Podcast page of past tournament results: https://eclecticgamerspodcast.wordpress.com/past-tournament-results/

Bomber Crew: http://store.steampowered.com/app/537800/Bomber_Crew/

Endless Space 2: http://store.steampowered.com/app/392110/Endless_Space_2/

Episode 47 – Street Level + Loot Crates = Profit?

Pinball: We open with the set-up for Round 5 (the final!) for our 2017 System 11 Tournament. After that is a short update on Heighway Pinball’s Alien games. From there, Dennis and Tony talk about Stern Pinball’s Guardians of the Galaxy reveal. Finally, Dennis presents his research project on the Gottlieb “Street Level” pinball series of games, an experiment by the company in the early 1990s.

Video Games: Tony leads off with his research project, the world of loot boxes. The show ends with a summary of BlizzCon 2017 announcements (Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, and Heroes of the Storm).

Links:
Round 5 voting for the 2017 System 11 Tournament: https://goo.gl/forms/649S5jGmQ5IoTkOm2
Street Level-Silver Slugger details: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=2152
Street Level-Vegas details: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=2724
Street Level-Deadly Weapon details: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=645
Street Level-Title Fight details: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=2573
Street Level-Car Hop details: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=3676
Street Level-Hoops details: http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1235
Street Level-Pinside thread (“Street Level” pins smaller… true?): https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/street-level-pins-smaller-true
Street Level-TOPcast Show 10 (interview with John Trudeau): http://www.pinrepair.com/topcast/showget.php?id=10
Street Level-TOPcast Show 55 (interview with Jon Norris): http://www.pinrepair.com/topcast/showget.php?id=55
Street Level-PA Pinball Interview with Jon Norris: http://www.papinball.com/Jon_Norris_Interview.html
Street Level-Harley-Davidson details (not Street Level but inspired by): http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1126
Street Level-Silver Slugger gameplay video: https://youtu.be/hdEZ8whAoZM
Street Level-Vegas gameplay video: https://youtu.be/Gi1NXZCwdMM
Street Level-Deadly Weapon gameplay video: https://youtu.be/uLdmLrEswTQ
Street Level-Title Fight gameplay video: https://youtu.be/fCrU-EKJzGs
Street Level-Car Hop gameplay video: https://youtu.be/u-oc4ciwCbI
Street Level-Hoops gameplay video: https://youtu.be/v2u33Lj9jK8
Moira’s stat block: https://www.reddit.com/r/OverwatchUniversity/comments/7aqr0d/moiras_stat_block/
Blizzard World map cinematic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii3Hce3_fOw
World of Warcraft classic edition announcement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcZyiYOzsSw

Episode 46 – Pinball Expo & Video Games Galore

Episode 46 – Pinball Expo & Video Games Galore

Pinball: The talk is all about the 2017 Pinball Expo. We also launch Round 4 of our 2017 System 11 Tournament.

Video Games: We talk about Doki Doki Literature Club, EA’s decision to close Visceral Games, Mafia 3, Dungeons 3, Middle Earth: Shadow of War, Forts, and Titanfall 2.

Links:
Round 4 voting for the 2017 System 11 Tournament: https://goo.gl/forms/9OcAtqAi7o4Gv83i2

Doki Doki Literature Club: http://store.steampowered.com/app/698780/Doki_Doki_Literature_Club/

Episode 45 – Pinapalooza, Pinbot, and Cuphead

Pinball: After quick updates about 2017 Expo (and Jersey Jack Pinball’s plan to reveal game #4 there) and Heighway Pinball confirming an Alien Pinball shipment, we go on into Pinapalooza VI, the latest Project Pinball Charity sweepstakes, and the next stage of our System 11 tournament (poor Pinbot!).

Video Games: We talk Pinball FX3, Mafia 3, Cuphead, and Factorio.

Links:
Project Pinball Charity’s Total Nuclear Annihilation Sweepstakes: https://projectpinball.rallyup.com/totalnuclearannihilation-sweepstakes

Round 3 voting for the 2017 System 11 Tournament: https://goo.gl/forms/Dt77SI52WGUnTZv73

Episode 44 – Flippin’ With The Fails

Ah, the news. Mostly bad, a little bit good. Such is fate in these hobbies.

Pinball: We open with a few quick news items (Heighway Pinball and their maybe-shipping Alien pins, some Skit-B legal updating, and Spooky Pinball’s art on the upcoming Alice Cooper pin), and then go into the more meaty topics. The big one is John Popadiuk (JPop) being tied to deeproot Pinball, LLC. From there, we discuss the response seen in the pinball community following Homepin’s reveal in an interview with Head2Head Pinball Podcast that end users won’t be able to apply software updates to Thunderbirds directly (and a related discussion that Homepin’s board takes from the PinHeck design Spooky Pinball uses but without giving credit). Finally, we move into Round 2 of our 2017 System 11 Tournament!

Video Games: We talk fallout of PUBG vs. Fortnite (with PUBG accusing the latter of replicating their Battle Royale PvP model). After that, Dennis disses Dishonored 2 and Tony summarizes a mod for Cold Waters he’s been trying out. After that is the Dragon Ball FighterZ beta (Dennis played it, Tony watched footage from it). Finally, Dennis talks a bit about Zaccaria Pinball (as he finally bought the table pack off Steam and gave it a proper go).

Links:
deeproot Tech, LLC’s Engineering Team: http://deeproottech.com/#section_team

Head2Head Pinball Podcast’s Interview with Mike of Homepin: http://www.head2headpinball.com/podcasts/Mike%20homepin%20interview%20H2H.mp3

Round 2 voting for the 2017 System 11 Tournament: https://goo.gl/forms/EWQxQsJ9xmPqhHKg1

Episode 43 – System 11, Licenses, and Cylons

No heavy topics this time, just enjoyable discussions!

Pinball: We launch our 2017 System 11 Tournament. Vote for your favorite System 11 pinball games (see link below). Then, we have a discussion about licenses in pinball during the 1990s, comparing the efforts of Premier/Gottlieb, Bally/Williams, and Data East/Sega.

Video Games: We mention Destiny 2 (really, we do hardly anything else regarding it). Then, Tony spends a lot of time on Battlestar Galactica Deadlock. Finally, we catch everyone up on Overwatch updates.

Links:
2017 System 11 Tournament-Round 1: https://goo.gl/forms/efhsZf77Od4T90z92

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock: http://store.steampowered.com/app/544610/

Episode 42 – The Don Returns!

Don (formerly of The Pinball Podcast and The Link Cable Podcast) joins Tony and Dennis once more, to talk all about pinball and video games.

Pinball: The segment opens with an interview Dennis conducted with Terry of Pinball Life (mostly on Pinball Life as a company, but there is a bit about Terry’s efforts on the ScoreGasm Master project). From there, Don, Dennis, and Tony turn to the somber topic of famed pinball designer John Trudeau’s arrest on child pornography charges. The pinball segment ends with a follow-up on last episode’s “Is Pinball Too Expensive” topic, due to listener feedback, with a focus on new machines at lower price points from Homepin and Multimorphic’s P3 platform.

Video Games: No Overwatch (there’s a lot of upcoming news, but Don forbids Overwatch talk!). Instead, the guys tackle Mass Effect: Andromeda, Iron Cast, Cold Waters, Sonic Mania, Agents of Mayhem, Sniper Elite 4, Miracle Merchant, and No Man’s Sky.

Links:
Pinball Life: http://www.pinballlife.com/

Information on the ScoreGasm Master: http://www.dayonepinball.com/games/scoregasm-master/

Trudeau Charged with Possessing Child Pornography: http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/glendale-heights-man-charged-with-possessing-child-pornography/

Homepin’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/HomepinPinball/

Multimorphic, Inc.’s Website: http://www.multimorphic.com/

Mass Effect Andromeda Abandoned: https://www.masseffect.com/news/mass-effect-andromeda-update-from-the-studio

Episode 41 – Cold Waters Drown the Silver Ball

Pinball: Tony and Dennis start off with the results of their ranking poll on best modern era billiards-themed pinball machines. From there, it’s some rapid fire news from Stern Pinball (an update on their manuals’ ghosting clause, a KISS code update, and a new Marketing Director). After that, a brief discussion of Stern’s Star Wars Premium pinball, as streamed by DEAD FLIP. The segment closes with a deep thoughts level of discussion on a major question coming up lately, “Is pinball too expensive?”

Video Games: Discussion starts off with the controversial decision to embed loot boxes into the upcoming Middle Earth: Shadow of War. From there, a discussion of Overwatch’s Summer Games, with a specific focus on Lucioball. Tony then rigs for silent running in a discussion of the finally-acquired Cold Waters. Dennis and Tony then share their experiences with The Jackbox Party Pack 2 (in which they played all the games in a group setting full of crazy nonsense!).

Links:
Coast 2 Coast Pinball: http://www.coast2coastpinball.com/

Head2Head Pinball: http://www.head2headpinball.com/

DEAD FLIP’s Star Wars Premium Footage (8/4/2017): https://youtu.be/4ZuYrVKAKiE

Episode 40 – Nukes and Cue Balls!

So many games, so many discussions!

Pinball: Dennis and Tony cover Stern Pinball’s manual indicating ghosting on inserts is normal, the finalized details of Spooky Pinball’s Total Nuclear Annihilation, Dennis’ acquisition of Sharkey’s Shootout, a ranking poll the guys are running on the best billiards-themed pinball machine (solid state and later only), and they end the segment with more thoughts on Star Wars.

Video Games: A few games are up for discussion this time. Tony starts off with Navalia. After that, there’s a bit more on Overwatch’s new character Doomfist, followed by Dishonored 2, Reigns, Crypt of the Necrodancer, and Jotun. Tony also brings up Battlestar Galactica Deadlock and Cold Waters.

Tabletop: Tony and Dennis got a chance to play the Munchkin card game, and so now they talk about it (amazing)! Tony also provides an update on Planet Mercenaries and Threadbare RPG.

Links:
Spooky Pinball’s Total Nuclear Annihilation Announcement on Facebook (7/28/2017): https://www.facebook.com/SpookyPinball/posts/1510145562379999

Poll to rank solid state era (and later) billiards-themed pinball machines: http://www.pollandmatch.com/chooser?pollownerid=5773431236722688&pollid=5668600916475904

Battlestar Galactica Deadlock Gameplay Reveal: https://youtu.be/JkCG3nrHmDY

Episode 39 – KantCon 2017

We’ve got three topic categories this time, though KantCon 2017 (a tabletop convention we helped sponsor) is the highlight.

Pinball: We open with a very brief Dutch Pinball update. Then, it’s on to the gameplay footage of Star Wars as presented by Dead Flip. Finally, we dedicate a sizable chunk of time on the recently concluded Pinball Done Quick and the announcement that the donations made to benefit Doctors Without Borders would be refunded due to a conflict between the official rules and the announced plans for the prize drawing.

Video Games: There’s just one topic, Overwatch’s new character: Doomfist.

Tabletop: It’s all KanCon 2017. Dennis and Tony played four games which get attention: a World War II miniatures game, Call of Cthulhu, Dungeons & Dragons 5e, and Z Gate Crashers.

Links:
Dead Flip’s 7/5/2017 gameplay footage of Star Wars Pinball: https://youtu.be/Gap7MqXQKnY

Major League Pinball’s 7/15/2017 explanation on Facebook regarding the refunding of Pinball Done Quick (at SGDQ 2017) donations: https://www.facebook.com/majorleaguepinball/posts/442704199461823

Call of Cthulhu: https://www.chaosium.com/call-of-cthulhu-rpg/

Dungeons & Dragons: http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products

Z Gate Crashers: https://zgatecrashers.com/

Episode 38 – Hey E3 Over!

While post-E3 exhaustion may reign, this is another longer-than-typical episode!

In pinball, Tony and Dennis briefly attempt to describe the Stern Pro Circuit (launching in 2018). From there, they dive into Dutch Pinball, summarizing a webinar the company hosted and also the latest newsletter’s contract manufacturer update. To wrap up pinball, there is a length update about Skit-B and the Predator Pinball fiasco (three hearings plus several legal documents are digested and reviewed and translated into human!).

In video games, the guys hit on a few news items, specifically the SNES Classic console, Pinball FX3’s announcement, and IO Interactive going independent from Square Enix. Tony then talks about Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor and Tyranny as games he’s currently playing, and Dennis talks about his playing of Dishonored 2, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, and a bunch of sale games he’s recently grabbed.

Links:
Stern Pro Circuit: https://www.ifpapinball.com/circuit/

Dutch Pinball’s 6/19/2017 Webinar: https://youtu.be/KN2DjPps9wA

$30,000 Skit-B Settlement Document for Home Owned by Amanda: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByH8OkGICVbWREVNUnFSYm9wcUE

Virtuapin’s Answer to Compliant and Affirmative Defenses: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByH8OkGICVbWYmpZZUlYanFaeVE

Virtuapin’s 6/23/2017 Hearing (audio): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1ap2017-02002-20170623-133311

Kathy Kulek’s 6/22/2017 Hearing (audio): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1ap2017-02000-20170622-143156

Amanda Kulek’s 6/22/2017 Hearing (audio): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1ap2016-02073-20170622-151526

The Link Cable Podcast: https://linkcablepodcast.podbean.com/

Episode 37 – E3 2017

After a brief pinball segment (minor news updates regarding Heighway Pinball and Dutch Pinball), Dennis and Tony are joined by a roundtable (Mike, Eric, and Jake) to talk all about E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo 2017).

The roundtable tackles the major presentations (EA, Microsoft, The PC Gaming Show, Bethesda, Ubisoft, Sony, and Nintendo), plus anything else that caught their eyes and ears. Prepare for this year’s deepest, darkest video game dive!

Links:
EA’s E3 highlights: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/game/ea-play-2017-biggest-announcements-e3-3641723/

Microsoft’s E3 highlights: http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-x-and-everything-else-microsoft-showed-at-e3-2-1796000762

The PC Gaming Show’s E3 highlights: https://www.polygon.com/e3/2017/6/12/15782226/pc-gaming-e3-2017-announcements

Bethesda’s E3 highlights: https://www.cnet.com/news/bethesda-e3-2017-press-conference-watch-it-live-here/

Ubisoft’s E3 highlights: http://bgr.com/2017/06/12/ubisoft-e3-2017-games-announcements-trailers/

Sony’s E3 highlights: http://kotaku.com/everything-sony-showed-at-e3-2017-1796039206

Nintendo’s E3 highlights: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/nintendo-e3-2017-switch-games-news-and-everything-/1100-6450897/

Episode 36 – Amateur Hour

Pinball: Dennis talks about the an interesting variant to Playmatic’s Space Gambler called Flash Baseball out of Portugal. From there, it is pinball news time! Tony and Dennis cover the investor group takeover of Heighway Pinball, the decision by Dutch Pinball to reject Nivoge’s offer, and Stern Pinball’s latest announced pin: Star Wars!

Video Games: Tony and Dennis talk XCOM: Enemy Unknown and Civilization Revolution in the context of mobile games. After that, Dennis goes into a bit about Nidhogg, a fighting game he recently acquired. Tony and Dennis then finally get back to talking Overwatch, specifically some character updates currently in test. Finally, Tony speaks on his experiences with the Battletech backer’s beta, which launched recently.

Links:
Big Daddy Enterprises: http://www.bigdaddy-enterprises.com/

Heighway Pinball Takeover Announcement: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/rebirth-of-heighway-pinball#post-3800176

Dutch Pinball’s Announcement of Rejecting the Nivoge deal (second-hand post): https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/the-big-lebowski-preorder-club/page/101#post-3799380

Episode 35 – NieRly Time for P3

Pinball: Tony and Dennis cover the latest Skit-B legal news, provide an update on Dutch Pinball’s most current update, talk about the Total Nuclear Annihilation translite, cover Stern Pinball’s encore edition of AC/DC, and have an interview with Gerry Stellenberg (the founder of Multimorphic, Inc.) who explains the P3 Pinball Platform.

Video Games: Tony talks NieR: Automata. Dennis covers XCOM 2, a game he recently started (and one Tony played quite a while ago!). Then, Tony supplies an update on the Battletech Backer Beta.

Links:
KantCon 2017 sponsors: http://www.kantcon.com/sponsors

Project Pinball Charity sponsors: http://projectpinball.org/sponsors

Skit-B Hearing – Kathy Kulek (5/4/2017): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1ap2017-02000-20170504-142930

Skit-B Research Folder: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByH8OkGICVbWNDFZQXJYUUhhSm8

Multimorphric, Inc.: http://www.multimorphic.com/

Teen Titans GO! – Night Begins to Shine: https://youtu.be/gCY-Npnh0FY

Battletech Multiplayer Demo Gameplay Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt6FatHHnzI

Episode 34 – Bowen Brings Business

With special guest host Bowen Kerins, this episode is heavy on the pinball (and math!).

In pinball news, we cover two more Skit-B related hearings, the latest on Dutch Pinball, the IFPA’s announced Challenge Matches coming in 2018, and Total Annihilation being renamed Total Nuclear Annihilation.

From there, we get into the more theoretical pinball topics. We discuss what people can do to increase local competitive pinball’s popularity. We talk about what makes a good/bad pin for competition. We also talk about location pinball and what makes for a good, unique location. We also do a bit of a round-up with Bowen on recently released/now releasing pins and how good they are. As a final pinball topic, we explore some ideas for Bowen and upcoming tutorials.

In our special one-off math segment, we’ve got a number of exciting numbers topics! We cover the use of math in game shows. We discuss geometry and what it means for widebody pinball machines. In a nod to video games, we discuss the TrueAchievements website’s use of geometric mean to predict DLC rarity. And, we talk about the core statistical summaries of mode, median, and mean, and whether mode even belongs in that list.

Links:
Bowen Kerins’ Patreon for Pinball Tutorials: https://www.patreon.com/pinball

PAPA YouTube Page (has tutorial videos): https://www.youtube.com/user/PAPApinball

TILT THRU (a pinball podcast): http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/tiltthru

Nic’s North American Pinball Tour Thread: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/nics-american-pinball-tour-aka-im-coming-to-fix-your-games

Skit-B Legal Hearing (4/17/2017) – Wife and House: https://soundcloud.com/user-7602410/audio-file-1ap2016-02073-20170427-133738

Skit-B Legal Hearing (5/4/2017) – VirtuaPin and CNC Machine: https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1ap2017-02002-20170504-133936

Episode 33 – Fun Times

Pinball: Tony and Dennis issue a correction about the P3 game Heads Up, talk about Spooky Pinball making Total Annihilation, and dive into more Skit-B legal happenings. From there they go over two Pinside specific topics: revisions to the Top 100 ranking system and the initiation of “The Purge” to clean up trolling and bad behavior on the forum.

Video Games: The guys talk about Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, ReCore, Hard West, and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime.

Tabletop: Tony talks a bit about an upcoming tabletop game based on the popular video game franchise Fallout.

Links:
International Tabletop Day (4-29-17): https://www.tabletopday.com

Skit-B Related Court Hearing (4/13/2017): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1ap2016-02073-20170413-154917

Pinball Prison Blues: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bfPwtUTP4k

Fallout Tabletop Game: http://www.modiphius.com/fallout.html

Episode 32 – Flip Flip Pew Pew

Pinball: Tony and Dennis didn’t talk about P3 in their 2017 TPF recap, and so hit upon the cutting-edge in pinball technology this go-around. Dennis then gives some thoughts on Batman 66 now that he’s been able to play it. After that, an update regarding Dutch Pinball and ARA provides some additional information on the status of The Big Lebowski. From there, Dennis provides an interview with Keri Wing, second place finisher of the IFPA’s 2017 World Women’s Pinball Championship. Dennis has a small update on the Skit-B (Predator Pinball) happenings, and to wrap up the segment the guys talk about the IFPA’s plan to introduce tournament fees in 2018.

Video Games: Dennis talks about Battle Group 2 and Far Cry Primal. Tony talks about Renowned Explorers: International Society.

Tabletop: Tony and Dennis announce they will be at KantCon in 2017 and that the podcast is also one of the event’s sponsors.

Links:

Skit-B Research Folder: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByH8OkGICVbWNDFZQXJYUUhhSm8

Episode 31 – TPF 2017 & National Videogame Museum

A most straightfoward episode. Besides announcing the final results of the 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament, Tony and Dennis give a massive trip report of the National Videogame Museum and the 2017 Texas Pinball Festival. Fun times!

Episode 30 – Spreadsheets in Space?

Pinball: We set up the final round of the 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament. We talk about Alien Pinball gameplay. And finally Dennis sets off to bore everyone with a regression analysis of Pinside’s solid-state game ratings.

Video Games: We of course cover Overwatch, both ongoing PTR tests and the new character (Orisa). Dennis hits on some 2017 GDC (Game Developers Conference) highlights. Tony tries to resist diving too deep into Aurora 4X (aka Spreadsheets in Space… ace… ce… e…).

Tabletop: Tony talks a bit about International Tabletop Day.

Links:
2017 Modern Widebody Tournament-Final Round Voting: https://goo.gl/forms/laVwA51PnaGbu8L03

The Link Cable Podcast (Episode 15 – TLOZBOTWOMG): https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ggqss-6864ee

Space Gambler (Playmatic 1978) Gameplay (no commentary): https://youtu.be/Q8Xe2nJMTT8

Pinside Thread on Regression Analysis of Pinside SS Ratings: https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/regression-analysis-pinside-rating-and-game-details#post-3642419

Aurora 4X: http://aurora2.pentarch.org/index.php/topic,5663.0.html

Quill18 plays Aurora 4X: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcWln8Ne1RA&list=PLs3acGYgI1-sRFRB4BPB-FbmVuvwIKH92

Episode 29 – Too… Much… Pinball…

Episode 29 – Too… Much… Pinball…

A metric ton of pinball happenings dominates our discussion, with a small video game segment thrown in (no tabletop this time).

Pinball: We set up Round 4 of the 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament. We talk about Aerosmith gameplay. We talk about Alien Pinball shipping. We talk about the death of Super League. We discuss the latest involving Skit-B legally. We cover the problems facing The Big Lebowski’s production. And finally, we talk about Magic Girls shipping. As you can see, we talk a lot.

Video Games: We cover the future of Call of Duty, the upcoming Destiny 2, and the upcoming Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.

Links:
2017 Modern Widebody Tournament-Round 4 Voting: https://goo.gl/forms/F221K0Zuro5LsglT2

Superman (Atari 1979) Pinball Gameplay (with commentary): https://youtu.be/nzrj5_ajSN0

Dead Flip’s Aerosmith Gameplay Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oej9gql5OTU

Kevin Kulek (Skit-B) Hearing #3 on 2-17-2017: https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1bk2016-21030-20170217-090555

Skit-B Research (Legal Documents): https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByH8OkGICVbWNDFZQXJYUUhhSm8

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire: https://www.fig.co/campaigns/deadfire

Episode 28 – A Triforce of Segments

Hey look, Episode 28 actually has a solid balance across pinball, video games, and tabletop gaming for once!

Pinball: Discussion revolves around the Kansas State Pinball Championship, move into Round 3 of the 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament, and name some games we think have a solid layout but are stinkers because the rules are poor. Tony and Dennis also spend a lot of time discussing what they are looking forward to at the 2017 Texas Pinball Festival.

Video Games: The topics here include ZeniMax’s legal “victory” over Facebook involving the Oculus, the opening of E3 to the public, and the latest Overwatch PTR update (involving Mercy and Bastion). Tony also spends a lot of time on the BATTLETECH beta and his live-stream intentions.

Tabletop: Thanks to an in-depth Game Night, Tony and Dennis get to provide hands-on discussions of Potion Explosion, Noisy Person Cards, and Codenames.

Links:
2017 Modern Widebody Tournament-Round 3 Voting: https://goo.gl/forms/fGd0BcDT5SZ0CfbR2

Texas Pinball Festival: http://texaspinball.com/tpf/

BATTLETECH Kickstarter (Late Reinforcements): https://battletech.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Episode 27 – Podcast Accoutrements

Pinball: Another large pinball section this episode. We cover the just-announced Jetsons Pinball. We wrap up round 1 of the 2017 Modern Era Widebody Tournament and discuss the match-ups in round 2. We discuss the legal happenings around Skit-B and the failed Predator pinball project. We talk about the P3 system going into production. And (finally!) we cover the Attack from Mars Remake that was announced.

Video Games: Discussion revolves mostly around the Evo Championship Series game line-up that was just announced.

Tabletop: The focus is on a new tabletop convention, PAX Unplugged.

Links:
2017 Modern Widebody Tournament-Round 2 Voting: https://goo.gl/forms/UOjCljoy416jpANt2

Kevin Kulek (Skit-B) legal recording when presented to the court by U.S. Marshals (1-20-2017): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1bk2016-21030-20170120-111818

Kevin Kulek (Skit-B) legal recording of hearing where bankruptcy case dismissed (1-27-2017): https://soundcloud.com/user-800669943/1bk2016-21030-20170127-091530

PAX Unplugged
http://unplugged.paxsite.com/

Episode 26 – Newsmageddon

Whoa, there is a lot of news to cover in this episode!

Pinball: The 2017 Modern Widebody Tournament is explained and the first round’s match-ups announced. From there, the guys talk about the Aerosmith reveal and their initial thoughts. Dennis then transitions to Zidware and the legal happenings on the JPOP front. Tony and Dennis then give their impressions of the Batman 66 gameplay shown on the DeadFlip Twitch channel. They spend some time talking about Keith Elwin joining Stern Pinball as a pinball designer, and finally the pinball segment concludes with yet another discussion around American Pinball (this time focusing on their recent social media activity).

Video Games: Most of the discussion centers on the Nintendo Switch, the revealed specifics on what the console is, and thoughts about it as a next step by Nintendo. The guys also spend a bit of time on Scalebound’s cancellation (which sort of spirals into a discussion on exclusives and the state of developing such games).

Tabletop: There is some discussion about Diane Sauer’s Pinball Showdown, a recent Kickstarter of a tabletop game with pinball as a theme. Tony also talks about an app he has started using for tabletop analytics and some of his future plans relating to the hobby.

Links:
2017 Modern Widebody Tournament-Round 1 Voting: https://goo.gl/forms/Y87yxEbIuMD8riDA3

Zidware Research Folder: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0ByH8OkGICVbWd0FyTWJSS3JJSWM

Jpop Discussion Thread on Pinside (link to starting discussion around the complaint and answer): https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/jpop-update-thread%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6mg-raza-and-aiw%e2%80%a6/page/410#post-3525672

Diane Sauer’s Pinball Showdown’s Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1919693711/pinball-showdown?ref=project_share

Episode 25 – Happy 2017!

Episode 25 – Happy 2017!

It’s a new year and time for a new podcast!

In pinball, Dennis and Tony wrap up the 2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament. They talk about American Pinball and their advertising flyer Dennis received in a Pinball Life order, and then talk about their 2017 pinball hopes.

In video games, Dennis and Tony give some opinions about games they are currently playing (not Overwatch!). And, in an emerging pattern, talk about their hopes for 2017.

Tabletop is all about hope and dreams, and not about currently played games. But rebellions and tabletops are built on hope, so that’s okay.

Links:
Critical Role, Episode 1: https://youtu.be/i-p9lWIhcLQ

Episode 24 – 2016 Year-End Review

Besides prepping the final round of the 2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament, this episode is dedicated to talking about the most interesting of things in the pinball, video game, and tabletop realms for 2016!

Links:
2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament-Final Round: https://goo.gl/forms/05Yg8iM68KS5mGiC2

Episode 41 of the Skill Shot Pincast (“IFPA Statstravaganza!”): https://soundcloud.com/skillshotseattle/41-ifpa-statstravaganza

Episode 11 of the Little Kings Pinball Podcast (“BIAS AFM”): https://soundcloud.com/user-859738069/ep-11-bias-afm

Episode 23 – Pin Designers, Ultimate Stern, Playstation Experience, and More Overwatch!

Pinball: The guys walk through the results of Round 2 of the 2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament. From there, they talk about the voting controvery surrounding the Ultimate Stern Fan contest.

Video Games: A brief discussion of the Playstation Experience leads off, followed by more Overwatch talk. The segment concludes with a discussion of Master of Orion 3 and Dangerous Golf.

Tabletop: None this time!

Links:
2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament-Round 3: https://goo.gl/forms/YIjZwmTgeXoBc2Vv1

Episode 22 – Overwatch, Pinball Designers, & More!

Pinball: Tony and Dennis cover the results 2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament’s first round, announce the second round, and talk about the second round match-ups.

Video Games: It’s all Overwatch. Dennis and Tony discuss the latest update, the new modes, the new map, and the buffs/nerfs to the various heroes.

Tabletop: Tony leads a discussion about digital versions of popular tabletop games.

Links:
2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament-Round 2: https://goo.gl/forms/vwgEi68rUYYf4nfE3

For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast: http://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/

Dennis’ Jurassic Park (Incandescent vs LED): https://youtu.be/TqYOYfoG0xU

Star Realms
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/438140/
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.starrealms.starrealmsapp&hl=en

Ascension
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.playdekgames.android.Ascension

Sentinels of the Multiverse
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.handelabra.Sentinels

Ticket to Ride
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.daysofwonder.tt.android
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/108200/

Tabletop simulator
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/286160/

Digital board game list from Boardgaming.com: http://boardgaming.com/category/games/digital-board-games

Dized: https://dized.com/

Episode 21 – Sombra Wins?

With added dishwasher sounds for your listening pleasure!

Pinball: Tony and Dennis launch their 2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament (see the show notes below for the link to Round 1’s voting!), and talk a bit about the 10 designers in the competition. From there, they each rank their top five pinball designers of all time. Finally, they provide their current list of pinball podcasts they subscribe to.

Video Games: Sombra has been announced for Overwatch, so Tony and Dennis spend time talking about her moveset and what this may mean for the game. Dennis also launches into detailed impressions of the time he’s spent playing Battlefield 1.

Tabletop: Tony leads a discussion about Fantasy/RPG tropes, and the guys give examples they have committed in their role-playing days.

Links:
2016 Modern Era Pinball Designer Tournament-Round 1: https://goo.gl/forms/UTedDuuDobvMJJIL2

Brokentoken Classic Arcade and Pinball Podcast: https://www.brokentoken.com/

Coast 2 Coast Pinball/Wide World of Pinball: http://www.coast2coastpinball.com/

Gameroom Junkies Arcade and Pinball Podcast: http://gameroomjunkies.com/

Kaneda’s Pinball Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/kanedapinball

Little Kings Pinball Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-859738069

Pinheadz Pinball Podcast: http://www.pinheadz.com.au/

The Pinball Podcast: http://www.thepinballpodcast.com/

The CoinBox Pinball Podcast: http://coinbox.libsyn.com/

The Slam Tilt Podcast: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/slamtilt

TILT THRU: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/tiltthru

Episode 20 – Pinball Expo 2016 & More!

Tony and Dennis give you the minimum from Pinball Expo to survive, talk a bit about the upcoming Nintendo “console”, and have a single tabletop game to trash. Lots of fun!

Pinball: Dennis has completed his background research into American Pinball, and so provides an info dump regarding the articles of incorporation, the mortgages, possible parts supplies, and more. Tony and Dennis use this to transition into Pinball Expo 2016, where they discuss the American Pinball presentation, Stern Pinball’s Batman 66 and Aerosmith pins, Jersey Jack’s Hobbit Black Arrow and Dialed In! machines, and Heighway’s Alien Pinball.

Video Games: The focus is on the Nintendo Switch, but Tony and Dennis also give their list of listened-to video game podcasts in response to a listener request!

Tabletop: A very short, very blunt discussion regarding Speak Out, half tabletop game, half torture device.

Links:
American Pinball Research: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByH8OkGICVbWSlB2Qi0tQXhkUUE?usp=sharing

Dennis’ Video of Firepower (Incandescent vs LED): https://youtu.be/amTpWuDknjM

Comet Pinball: http://www.cometpinball.com/

Pinball Magazine’s Interview with American Pinball: https://soundcloud.com/user-935579828/pinball-magazine-podcast-01-american-pinball

Gameroom Junkies Arcade & Pinball Podcast: http://gameroomjunkies.com/index.php/episodes/

TrueAchievements Podcast: http://www.trueachievements.com/podcast.aspx

Podcast Unlocked: http://xbox360.ign.libsynpro.com/

Episode 19 – Winging It

Tony and Dennis were so busy over the last two weeks that most of this episode had to be ad libbed, and it shows. A weird mix of pinball, pizza, hot dogs, and gaming.

Pinball: Brief updates/thoughts on Pinapalooza IV, American Pinball, and Expo. Tony and Dennis do launch into a more enjoyable topic: what would they do if they each were to start up a pinball manufacturing company in today’s climate?

Video Games: Tony hits on a couple easy-play titles to provide some suggestions now that Dennis finally upgraded his PC.

Tabletop: I hope you like TV networks, as there’s a game for that!

Links:
Beige Knight Pinball Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-944860920

Skill Shot Pincast: http://www.skill-shot.com/content/category/podcast

The Slam Tilt Podcast: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/slamtilt

Pinball Magazine’s Interview with American Pinball: https://soundcloud.com/user-935579828/pinball-magazine-podcast-01-american-pinball

Episode 18 – American Pinball?!?

Tony is back, and there’s so much news to cover, especially pinball news!

Pinball: The guys talk about the newly announced American Pinball, their association with JPOP, and the stated offer to produce Magic Girl while moving forward with their own pin theme (also magic themed). From there, Tony and Dennis hit on Batman 66’s pricing and the application process for the SLE models. The pinball talk is rounded up with Spooky and their new unit count and pricing model announced for as-yet-unkown game number three.

Video Games: Dennis leads off with Firewatch, which is now available on Xbox One (and all versions have received some new features along with this release). Tony covers Mad Max, and the joys of vehicle combat.

Tabletop: It is all about Secret Hitler, which both Tony and Dennis played against each other to the doom of all mankind.

Links:
Dennis’ YouTube “application” video for a Batman 66 SLE: https://youtu.be/SMC5xt-VT3o

Jeff’s YouTube “application” video for a Batman 66 SLE: https://youtu.be/365KuFK6mxM

Podcast Unlocked Episode 264: http://xbox360.ign.libsynpro.com/podcast-unlocked-episode-264-firewatch-creators-discuss-xbox-version

Episode 17 – Dennis’ Coup D’etat?

Past guest host Mike (Episode 11 – E3 2016) returns to help cover for the absence of Tony. Not that Dennis couldn’t monologue his way through, there’s just the question of alienating all the listeners. As such, despite the madness Tony’s absence entails, Episode 17 actually follows the typical structure with all three gaming categories represented.

Pinball: This segment starts with a brief mention of the clearcoat (aka “ghosting”) issues that have been ongoing on several Stern Pinball machines. The bulk of the pinball talk is about Stern’s announced Batman 66 game, their first pin to replace the DMD with LCD.

Video Games: Thanks to a free-to-play weekend, Mike and Dennis are able to touch on last episode’s big video game talk: Overwatch. Outside of this, Mike and Dennis put time into two pre-release iterations of a couple upcoming major shooters. The first such discussion is regarding Titanfall 2 and its technical test. The second, more significant, discussion revolves around the Battlefield 1 beta.

Tabletop: Pandemic, a cooperative board game, has been mentioned several times on past episodes. Tony, however, has always prevented the full truth from being exposed. Mike and Dennis pull back the veil on one of the most devious tabletop games ever designed, and explain why it blows chunks.

Links:
EGP T-shirt Contest: https://goo.gl/forms/ikFV9qLBYzXVck7F2

Coast 2 Coast Pinball, Episode 229: http://www.podcastgarden.com/episode/episode-229_86459

Pandemic: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic

Episode 16 – Jack Jaws Juegos

Assisted by guest host Jack Danger (Dead Flip; TILT THRU), EGP hits on the following in this episode:

Pinball: The segment starts with a discussion of everyone’s favorite/least favorite competitive tournament formats. From there, the guys tackle the announced Cactus Canyon remake. The final pinball topic is WatchMojo’s Top 10 Pinball Machines (which recently aired on YouTube).

Video Games: It is all about Overwatch. Dennis gets to sit back as Tony and Jack go into the characters, the maps, and the game modes of the arguably most addictive shooter of 2016.

Tabletop: Werewolf, and the related One Night Ultimate Werewolf, social deduction games, get the full attention of the crew.

Links:
Dead Flip: https://www.twitch.tv/dead_flip

TILT THRU: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/tiltthru

WatchMojo’s Top 10 Pinball Machines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDYmKpHfgtQ

Episode 15 – Don Discusses Divergent Distractions

Assisted by guest host Don (The Pinball Podcast), the guys tackle these rad topics in Episode 15:

Pinball: The segment starts with just a generalized pinball discussion, flowing into an examination of Pabst Can Crusher’s for-sale price (only available through Pabst). From there, the guys go into the rumors that Slayer will be Stern Pinball’s next music pin. They close out the pinball segment by talking about the bad/not great pinball machine (loosely defined as being ranked on Pinside beneath 200 if a solid-state machine, or beneath 100 if an EM) they’d each most like to own.

Video Games: This segment leads with the most obvious topic in the current doldrums of summer, No Man’s Sky. From there, a discussion about Curt Schilling’s defunct 38 Studios (which recently had criminal charges dismissed regarding the loss to Rhode Island taxpayers when the company went bankrupt) ensues. Since the Xbox One S is now out, the guys look a bit more into the latest console release. Finally, BATTLETECH’s #SuperPreAlpha first look is discussed.

Tabletop: Thanks to Gen Con 2016, this segment is rich in content. First up is Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle (a cooperative deck-building game). Next is Potion Explosion, a game that lacks actual explosions but does involve marbles. Finally, Tony leads into some thoughts based around his in-depth examination of D&D 5e, and uses that as a basis to explain his theories of character/class creation in RPG games.

Links:
The Pinball Podcast: http://www.thepinballpodcast.com/

Pabst Can Crusher sale page: http://store.pabstblueribbon.com/products/pabst-can-crusher-pinball-machine

BATTLETECH  SuperPreAlpha first look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjEeDz51pHE

BATTLETECH added a late backer group for people who want to get in on the game now that the Kickstarter is over: https://battletech.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders

Itmejp (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/user/itmeJP/playlists
Itmejp (Twitch): https://www.twitch.tv/itmejp/profile
Watch recommendations: Rollplay the original, Rollplay solum, Rollplay age of rebellion, Rollplay made RPG (very funny)

The Dice Tower (great for all board game stuff): https://www.youtube.com/user/thedicetower

Koibu (Neal Erickson; recommend the Dicing with Death videos) (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/user/Koibu0
Koibu (Twitch): https://www.twitch.tv/koibu/profile

Geek and Sundry (tabletop): http://geekandsundry.com/shows/tabletop/

Nifty LED: http://www.niftyled.com/

Episode 14 – 80s Pinball, Nintendo, and KantCon 2016

Pinball: Dennis and Tony discuss the culmination of months of voting and the winner of the 1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament. In addition, each talk about what Pinside Top 50 solid state pin they’d most want to own, and which Top 50 pin is the most overrated.

Video Games: Discussion is entirely Nintendo-centric, with a discussion of Nintendo’s disappointing first quarter financial report (it’s more interesting than this sounds!) and the leaked specs on the Nintendo NX.

Tabletop: It’s all about KantCon 2016. Tony discusses his gaming experiences during the Friday session (D&D 5E and Planet Mercenary) and Dennis and Tony talk about their Saturday experience (more D&D 5E and The Ultimate Hero).

Links:
Dungeons & Dragons: http://dnd.wizards.com/

Paragon Notion (The Ultimate Hero RPG): https://www.facebook.com/ParagonNotion/

Episode 13 – Pabst, Colorization, Pokémon, and Mars Attacks

Pinball: Dennis starts the segment with the 1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament, which is now entering its final phase. From there, Tony and Dennis’ discussion centers around the Pabst Can Crusher pinball machine artwork which was recently revealed, and an in-depth talk about the Medieval Madness Remake’s color DMD announcement and associated pricing.

Video Games: Pokémon Go leads off the video game segment, given the craze is sweeping the nation. In addition, nostalgia gets a boost with the Nintendo Classic Edition console.

Tabletop: Per a listener request, the guys tackle Mars Attacks: The Miniatures Game. They also talk about the upcoming KantCon and the RPGs they’ve signed up for.

Links:
1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament-Round 6: http://goo.gl/forms/XKxNaVaHdB7T3EDw2

Dorkly Pokemon MMO comic: http://www.dorkly.com/post/52546/be-careful-what-you-wish-for

Episode 12 – Domino’s, SGDQ 2016, Evo 2016, & Tabletop for Kids

Pinball: Dennis goes over the latest in the 1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament. From there, he and Tony give their thoughts on the Domino’s Pizza pinball machine, talking about the art, layout, and gameplay already shown.

Video Games: Dennis brings up Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) 2016, a charity speed-running event, and Evo 2016, the premier fighting game tournament. Tony and Dennis also talk about some of their favorite fighting games from days gone by.

Tabletop: Tony discusses Castles of Mad King Ludwig, a tile-laying game. From there, Tony outlines a variety of games that are good to play with young children.

Links:
1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament-Round 5: http://goo.gl/forms/pisXnuA2BdxYsgkC2

Summer Games Done Quick 2016: https://gamesdonequick.com/

Evo 2016 Championship Series: http://evo.shoryuken.com/

Castles of Mad King Ludwig https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155426/castles-mad-king-ludwig

Enchanted Cupcake Party Game https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/140675/enchanted-cupcake-party-game

Unicorns in the Clouds https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/159566/unicorns-clouds

Tsuro https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/16992/tsuro

Timeline https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/85256/timeline-inventions

Ticket to Ride https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/9209/ticket-ride

Episode 11 – E3 2016

Due to the heavy volume of E3 coverage, the tabletop section has moved from the end of the podcast to the beginning.

Tabletop: Tony provides some information about Hero Realms and its ongoing Kickstarter campaign.

Pinball: Dennis goes over the Round 3 results of the 1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament and announces the Round 4 match-ups.

Video Games: Comprehensive coverage of E3. Broadly broken out by press conferences, the following are the areas of discussion:

Square Enix: Final Fantasy XV, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Deus Ex GO, Hitman, I Am Setsuna, Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, and NeiR: Automata.

EA: Titanfall 2, Madden, FIFA 17, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Fe, various Star Wars games, and Battlefield 1.

Bethesda: Quake Champions, Elder Scrolls Legends, Fallout 4 DLC, Skyrim Remastered, Prey, Doom DLC, Elder Scrolls Online: Dark Brotherhood, Bethesda VR games, and Dishonored 2.

Microsoft: The Xbox One S, Xbox Play Anywhere, Gears of War 4, Killer Instinct: General RAAM, Forza Horizon 3, ReCore, Final Fantasy XV, Tom Clancy’s The Division (DLC), Battlefield 1, Xbox Network Update (Clubs, Looking for Group, and Arena), Xbox Design Lab (custom controllers), ID@Xbox (We Happy Few and Gwent), Tekken 7, Dead Rising 4, Scalebound, Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2, Halo Wars 2, and Project Scorpio.

Ubisoft: Ghost Recon: Wildlands, South Park: The Fractured But Whole, Tom Clancy’s The Division (expansions), Eagle Flight, Star Trek Bridge Crew, For Honor, Grow Up, Trials of the Blood Dragon, Watchdogs 2, and Steep.

Sony: God of War, Days Gone, The Last Guardian, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Detroit: Become Human, Resident Evil, Playstation VR (Impulse Gear, Star Wars Battlefront VR X-Wing demo, Batman Arkham, and Final Fantasy XV and its VR experience), Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Crash Bandicoot Remaster, Skylanders Imaginators, Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Death Stranding, and Spiderman.

Nintendo: Pokemon SUN & Moon and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Other: Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, Persona 5, Akiba’s Beat, Fate/EXTELLA: The Umbral Star, and The King of Fighters XIV.

Links:
Hero Realms Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1172937197/hero-realms-a-deckbuilding-adventure-card-game/description

Round 4 of 1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament: http://goo.gl/forms/7WZbLeM6XqhTI9ik1

EA’s E3 2016 Press Conference: https://youtu.be/psEDJXl2ApY

Bethesda’s E3 2016 Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT3eAmu4FhQ

Microsoft’s E3 2016 Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xM_NYqY71Y

Ubisoft’s E3 2016 Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVt25bOM6eM

Sony’s E3 2016 Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Me4_rqefVE

Nintendo’s E3 2016 Press Conference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19B4wloShy0

Episode 10 – Charities & Circuits, Strikes & Fables, Stars and Planet-Busters

In this episode, Tony and Dennis hit the three gaming categories with a force of a mecha-clad death bunny armed with grenades that can destroy planets.

Pinball: Results of Round 2 of the 1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament are discussed, and the match-ups for Round 3 are revealed.

Dennis conducts an interview with Daniel Spolar and Amber Streath of the Project Pinball Charity. They discuss Project Pinball’s mission, their upcoming July 2016 fundraising campaign, and ways the public can get involved in their efforts to install pinball machines in hospitals across the land.

Tony and Dennis also sit down with Keri Wing, recent victor of Cactus Jack’s Silverball Showdown, a PAPA circuit event. They go over what the PAPA circuit events are, talk about some of the games Keri played, and about her being the first woman in history to win a PAPA circuit event.

Video Games: Discussion is lead off with talk regarding No Man’s Sky. Specifically, the game’s recent delay in release and the resulting death threats received by both the developer and the journalist who broke the news.

In addition, an examination about Fable Fortune, a game trying to crawl out of the ashes of Lionhead Studios, and whether its prospects of a successful Kickstarter are realistic.

Tabletop: Tony does a deep dive on Strike Legion, a sci-fi RPG that throws every trope in the book, after injecting them with steroids, at the player. He also discusses upcoming efforts to organize some RPG play in the area.

Links:
Round 3 of 1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament: http://goo.gl/forms/bxr7E3OSYvrzCG7H3

Project Pinball Charity: http://www.projectpinball.org/

GoFundMe for Project Pinball’s July campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/projectpinball

Project Pinball Charity Sweepstakes (win a pinball machine!): https://go.rallyup.com/9fad63

PAPA (Professional & Amateur Pinball Association): http://papa.org/

TILT THRU: http://www.podcastgarden.com/podcast/tiltthru

The CoinBox Pinball Podcast: http://coinbox.libsyn.com/

Fable Fortune’s Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flamingfowl/fable-fortune-a-fable-ccg-with-co-op-pvp-and-quest

No Man’s Sky delay and death threats: http://www.polygon.com/2016/5/29/11807840/no-mans-sky-delayed-death-threats-creator

Original No Man’s Sky delay post: http://kotaku.com/sources-no-mans-sky-delayed-1778797365

Strike Legion: http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/93237/Strike-Legion

Episode 9 – 2 Hosts | 2 Interviews

Pinball: Dennis goes over the results of Round 1 of the 1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament, and announces the Round 2 match-ups.

As a transition topic (since virtual pinball can be thought of as a pinball topic AND a video game topic), we feature Dennis’ interview with Brad Baker, founder of VPCabs. Dennis and Brad discuss the VPCabs product line, future plans, and what it was like for Brad to be on the ABC TV show Shark Tank.

Video Games: Tony and Dennis go over the Civiliation 6 announcement and their thoughts on the series of Strategy games.

Tabletop: Here we feature Tony’s interview with Stephanie Bryant, creator of the Threadbare RPG. Tony and Stephanie go over the Threadbare concept, how it developed, and how it will work in final form.

Links:
Round 2 of 1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament: http://goo.gl/forms/fZGaUg51J7AGxEhA3

VPCabs: https://virtualpinball.com/

PinballSTAR Amusements: http://www.pinballstar.com/

Threadbare RPG: A stitchpunk tabletop role-playing game: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mortaine/threadbare-rpg-a-stitchpunk-tabletop-role-playing?ref=users

Episode 8 – 80s Pinball, Homebrew, CoD/Battlefield, RPGs Galore

Pinball: Dennis walks through a March Madness-style pinball tournament contest to determine the best pinball machine of 1980-1989. From there, Tony and Dennis share their ideas for cool homebrew pinball rethemes.

Video Games: Discussion centers on Dawn of War III, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Battlefield 1, and Stern Pinball Arcade.

Tabletop: Tony provides an update for Noisy Person Cards and The Planet Mercenary RPG. In addition, discussion revolves around RPGs broadly, Kantcon, and the Threadbare RPG.

Tony and Dennis give their thoughts on Dead Flip’s Twitch presentation of Ghostbusters LE (after the Tabletop section since they forgot to do it earlier!).

Links:
1980s Pinball Machine Mania Tournament-Round 1: http://goo.gl/forms/GXA9Xj5mmM

Noisy person cards: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oneshotpodcast/noisy-person-cards

Battlefield 1 trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7nRTF2SowQ

Kantcon: http://www.kantcon.com

Threadbare RPG: A stitchpunk tabletop role-playing game: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mortaine/threadbare-rpg-a-stitchpunk-tabletop-role-playing?ref=users

Episode 7 – Slings, Foxes, Neos, and Cards

Pinball: Tony and Dennis open with a discussion on Ghostbusters LE/Premium magnaslings, and conclude with The Big Lebowski finally shipping (and the option for air delivery).

Video Games: Star Fox Zero, Pinball FX2’s Alien DLC pack, and BattleFleet Gothic Armada round out the software discussion. Sony’s PS4 upgrade is also examined.

Tabletop: The third edition of Warmahordes, the Dresden Files cooperative card game, and Noisy Person Cards are three new upgrades/games that get attention, along with International Tabletop Day.

Episode 6 – Nick Dangerous Interview, FFXV, & Tabletop Miniatures

Pinball: Dennis interviews Nick Dangerous of the Dallas Makerspace VECTOR Committee to talk Freedom pinball, restorations, and long-term plans in the Dallas area.

Video Games: Tony and Dennis discuss the (finally!) announced release of Final Fantasy XV, their history with the franchise, and thoughts on the JRPG genre as a whole.

Tabletop: Tony dives deep into tabletop miniatures and what goes into playing such games.

Episode 5 – TPF 2016

In their first exclusive-topic podcast, Tony and Dennis talk about their experiences at the 2016 Texas Pinball Festival.

Episode 4 – Ghostbusters, TPF Wizards Tournament, Early Access, Fable Legends, & Star Realms

In this ultra-dense episode, Tony and Dennis cover a multitude of gaming topics.

Pinball: Discussion starts with a focus on the Ghostbusters pinball reveal, followed by the last-minute changes to the 2016 Texas Pinball Festival’s Wizards tournament.

Video Games: Tony initiates a critique of the early access model of video game funding, while Dennis brings up the cancellation of Fable Legends and the likely end to Lionhead studios.

Tabletop: Discussion focuses on Star Realms, a combat-based deck building game.

Episode 3 – Preorders, Firewatch, Titanfall 2, & Legendary

In this episode, Tony and Dennis discuss the following:

Pinball: Preordering pinball machines and concerns with this approach to financing the construction of pins.

Video Games: Tony goes in depth on his experiences with Firewatch, while Dennis explains his interest in the upcoming mech-shooter Titanfall 2.

Tabletop Games: Legendary, a cooperative deck-building game, is discussed (for both its gameplay and its many upcoming themes).

Episode 2 – Dirty Donny, Dangerous Golf, X-Com 2, & Pandemic

In their Valentine’s Day episode, Tony and Dennis talk over several gaming topics.

Pinball: The news that Dirty Donny is doing art for an upcoming Stern pinball machine. Discussion focuses on speculation on likely themes for the table and what would make for a cool music pin.

Video Games: Dangerous Golf receives overview as an upcoming release. In addition, Tony goes in-depth with X-Com 2 and his experiences thus far.

Tabletop Games: Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu and Battle Arena get discussed, as does the notion of Kickstarting tabletop games in general.

Note: Tony’s online audio feed becomes distorted shortly after the tabletop section begins. We apologize for the drop in quality at that point.

Episode 1 – Upcoming Pins, Top 2015 Video Games, & Kickstarter

In the inaugural episode, Tony and Dennis tackle the following subjects:

Pinball: Upcoming releases from Stern Pinball, Heighway Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, Dutch Pinball, and Spooky Pinball.

Video Games: Tony and Dennis discuss their top games released in 2015, and a few titles they are looking forward to currently scheduled for 2016 release.

Tabletop Games: Recent games that received Kickstarter support and have sparked some interest receive focus.