Official Rules
Note for Pinburgh 2002
We are considering expanding the number of qualifying slots that may advance
to final rounds in the A division. This will be based solely on how many
online pre-registrations we receive!
Currently, although there have been more pre-registrants than in previous
years, there are fewer in the A division; consequently, we are not planning
to expand the number of available qualifying slots.
0. Quick Overview
The tournament rules for Pinburgh are quite lengthy and detailed. They
reflect the experience of many years of tournament and league play,
under many different systems. The underlying ideas are simple, however.
The qualifying rounds run Friday evening, all day Saturday, and Sunday
morning. During those rounds, each player may make as many qualifying
attempts as they like, within a single division. For each qualifying
attempt, the player chooses five of the eight machines available in his
or her division. After completing play on those five machines, the score
on each machine is ranked against the scores of other players on that
machine. The five rankings contribute to the player's score for that
qualifying entry. Each qualifying entry is separately ranked against all
other players' qualifying entries. The top qualifiers in each division
move on to that division's final round on Sunday.
In the final rounds, qualifying players play against each other in
4-player games. A point system is used to determine who advances and
ultimately wins.
For more complete details, please review the official rules shown here.
I. General Information
1. Overview
Pinburgh 2002 is an official event of the Steel City Pinball
Association (SCPA), and is subject to all normal rules and regulations as
specified in the SCPA constitution, except where specifically overridden
by this document.
The Event Coordinators for Pinburgh 2002 are
Steve Zumoff, Kevin Martin, and Nancee Kumpfmiller.
Event Coordinators are responsible for organizing and
maintaining a smooth tournament, designating other officers and scorekeepers,
handling malfunctions and rulings, and being present whenever possible in
order to assist in these goals. The coordinators are not excluded from
tournament play, although each will be excluded from ruling on any play
situation that directly affects his or her actual or potential standing
as a player.
Each coordinator will be designated as the primary decision maker for a
specific division of play in the tournament.
2. Structure
There are three divisions in the tournament, differentiated by player
skill level.
- C Division - Novice players, who are casual, first-time, or
relatively inexperienced.
- B Division - Intermediate players, usually with league or
tournament experience, or any player seeking a greater challenge or reward.
- A Division - Expert players, such as league or tournament
champions.
All divisions are singles play only, and there is no women's
division or junior's division.
Initially, all divisions are open to a newly registered player. However,
once a player enters the A or B division, they may not enter a lower
division without the express written permission of an Event Coordinator.
Similarly, if a player moves to a higher division, his or her entries in any
lower divisions are automatically voided (monies are not refunded).
At the discretion of the Event Coordinators, a player may be required to
move to a higher division based on his or her performance or past league or
tournament standings. SCPA strongly discourages any player from
intentionally entering a division beneath his or her level of skill.
All registrants grant Pinburgh, the SCPA, and other event sponsors and
organizers the right to use their names, scores, and likenesses
for the purpose of promoting this and other pinball or pinball-related events.
3. Fees
All players must pay the basic registration fee of $5.
An identifying number is assigned to each registered player,
and this number is used to track his or her subsequent play.
Players may enter in their chosen division as many
times as they like. No more than one entry may be purchased at a time, and
each purchased entry must be played before another is purchased. The fees
for each qualifying attempt are:
- C Division - $5
- B Division - $10
- A Division - $15
Any entry left unplayed at the end of qualifying rounds will be refunded.
Entries that are intentionally unplayed or otherwise left incomplete through
no fault of the tournament will not be refunded.
4. Prizes
Pinburgh 2002 features a fixed, guaranteed prize package. Fees paid
by players are utilized to recoup tournament costs; if there is any overrun
beyond costs, those monies will be held in reserve to finance the next
Pinburgh event. In the event Pinburgh is discontinued, any
such monies will be transferred to the SCPA general fund for league
operations. In the event SCPA is disbanded, any such monies will
be donated to charity.
The prize package pays the top four winners in each division as follows:
|
A Division Expert |
B Division Intermediate |
C Division Novice |
|
1st Place |
$2500 |
$750 |
$250 |
plus trophy! |
2nd Place |
$1000 |
$250 |
$125 |
and plaque |
3rd Place |
$250 |
$150 |
$50 |
and plaque |
4th Place |
$100 |
$50 |
$25 |
and plaque |
Top Qualifier |
$300 |
$150 |
$50 |
|
Total Prize Package: $6000! |
These prizes will be paid by cash or check at the conclusion of the final
rounds on Sunday, if possible. If this is not possible for some reason,
a check payment will be provided to the winners within seven business days.
Other prizes may be available for shootout tournaments, door prizes, etc,
at the sole discretion of the Event Coordinators.
5. Facility
The tournament room and playing areas are strictly non-smoking. Smoking
is restricted to areas designated by the hotel.
The tournament room and playing areas must be kept clean; if you consume
food or drink, please clean up after yourself. Please do not remove
chairs from any area where they have been placed.
II. Qualifying Rounds
1. Entering a division
Before entering any division, players must be registered. Once this is
done, a player may purchase qualifying round entries in a division.
Players must keep their registered player number handy for use when
purchasing entries. Only one entry may be purchased at a time by a
player, and it must be played to completion before a new entry may be
purchased.
2. Playing an entry
When a player is ready to play a qualifying round entry, he or she approaches
the bank of eight machines designated for the division he or she has selected.
The player must select exactly five of these eight machines to be played for
the qualifying entry. No machine may be selected more than once on a single
entry. These selections must be indicated on the player's scorecard before
he or she begins play. The player then provides the scorecard to the
scorekeeper for the selected division, and is told when to play each
machine by the scorekeeper.
Players may select a different set of five machines for each qualifying
entry. Players may not change their selections once they have been accepted
by the scorekeeper, except in case of malfunction, or with the express
permission of an Event Coordinator.
The player will play his or her five selected machines at the time and in
the order designated by the scorekeeper. At the end of each game, the
player will request that the scorekeeper record his or her score before
leaving the machine. It is the player's responsibility to ensure that the
scorekeeper takes down the score, and to doublecheck the transcribed score
for correctness. In the event of any malfunction or other problems,
please refer to section IV of this document.
When all five games have been completed, the player must sign his or her entry
for the scorekeeper, who will regularly transfer completed entries to the
scoring table. Players may not take their completed entry from the
scorekeeper.
At any point during play, the player may elect to abandon his or her entry,
effectively voiding all scores recorded for that entry. No money will be
refunded, but the player has no further obligation to complete his or her
entry, and is free to purchase another if they wish. Once all five games
have been completed and the scorecard turned in by the scorekeeper, the
void option is no longer available for that entry.
3. Scoring
All scores posted on a particular machine, including multiple entries from
individual players, are maintained in a ranking. Point values are assigned
to each position in this ranking. The overall score of a particular entry
is the total of the point values assigned to its ranked scores on the five
selected machines for that entry. Because the rankings will change as new
scores are posted on each machine, the overall score of each entry may
change as the qualifying rounds progress.
It is important to note that each entry is scored separately from other
entries, as the sum of the point values for the ranking of its scores
on the five selected machines.
Each entry a player completes has its own score, and no score is
compiled based on a player's overall highest rankings on each machine.
On each entry, a player is also competing with his or her previous entries
on the selected machines; although this is usually not a problem, there are
degenerate cases where a player's past history could limit his or her ability
to do well on future entries. Note that a player may void an entry at any
time during its play, but once turned in by the scorekeeper, no entry may
be voided by the player for any reason.
There are no scoring normalizers or other adjustments. Scores cannot be
compared across divisions. As the qualifying rounds progress, players may
wish to adjust their choice of qualifying machines according to the scores
already posted, as well as their personal skills and preferences.
The following points are awarded to an entry's score, according to the
rank of the player's game on that machine.
Rank |
Score |
1st |
100 points |
2nd |
75 |
3rd |
60 |
4th |
50 |
5th |
45 |
6th |
40 |
7th |
39 |
8th |
38 |
9th |
37 |
10th |
36 |
11th |
35 |
12th |
34 |
13th |
33 |
14th |
32 |
15th |
31 |
|
|
Rank |
Score |
16th |
30 points |
17th |
29 |
18th |
28 |
19th |
27 |
20th |
26 |
21st |
25 |
22nd |
24 |
23rd |
23 |
24th |
22 |
25th |
21 |
26th |
20 |
27th |
19 |
28th |
18 |
29th |
17 |
30th |
16 |
| |
Rank |
Score |
31st |
15 points |
32nd |
14 |
33rd |
13 |
34th |
12 |
35th |
11 |
36th |
10 |
37th |
9 |
38th |
8 |
39th |
7 |
40th |
6 |
41st |
5 |
42nd |
4 |
43rd |
3 |
44th |
2 |
45th |
1 |
46th or lower |
0 |
|
Pinburgh 2002 will endeavor to provide up-to-date scores and
rankings at all times, using a projected screen. The up-to-date
scores and rankings are also available on the
http://www.pinburgh2002.com/ Web site at all times.
4. Scoring Example
A player, number 45, enters the B Division, and is assigned an entry
number of B-108. She plays five of the eight available machines, and
the scorekeeper records her scores. At the time, her scores
are ranked in the 3rd, 13th, 7th, 48th, and 31st positions on the five
selected machines. Her total score for entry B-108 is therefore
60+33+39+0+15 = 147. This score may change as other entries are played,
by this player or other players. For example, at the end of qualifying,
the scores for this entry may only rank 8th, 21st, 9th, 71st, and 35th,
providing a total score of 38+25+37+0+11 = 111.
III. Final Rounds
1. Advancing to Finals
When qualifying rounds have been completed, a final calculation of entry
scores will be made. Those scores will be ranked, and the top eight
unique players in each division will advance to the final rounds. Only
the highest entry score of any player will be considered. No player may
qualify in more than one division. There is no bye for the top-ranked
player, but for Pinburgh 2002, a special cash bonus is awarded to the
top qualifier in each division: $300 in A division, $150 in B division,
and $50 in C division.
In the event a qualifying player is not available, they will be skipped in
the ranking as if they had not qualified. Substitutions or late
arrivals are not allowed.
In the event that two or more players have the same score in this ranking,
a tiebreaking procedure is required for those players. Because each player
may have played different machines while qualifying, and any player may have
multiple qualifying entries that added up to the same score, any
re-examination of the qualifying rounds is problematic, at best. Therefore,
all ties at this stage will be resolved by a single game on a machine chosen
randomly from the qualifying bank of the appropriate division.
The players will play, in randomly determined order,
in a multi-player game on the chosen machine, and will subsequently be ranked
in the order of their scores on that game. If more than four players are
tied, more than one multi-player game will be required, and the resulting
scores will be compared as if they had occurred in a single game on the
same machine.
The random order of players for the tie breaking match will be determined
by drawing numbers.
In the event of any further tie after the tie breaker,
which is highly unlikely to say the least, an additional
tie breaking game will be used for the affected players.
2. Machines Chosen
The three machines used for final rounds in each division will be designated
before the beginning of the semifinals round of play. This designation will
be determined solely by tournament officials, and may include in each
division machines that were not utilized in the qualifying rounds for
that division, as well as machines not previously utilized in the
tournament at all.
3. Semifinals Round
The eight players qualified in each division will begin with the semifinals
round. In this round, players in each division are divided into two groups
of four according to their rank. The first group will include players
ranked #1, #2, #7, and #8. The second group will include players ranked
#3, #4, #5, and #6.
Each group will play three four-player games, one on each of the
three designated machines for their division. The order of play is
determined by the highest-seeded player in each group; if two groups
wish to play the same machine, preference is given to the group containing
the highest-seeded player; the other group must select a different machine.
Each four-player game will be scored as follows:
Rank |
Score |
1st |
4 points |
2nd |
2 |
3rd |
1 |
4th |
0 |
When starting a game, the highest-seeded player has first choice of
order of play, followed by the next highest, and so forth. This choice
will be made independently on each machine, and always favors the players
with higher seedings.
If the highest-seeded player does not wish to choose a machine or order
of play, the decision is deferred to the next highest-seeded player within
the group. For machine selection, the group with the highest-seeded player
retains preference even if the highest-seeded player declines to make a
choice. If no player in a group will make a choice, the choice is determined
by tournament officials, who may or may not choose randomly.
When all three games have been completed by a group, each player will have
a total score for the semifinals round in their division. Players with the
top four scores in their division shall advance to the final round.
modified June 5, 2001
Ties between players at the end of the semifinals round are resolved by
one tiebreaking game on a machine selected randomly from the machines in use
for the semifinals round. Players play the tiebreaking game according to
seeding order. If more than four players are tied in one group, the players
with the lowest seedings are placed in their own separate game on the same
machine, playing after the first group.
If more than one group of players are tied, the machine is chosen for the
group with the highest-ranking tie first, and that machine is not available
for random selection in lower groups. All such tied groups will play their
tiebreaking games in parallel.
In the event of an exact scoring tie on the tiebreaking game, the affected
players will play another tiebreaking game on a randomly-selected machine.
4. Final Rounds
In each division, four players advance to the final round. The final
round for each division is conducted in the same manner as the semifinals
round. The total scores for this round will determine the ordering of
winners in each division. Tie breaking in the final round will be
determined in the same fashion as the semifinals rounds.
Unless otherwise determined by tournament officials, the same machines will
be used in the final rounds as the semifinals rounds.
IV. Malfunctions and Rulings
1. The Nature of Pinball
The unique charm of pinball lies, in large part, in the physical nature of
the game. Unfortunately, this means that unusual events and outright
malfunctions cannot be prevented. Nor can they all be perfectly compensated
for. Pinburgh attempts to strike a balance between compensating for
malfunctions and accepting the physical nature of the game.
In certain cases, malfunctions will be dealt with more strictly during
final rounds than during qualifying rounds.
2. Minor Malfunctions
A minor malfunction is any event which deviates from the normal course of
gameplay, without directly causing a player's loss of turn and without
providing any player a significant advantage over others, is considered
part of normal play. Tournament officials shall determine what constitutes
a significant advantage; in the event that such an advantage is obtained,
refer to subsection 5 below.
3. Major Malfunctions
A major malfunction is a problem with a machine that results in the unfair
premature loss of ball in play in a fashion that is not a normal feature
of the machine's gameplay. These may be unusual one-time events, or they
may indicate a recurring problem that will need to be addressed by
technicians.
Examples of major malfunctions include:
- The bonus count begins while the ball
is still in play. This can happen if the machine loses track of how many
balls are in the drain trough.
- A lit kickback fails to return the ball to play, ending the player's
turn. This does not apply to other ball saving devices such as timed
ball savers, ball traps, gates, or "virtual" kickbacks.
Any malfunction that results in the loss of one or more balls during
multiball play, without losing all balls so as to end the player's turn,
will only be considered a minor malfunction. Any malfunction that is
well-known will be posted for players to be aware of beforehand, and if
it occurs, it will be treated as a minor malfunction.
Loss of Tilt warnings, without loss of ball, shall not be considered a
major malfunction.
When a major malfunction occurs, it is the player's responsibility to
notify the scorekeeper, calmly and promptly. The scorekeeper will request
advice from a tournament official. If the official(s) agree that the
event is a major malfunction, the player will be provided with one
additional ball of play at the beginning of a new game, after the current
game has been completed. No attempt will be made to re-establish the state
of the machine at the time of the major malfunction. The player's total
score on the additional ball of play will be added to his or her previous
score, and the new game will be terminated.
In the event that two or more major malfunctions take place during the
same game, the player(s)' game(s) will be terminated and replayed. The
terminated scores will be temporarily recorded, and except in any case
where the original score
was unfairly improved by the malfunction, the higher score for each player
will be recorded as his or her official score.
4. Catastrophic Malfunctions
A catastrophic malfunction is any event not purposely or inadvertently
caused by a player, which
immediately ends play for all players on the machine.
Examples of catastrophic malfunctions include:
- The game system crashes and/or resets due to a software error or
component failure.
- Power is lost or interrupted.
- A new game starts.
Any event caused by a player, purposely or inadvertently, including Slam
Tilts, is covered under "Player Errors" below.
When a catastrophic malfunction occurs, any player(s) whose game(s) was/were
not complete must replay their game(s) from scratch. The higher score for
each player will be recorded as that player's official score.
5. Beneficial Malfunctions
modified June 5, 2001
Any malfunction which provides at least one player with a significant
advantage over any other player competing on that machine is known as a
beneficial malfunction.
Tournament officials shall determine what constitutes
a significant advantage.
Any beneficial malfunction which results in a player being able to continue
play of a ball that normally should have ended is normally allowed once per
game. Examples would include an unexpected software ball save, a ball that
bounces back into play without player action, or a ball that comes to rest
on an unlit kickback in the outlane. Any such behavior shall not be allowed
if it repeats, meaning that tournament officials may require players to
allow the saved ball to drain, or the machine may be declared disabled.
Any beneficial malfunction which credits a player with a significant scoring
advantage that is not part of normal gameplay will disqualify that player's
score, unless all players and tournament officials can agree on a suitable
adjustment of the score. The affected player may then replay the game after
the other players have finished, and the new score is used for that player.
Examples include a jackpot switch that registers when a different target is
hit, or a switch that scores repeatedly without the ball being in active
play.
Any situation which provides benefit to one or more players over any other
players should be brought to the attention of the scorekeeper promptly, who
will alert tournament officials.
6. Stuck Balls
During the course of play, it is possible for one or more balls to become
stuck on a playfield feature, usually after becoming airborne. If this
happens during single ball play, the player must wait for automatic ball
searches to occur. The expiration of any timed feature during this period
is not considered a malfunction.
If the stuck ball has not been freed after four such
searches, or if the machine is not performing searches for some reason,
the player must alert the scorekeeper, and a tournament official will be
brought to the machine. The player must remain alert and at the machine,
as he or she is responsible for the ball if it becomes freed at any point.
With the tournament official present, the machine will be opened, and the
stuck ball freed and placed either in the plunger lane, if it is manually
controlled, or on the upraised right flipper, with the flipper button
held by the player. If the ball is inadvertently freed at this point and
drains, this will be treated as a major malfunction. If the machine cannot
be opened successfully, or if opening or closing the machine terminates the
game(s) in progress for any reason, this will be treated as a catastrophic
malfunction. If the ball is freed and the machine closed without the
player's loss of ball, play continues as normal.
If more than one ball is stuck, all such balls will be placed on the right
flipper before play resumes.
Any player who chooses to shake or bump the machine in order to free a stuck
ball does so at his or her own risk. No allowance will be made for a player
who tilts while attempting to free a stuck ball.
If a ball becomes stuck during a multiball mode, the player may attempt to
trap the other ball(s) in play and request assistance. If the player does
not do so within 30 seconds, the player assumes full responsibility for later
freeing the stuck ball, and if the player tilts, there is no allowance.
In some cases, a stuck ball during multiball presents an advantageous
opportunity. However, this is not considered a malfunction.
7. Disabled Machines
Any tournament machine that breaks down during play will be attended to by
technicians as promptly as possible. In the event that a breakdown is
severe and cannot be repaired on-site, the machine may be taken out of
service temporarily or permanently. During qualifying rounds, players in
that division must choose an alternate machine in place of a temporarily
disabled machine. A permanently disabled machine will be replaced with a
designated substitute by tournament officials.
During final rounds, tournament officials will designate an
alternate machine; the game in progress on the disabled machine, if any,
will be discarded, and play will continue on the newly designated machine.
Any machine that is temporarily disabled for more than 90 minutes is to be
considered permanently disabled. During qualifying rounds, a permanently
disabled machine presents a unique problem, as it is no longer possible for
new qualifying entries to compete against ranked scores on that machine. If
the machine in question is disabled before 2pm on Saturday June 23, all scores
recorded on the disabled machine up to that point will be voided. Any player
who has previously posted a qualifying score on the disabled machine will be
invited to play a "make-up" game on the substitute machine; his or
her resulting score will then be used in lieu of his or her previous score on
the disabled machine. In the event that a machine is disabled during
qualifying rounds after 2pm on Saturday June 23 but before the close of
qualifying rounds on Saturday, the scores and ranking up
to that point shall stand. A new ranking will be established on the
substitute machine, and no "make-up" games will be played.
In the event that a machine is disabled during qualifying rounds at the
end of Saturday play, or during Sunday play, it will simply remain
unavailable to qualifiers, who must choose an alternate game. A substitute
machine will not be required.
Qualifying entries played before
2pm on Saturday June 23 therefore enjoy a slight theoretical advantage in
the event of machine failures.
8. Player Errors
A player error is any player action, purposeful or accidental, which affects
the play or outcome of a game in progress.
Any player who tilts his or her ball in play will not receive any penalty
other than the normal loss of ball. Abuse of machines is covered under
"Player Conduct". Any player who tilts the ball of another player,
either through interference or by tilting his or her ball so roughly that the
next player's ball is affected before play continues, will receive a score
of zero for that game, unless tournament officials grant an exception based
on the behavior of the machine in question.
Any player who slam tilts a machine, thereby ending play for all players,
will receive a score of zero for that game. If a tournament official rules
that the slam tilt sensor is not functioning properly, then the tilting
player is allowed to play a two-ball makeup game, unless the slam tilt
occurred on his or her last ball, in which case the score stands.
The slam tilt is treated as a
catastrophic failure for any other player(s) who have not completed their
game(s) in progress; they will be allowed to replay a new game and choose
the higher score.
Any player
who takes this action deliberately in order to employ this rule and provide
a replayed game to other players will be ejected from the tournament.
Any player who deliberately interferes with the play of another player,
through distraction, touching the machine or player, or disrupting the
tournament setting, will receive a score of zero for the game. Two offenses
under this rule will result in ejection of the player from the tournament.
Any non-player, or tournament participant not playing in the game in
progress, who deliberately interferes with the play of any tournament game,
will be given one warning. On the second offense, the offender will be
ejected from the tournament.
Accidental interference is regrettable but can happen. Any player or
non-player who accidentally interferes with the play of any tournament game
will be warned. If the interference was sufficient to cause the loss of
ball, this will be treated as a major malfunction. If the interference
terminated play for all players (for example, tripping over a power cord
and pulling it from the wall), this will be treated as a catastrophic
malfunction.
A player who plays out of turn in a multiplayer game will receive a score
of zero. The affected player may choose to take over the ball in play, if
possible, or they may choose to have the incident treated as a major
malfunction. In the event the player takes over, he or she shall be deemed
"in control" after declaring his or her intent, taking his or her
position at the table, and making contact with the ball via the flippers. The
affected player may not change his or her mind once he or she is
"in control".
Any player who plays out of turn deliberately in order to employ this rule
will be ejected from the tournament.
Because the tournament consists solely of singles play, coaching of any
player during a game, in any round, is not allowed.
If a player specifically requests
advice on a game feature during play, his or her question may be addressed
only by a tournament official, and answered only in terms of whether or not
the machine is functioning correctly.
Outside of play, players are of course free to
discuss features and strategies as much as they like.
Tournament officials will be the sole determinant of what constitutes
interference and whether or not it is accidental or deliberate. Scorekeepers
are strongly encouraged to watch for and, if possible, prevent incidents
of interference.
8. Rulings
Rulings shall be made by tournament officials, which includes Event
Coordinators and any such person designated as an official by the Event
Coordinators. Each official is excluded from ruling on any play situation
that directly affects his or her actual or potential standing as a player.
Final authority for any ruling rests with the President of the Steel City
Pinball Association.
V. Machine Settings
1. Software Settings
In general, the software settings of each machine will be adjusted to best
accommodate tournament play. The following settings will be employed
on any machine that supports them:
- Tournament Mode
- Free Play
- 3 Balls
- Extra Balls disabled
- Buy-In or Continuations disabled
- Game Restart disabled
- 2 Tilt Warnings
- Flipper AutoLaunch disabled
- Timed AutoLaunch disabled
- Standard Factory Settings for Ball Savers, Difficulty, Timers, etc
- Specific Difficulty Settings as determined by tournament officials
- Automatic Reflexing Features disabled
- Replays disabled (no score or Extra Ball awarded)
These settings may vary according to division, at the discretion of
tournament officials.
2. Hardware Settings
Machines used for tournament play will be prepared and kept in good working
order to the greatest extent possible. Each machine will be properly leveled
left-to-right and inclined front-to-back.
Any player with a complaint or question about the hardware setup of a
machine should make his or her inquiry in between games, or in between
balls, if urgent.
3. Machine-Specific Settings
In order to best suit tournament play, certain machines may be subject to
specific settings or rules adjustments, at the discretion of tournament
officials. These adjustments will be made before tournament play begins,
and will be documented if possible. The intent is to eliminate features
which can be abused by skilled players, or which arbitrarily extend play
time to a degree that would hinder the smooth progress of the tournament.
VI. Player Conduct
1. Personal Conduct
All players are expected to conduct themselves in a polite and sensitive
manner. Outbursts, especially those including indecent language, are
unacceptable. A wide variety of players and observers will be present,
including media, and these types of outbursts do nothing to further pinball
as a sport.
2. Abuse of Machines
Tilt sensors are employed to determine what constitutes unduly rough
handling of each machine. Abusive handling such as lifting, tipping, or
rocking a machine is grounds for a warning and possible disqualification
for a game or the entire tournament, as determined by tournament officials.
3. Interference
Any player who intentionally interferes with tournament play or otherwise
disrupts the tournament setting will be warned and/or ejected from the
tournament, at the discretion of tournament officials. This provision
does not preclude other possible grounds for ejection, such as fraud,
theft, threats, criminal activity, harrassment, inappropriate behavior,
public drunkenness, etc.
4. Delay
Any player who delays the progress of his or her game for any reason other
than to await a ruling will be given a warning after 30 seconds' delay. If
the delay is repeated or willful, tournament officials may terminate the
game in progress and record a score of zero for that player.
5. Death Saves, Bangbacks, etc
Advanced techniques known as "Death Saves" and
"Bangbacks" are practiced by certain advanced players. Because
the effectiveness of these techniques varies indeterminately from machine
to machine, and because of the risk of injury to either player or machine,
these are banned from tournament play. In the event that a drained ball
bounces back into play without deliberate or significant player action,
the ball may be played. This may require a ruling from tournament officials
if there appears to be abusive force employed by the player.
VII. Miscellaneous
1. Special Score Handling
a.
Any player who reaches the maximum possible score on a machine that has
such, will receive that score as their total. For example, Guns n Roses
stops scoring at 9,999,999,990 points.
b.
Any player whose machine "rolls over" to a zero score will need
to advise the scorekeeper when this happens. The score keeper will then
make a note to record the appropriately increased score. Notifying the
score keeper immediately after the "roll over" is the player's
responsibility.
c.
On the game NBA Fastbreak, each championship ring collected by the player
shall cause their recorded score to be increased by 1000 points.
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updated June 17, 2002
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