The Jersey Pinball Association: League Rules & Information

This document gives the rules of and info about the Jersey Pinball Association Pinball League. League play takes place at 8 on the Break (8OTB) in Dunellen, New Jersey. The Commissioner of the League will be the person in charge of running the league. The name of the current Commissioner is Koi Morris.

II. League Nights / Attendance

A. General

Every Wednesday night is league night. For the ninth season of the league beginning on 7 March 2003, play will be held every Wednesday for 10 weeks. These 10 weeks consist of the regular season. Playoffs (one or two weeks depending on how many people are still in the league at the end of Week 5 of the regular season in question) will start the Wednesday immediately after the regular season ends.

B. Games

Each week, league players will be broken into groups and each group will play five games to be determined just prior to game play. The games will be a subset of the games available. In general, a consensus will be informally taken to determine which games to play that week based on known malfunctions, etc. The final decision for which games to play will be made by the Commissioner.

C. Starting Time

Play begins at 7:30 PM. At that time, all players are expected to be at 8OTB and have “checked in” with the league Commissioner. The Commissioner expects players to be dedicated to playing. The rules do allow for a player to miss games, but in general, all players should plan on being there promptly each week.

D. Grace Period

There will be a 10-minute grace period for players arriving late due to unexpected circumstances.

E. Late Arrival

If a player does not arrive by 7:40 PM, that player’s group will begin play without that player. If the player arrives late, they may play in any games not yet started by their group. Further, if the player’s group is currently on ball 1 of a game when the late player arrives, they may join the game in progress if possible. The player currently playing is not required to go out of their way to allow the late player to “get in”, but if the playing player can catch the ball, or locks a ball and then has a ball sitting in the plunger, the playing player should use that opportunity to let the late player buy-in.

Players arriving later than 7:40 will have their premakeup scores (see Section III) used for games they miss with associated penalties.

F. Announced Lateness

If a league player notifies the league Commissioner in advance (preferably before league night if possible) that the he or she will be late, the league Commissioner will use his discretion to either wait for the player or begin play. However, if a player must notify the Commissioner on the day of the League about being late, then the Commissioner must be notified by 3 PM (via my work e-mail address or work phone [see Section XI for my contact info]) otherwise the group that that player is to play in does not have to wait past 7:40 for that player to show up.

G. No-Shows

If a league player does not show up at all during any league session without having notifying me (by e-mail: kmorristaftzww@mindspring.com (home) or morrisk@wyeth.com (work); by phone (732)-274-4091 before 4:00PM on weekdays (work); telling me in person beforehand; or calling the Break no later than 15 minutes of League start time on league night if necessary; I prefer that the player tell me in person (especially if he/she knows that he/she will be out in advance), call me (leaving a message if necessary), or send e-mail to my work address so I would be certain to receive his/her message before that he/she will be absent will be declared a No-Show. A player is allowed two No-Shows before automatically being dropped from the league. On a week where a player could have a third No-Show, which will occur after the affected player’s group starts their third game and the affected player can't get in before player 1's ball 2, if the player is not there before the player’s group starts their third game, that week will be considered the third No-Show and the person will not be allowed to play in the league for the rest of the season and will forfeit any and all monies paid to the league up to that point.

III. Premakeups

A. Overview

It is very important for league players to show up for all league nights. However, emergencies do come up. In the event that a player misses a week, the player’s premakeup scores will be used. Early in the season (Week 1) or before the season starts, each player will play two official games on each machine. After the start of league play on Week 6 of the season, no league player will be allowed to obtain any premakeup scores on a game, unless it is on a game that was not there prior to Week 6 of the league. After this point, all premakeup scores not obtained on games existing at the Break prior to the start of league play on Week 6 will count as a zero. A premakeup game must be played with at least one other player for it to be a valid premakeup score.

B. Obtaining and Using Premakeup Scores

It is not required that a player obtain premakeup scores; but it is strongly recommended that a player obtains premakeup scores to avoid getting zeroes for any games that player’s group plays when he/she is not there. There will be three different scores for each game that will be used each time a player is allowed to use a premakeup score: Both scores obtained on the premakeup games played and an average of the two premakeup scores (using any zeroes if necessary), rounded to the nearest 10 points. So, for example, a player’s premakeup scores on The Addam's Family could be 20M (Game 1), 40M (game 2), and 30M (game 3; an average of the scores from games 1 and 2). The score obtained on the first premakeup game played on a particular game will be the first premakeup score used for that game; the second premakeup score obtained on that game will be the second premakeup score used for that game and the third score will be the average of the first two. If a player only has one premakeup score on a particular game before the first premakeup score on the game in question is needed or in accordance with the deadline stated above, whichever comes first, then the only score the player has will be used for the first premakeup; if a second premakeup score on the game in question is not obtained in accordance with the deadline stated above or a second premakeup is needed for the game in question, whichever comes first, then a score of zero is used for that premakeup and the player may not obtain any more premakeup scores on that particular machine.

Example: Player A has only one premakeup score of 50M on TAF. He has used it already by the fifth week of the season, but has no second premakeup score. On week 6, he is absent and his group plays TAF. He has to use a premakeup score of 0 for that game and then the third premakeup score is automatically calculated as the average of these two premakeup scores: (50M + 0M)/2 = 25M. This would also be his ghost premakeup score should he need to have a premakeup score after the third absence (see Ghost Premakeup scores in Section C, below).

Whenever a player is absent on a given League Night, all premakeup scores in a given set will be considered to have been used even though no more than 5 games will be used from that set. That set then will be unavailable for use again during the season. Exception: If a player has to use one or two premakeup scores in a given set because he or she arrived late and that player's group already started playing, then the late player must use the rest of the games in that set as choices from which the NEXT set of premakeup scores are taken (subject to the 15 game limit of premakeup scores for a player).

If for some reason, all players in a group are not present, then the game choices will be done in this fashion. The premakeup games used will first be chosen from games that all of the players have, if possible. Then games will be chosen from games that more than one player has (for 3 and 4 player matches). If at this point, 5 games are not chosen, then games will be picked at random until 5 games have been chosen for the match. If necessary, ghost premakeup scores will be used here. As far as Total League Points goes, no bonus points of any kind will be given out in a match like this, but the match point scoring is otherwise as if at least one player had been present in the group (match point scoring and Total League Points is discussed later in this document).

To make it easier to obtain premakeup scores, I will allow any league player to play premakeup games when I'm not around to take the scores that day they're played (normally this has been on Friday nights and League nights). If players are going to play premakeup games when not in my presence, they must either do A) or B) described below.

a) Play the games with at least one other League player with all players keeping AND sending me a copy of each player's scores for each game played via e-mail (if you have e-mail) (or giving me a copy if the scores were obtained within a day of the next League meeting) by the next League meeting after which said scores were obtained. For those players who don't have e-mail, you must show me the scores at the next League meeting after the scores were obtained so I can check them against what the other players have given me. In order for the premakeup score to count, all of the scores given to me for that particular game by all players must be identical; otherwise the game will be declared invalid and must be replayed. Example: Players A, B, and C (all league players) play TAF on a Tuesday night (when I'm normally not at 8OTB). Player A gets 20M, Player B gets 50M, and Player C gets 200M. They also play Monopoly; Player A gets 5M, Player B gets 30M, and Player C gets 3M. On Wednesday night, Players A, B, and C would give me a piece of paper that has the scores obtained by each player for both games. Once I verify that each player's record of the obtained scores are identical, the premakeup scores will be official.

b) Play the games against a non-league player, but with a League player not involved in the premakeup game present to verify the premakeup scores obtained and that the games played were legal. The League player will then give me a copy of the scores at (or send to me via e-mail by) the next League meeting after said scores were obtained by the players who did the premakeup games.

WARNING!!! If at any time I find that players are abusing this to their advantage (e.g. playing more than one extra ball in a game, playing a game alone, or submitting unusually high scores (for a particular player's skill level) for a particular game), then this option will be terminated and all premakeup scores would have to be done in my presence in the future.

C. Penalty

Later in this document, game scoring is discussed. For any single game, first place earns three points with the potential for a 4^th point if the first place player beats the 2^nd and 3^rd place players combined. When a pre-makeup score is used, the player cannot get the 4^th point even if the score would otherwise warrant it. If a player is absent in a given week or shows up late after that player’s group has finished playing a given game and has no pre-makeup score for the game that his or her group is playing that week, then that player receives zero points for that game that week (this is called the Zero Point Rule).

If for some reason, a player doesn’t have any premakeup scores for a particular game to be played that week, a ghost premakeup score equal to the normalized score for the game will be used, and that absent player (Player A) is part of a two-player match, the opponent (Player B) will automatically receive four points for that game, unless Player B’s score for the game is less than the normalized score for the game in question in which case nobody receives the extra bonus point. Player A will receive an official score of 0 for the game. For games that Player A has premakeup scores for, the scoring (for a two player match) for Player B is the same as if Player A was present. For three and four player matches, the ghost premakeup score equal to the normalized score for the game will also be used, and if there are two or more players who are using the same score, then for purposes of calculating the place of the other players, the absent players will be ranked according to their place in the league at the moment with the top ranked of the absent players coming in ahead of the other player(s).

A player who shows up late on a League night and that player's group is past ball 1 on game 2 (meaning the late player can't get in on game 2) at the time the late player arrives, then the scoring for the late player that night will be treated as if he or she didn't show up at all and the player's premakeup scores or ghost premakeup scores, as appropriate, for the games not played will be used.

Notes regarding players who miss more than three weeks of or uses 15 premakeup games, whichever comes first, during the season (and therefore can’t use any more premakeup scores):

“Ghost” Premakeup scores will be used. The ghost score will be the average of all three premakeup scores (including any zeroes) obtained by a player on one game. So a player who only obtained one premakeup score on a game (say 30M on Monster Bash) will have as a ghost premakeup score (30M + 0 + 15M)/3 = 15M. The player got a zero for not getting a second premakeup score on the game. The official score for the missed game for that player will be zero, but the ghost score will be used as if the person were there and a three-player match with one or two ghost premakeup scores will be treated as a three player match as if all parties were there. The same goes for four player and two player matches: if any absent players in the match are using ghost premakeup scores, they will get an official score of zero, but their ghost premakeup score will be used as the player were actually there.

D. Premakeup Scores on New Games

Several things may occur as a result of a new game (Game X) being brought into the Break during the League season. I'll list them and what is to be done to resolve the issue.

a) A player fails to complete the first set of premakeups before Game X replaces one of the games the player has gotten a premakeup on already (Game Y): The player obtains a premakeup score on Game X and that score replaces the score obtained on the game that was removed.

b) A player has completed one set but failed to complete the second set of premakeups before Game X replaces Game Y: If the first set of premakeups was used before Game X appeared at the Break, then for the second set the player plays two games on Game X and the higher of the two scores will be the second premakeup score for Game X and the score for the third set will be the average of the two scores. If the first set of premakeups wasn't used before Game X appeared at the Break, then the player must obtain a premakeup score on Game X to replace the premakeup score on Game Y for the first set. The second premakeup game on Game X will then go toward the second set and the score for the third set is the average of the two scores.

c) A player has completed both sets of premakeup scores before Game X appeared at the Break: If a player hasn't used any of the premakeup sets yet, then the player must obtain premakeup scores on Game X for the two sets to replace Game Y. If the first set of premakeups was used before Game X appeared at the Break, then for the second set the player plays two games on Game X and the higher of the two scores will be the second premakeup score for Game X and the score for the third set will be the average of the two scores. If a player has used the first and second sets of premakeups before Game X appeared at the Break then the player will play one game on Game X and the score obtained on that game will be the premakeup score for Game X for the third set.

If any new game(s) comes to the Break on or before Week 4 of the season, then a player must get premakeup scores on those games before the start of league play on Week 6 of the season otherwise a zero is recorded as the score for the game(s) in question. If the game(s) come after Week 4, then a player has two weeks to get premakeup scores on those games otherwise the player gets a zero score for the game(s) in question.

E. Limit

The maximum number of premakeup scores a player can use during the season is 15. After this, ghost premakeup scores will be used (see Note above in Section C).

IV. Money / Prizes

A. Dues

Every week during the regular season, players will each pay $6.00 that will be used exclusively for prizes.

B. Prizes

Prizes will consist of weekly payouts and end of league trophies and cash for the top three overall winners in each division (more on that later). The dues will first go toward weekly payouts (50%) and the remaining 50% plus money (if any) donated by the League Commissioner or another third party(ies) will go toward the trophies and end of season cash prizes. The end of season cash prizes will be awarded in this way:

Place A Division B Division

First 45% 15%

Second 35% 5%

Third * **

* as a consolation prize, 20% of the amount that the winner of Second Place of A Division gets.

** as a consolation prize, 50% of the amount that the winner of Second Place of B Division gets.

These End Of Season Prizes (number given out and the amount of the cash awards given out) are subject to change, depending on how many people participate in the league in a given season.

Weekly payouts (the total sum of all weekly payouts equals 50% of the dues collected that week) will be as follows: Total League Points (TLP) for the winner of each group for that week will be compared. The two or three people with the highest TLP will share the prize pot for that week. If there are two groups in the league, then the weekly prize pot is split as follows: 75% goes to the group winner that has the highest TLP and the rest goes to the other group winner. If both people have the same TLP then those winners will play a tiebreaker game (discussed later in this document) to determine the top winner. If the league has three or more groups, then the weekly prize pot is split up in the following fashion: the group winner with the highest TLP will get 65%, the group winner with the second highest TLP gets 25%, and the group winner with the third highest TLP scorer gets 10%. Any ties that occur among these three players will be broken by a tiebreaker game (to be discussed later in this document) to determine who comes in first, second, and third.

Note on Weekly Payouts and Absent Players: An absent player forfeits any cash prize that he or she might have won in a given week even though his/her TLP is one of the top two for the week. In this case, then the person in the group from which the absent player was supposed to play who has the next highest TLP will be declared the winner of the group that week for payout purposes.

C. Games

League members will pay for the games played on league nights. When replays are awarded during league games, the replays are considered the “community property” of the league. The next group to play on that machine can use the credit. It is up to the players in the group to decide who gets the credit, or if it can be split between two players by each of them putting in one coin. The winner of the replay does have the first right to use the replay when possible. For example, if a group is playing two games on a particular machine and a player gets a replay on the first game, the player gets to use that credit on the second game.

V. Game Rules

A. Order of Play

For the first game of the night, the highest ranked player in each group goes last, the 2^nd highest ranked player goes next to last (or first in a two player group), the 3^rd highest ranked player goes first (or second if in a four player group), and in a four player group, the lowest ranked player would go first. For each subsequent game that night, the order in which position is chosen is based on the order of finish of the previous game. The winner of the previous game goes last; the 2^nd place player goes next to last, etc.

If a player inadvertently starts a one-player game (say because the start button was pressed only once if the required amount of credits were in the machine or if there weren’t enough credits in the game to begin with), then if any of the other players catch this mistake before ball 1 of the first player is over, they can put in their credits (or press start the required number of times), as the case may be, to bring up the proper number of players in the game without penalty to the player who made the error. However, if nobody catches the error before the first player begins ball 2 (meaning the other players haven’t played their ball 1 yet), then the offending player shall abort the current game as soon as the mistake is caught and a new game begun with the proper number of players.

B. Extra Balls

A player may play one and only one extra ball per game. Any other extra balls that are earned must be drained. The player can, however, try for the skill shot. If the skill shot requires a flipper shot, this CANNOT be attempted (for example, the Super Skill Shot in Attack From Mars); however you may lane change before the ball gets through the rollovers in games that use them for their skill shot (e.g. AFM), then you must let go of the flipper buttons. It is up to the players in a group to keep track of whether a player has played their extra ball.

C. Malfunctions

If a serious malfunction occurs, the player affected by the malfunction has the right to replay the game, alone, after the other players finish. The player must decide immediately after the ball during which the malfunction occurred. If the player allows the game to continue, the assumption is that the player is going to use the current game and not play a makeup. It is up to the player to make sure this decision is made before allowing the game to continue. If the player decides to replay the game, the score for this make-up game is used as if it were played with the other players, whether or not it is higher then the player’s score on the original game.

Examples of serious malfunctions:

· Player is forced to tilt the ball away to dislodge a stuck ball

· A turn ends prematurely (bonus count starts with ball in play). This includes the situation where a machine kicks out two balls to start and the turn ends after the first ball drains.

· A lit kickback fails to kick the ball into play. (Note: In Theater of Magic, the Hocus-Pocus magnets are not designed to be 100% effective and thus their failure is not considered a major malfunction. The ball-save in Tales of the Arabian Nights is a similar example).

Examples of minor malfunctions:

· Player tilts a ball that is stuck without waiting for ball searches

· A multiball round ends prematurely but current ball continues

· A ball goes airborne and down the drain

· A switch fails to register but doesn't result in loss of turn

· A lit kickback fails to work during multiball but doesn't end turn

If a malfunction is serious enough to prevent all players from continuing the game, the entire game is replayed, possibly on another machine. If a malfunction gives significant advantage to any one player, and there is no way to avoid it, everyone replays their game (possibly on a new machine) and takes the new result. If it is discovered and can be avoided, and players do not take advantage of it, play can continue.

If a problem is encountered in a game, and no mention is made during a match, no retroactive changes are made. If a problem is noticed but it is decided to play anyway, it is considered part of the game.

D. Death Saves and Bang-Backs

Neither death saves nor bang-backs are allowed in League play. If a ball bounces back on its own, no penalties are invoked. If a death save or bang-back is performed, that player's score is set to zero.

E. Tilts

If a player tilts away the ball of another player, the offending player must buy a credit to be used by the offended player to buy-in the extra ball at the end of the game, if possible. If no buy-in is possible, the offended player has the option of taking the game as-is or replaying the entire game (with the offending player paying for the replayed game), taking the higher of the two games.

If a player tilts another player’s ball a second time on a particular night, the offending player automatically gets a score of zero points for that second game. The offended player has the same options as above.

F. Slam Tilts

Slam tilts fall into three categories: intentional, accidental and malfunction. The slam tilt is considered a malfunction only if the coin door is loose, or some other problem with the machine makes it prone to slamming under normal shaking/nudging conditions.

Intentional slam tilts are caused by players hitting the coin door, attempting bang-backs, or hard shoving of the machine after a drain. If it is clear that the ball had already drained and the shove served no useful play purpose, the slam tilt is considered intentional. If the slam occurred during a legitimate save attempt, it is considered accidental. Whether intentional or accidental, the slamming player receives a score of zero for the game. Scores for the other players are noted, if possible. The match is then replayed without the slamming player. If the slam was deemed a malfunction, then all players who have finished their game will have their scores recorded, if possible. The player whose game the slam occurred on will replay the game and if it is not possible to record the scores of the other players in the match, then they will also replay the game and each player (including the player in which the malfunction occurred) will keep the scores obtained on that game.

An intentional slam tilt is considered unsportmanlike conduct and repeated offenses are grounds for the player’s expulsion from the league at the Commissioner’s discretion.

VI. Game Scoring

A. League Points

All league standings are based not on actual game scores, but on league points. League points are awarded based on 1^st, 2^nd 3^rd and 4^th place in individual games, with additional league points awarded based on actual scores as follows:

B. Three Player Games

In a three-player game (which will likely comprise the majority of league games), league points are awarded as follows:

1^st Place: 3 points

2^nd Place: 2 points

3^rd Place: 0 points

One additional point is awarded either to the 1^st place player or the 3^rd place player. If the 1^st place player scores more than the 2^nd and 3^rd place players combined, the 1^st place player gets the extra point. Otherwise, the 3^rd place player gets the point. Thus, in a 3-player game, the points awarded are either 4-2-0 or 3-2-1.

The idea here is that a player is rewarded for a decisive win or for keeping it close.

Special Sweep Bonus Points: If a player gets at least 3 points on each game in a match (for a minimum of 15 points), then that player will also get an extra 5 bonus points, termed Sweep Bonus Points, for doing so well in the match, added to his or her point total.

C. Four Player Games

In a four-player game the points are awarded like this:

1^st Place: 3 points

2^nd Place: 2 points

3^rd Place: 1 point

4^th Place: 0 points

Two additional points are awarded in four player games. One point goes to either 1^st place or 3^rd place and the other point goes to either 2^nd place or 4^th place. As in the three player game, the 1^st place player gets the extra point for beating 2^nd and 3^rd combined, otherwise the 3^rd place player gets the point. The 2^nd place player gets the point for beating 3^rd and 4^th place combined, otherwise the 4^th place player gets it.

Special Sweep Bonus Points: If one player in the match has a point total greater than the sum of the other three players combined, then that player will get an extra 5 bonus points, termed Sweep Bonus Points, added to his or her point total.

D. Two Player Games

In a two-player game, the points are awarded like this:

1^st Place: 3 points

2^nd Place: 2 points if the score in the game is more than half of the 1^st place player's score otherwise 1 point

One additional bonus point is awarded to the 1^st place player for at least tripling the score of the 2^nd place player; otherwise, the 2^nd place player gets the point.

Special Sweep Bonus Points: If one player in the match has at least triple the score of the other player in each game (meaning the first place player would have a total of 15 regular + 5 bonus points = 20 points and the second place player would have 5 points), then the first place player shall receive 5 bonus points added to his or her point total, termed Sweep Bonus Points.

E. Normalized Scores

Normalizing scores are a way of comparing scores obtained by players on different machines. Each game used in the league will have a normalizing score associated with it. To calculate a player’s normalized score on a given machine, you have to divide the player’s score on the game in question by the normalizer. For example, a score of 1 Billion in Attack from Mars could be equal to a normalized score of 1 Million points and a player who scored 3 Billion would have as a normalized score: 3B/1B = 3.0 Million; a score of 50 Million on The Addam’s Family could be equal to a normalized score of 1 Million points and a player whose TAF score is 75 Million has a normalized score of 75M/50M = 1.5 Million. Every player in the league will have a Total Normalized Score (TNS) (the sum of all the normalized scores on the games played that night) each week and an Average Normalized Score (ANS) (the average of all weekly TNS’s since the beginning of the season). The ANS is used to break any ties in the weekly standings during the season.

F. Ties

After the conclusion of the match and the points are tallied up for each player (before any Sweep Bonus Points or Match Bonus Points are awarded), two or more players (Players A and B (two player matches) and/or C (three player matches) and/or D (four player matches)) may be tied for total points. Any ties are resolved in the following manner.

For cases where two players are tied, the tied players will play against each other in one tiebreaker game. The winner of the tiebreaker game will be declared the winner of the tie (or of the match if it is a two player match).

When three or four players are tied, then the tied players will play one three- or four-player tiebreaker game. The winner of the game will be declared the winner of the tie. The other players will be ranked according to their scores in the game: the second highest score gets the next highest rank, the third highest score gets the third highest rank, and the fourth highest score (for four player matches) gets the lowest ranking.

The tiebreaker game will be determined as follows.

If 5 pins are operational (meaning the game is working with no problems that would prevent the game from being played), then one of the games used in the match will be played again with the choice of the game going to the player among the tied players who had the highest score in the 5^th game played in the match. So if Players A, B, and C are tied in a 4 player match and of these three players, Player C had the highest score in game 5, then he or she gets to choose the tiebreaker game. If the highest scoring player doesn't want to make a choice, then the next highest scorer makes the choice. If no player wants to make the choice, then the League Commissioner will pick the tiebreaker game.

If 6 pins are operational, then the game that wasn't played in the match will be used as the tiebreaker game.

If more than 6 pins are operational, then one of the operational games not used in the match will be played with the choice of the game going to the player among the tied players who had the highest score in the 5^th game played in the match. So if Players A, B, and C are tied in a 4 player match and of these three players, Player C had the highest score in game 5, then he or she gets to choose the tiebreaker game. If the highest scoring player doesn't want to make a choice, then the next highest scorer makes the choice. If no player wants to make the choice, then the League Commissioner will pick the tiebreaker game.

There may also be multiple players tied for the first place or second place (and/or third place if enough people are in the league) weekly prize money. If two or more players have the same point total for first or second (and/or third) place for the night then the tiebreaker game among the tied players is determined in this manner.

If there was a working game that all of the tied players didn't play in their respective groups, then the tiebreaker game will be used on that game. If more than one game exists, then the League Commissioner will pick one of those games at random. If no one game was not played by all the tied players, then if there was a game not used by more than one of the tied players then that game will be used. If more than one such game exists, then the League Commissioner will pick one of them at random to be used. If there are no games in common that two or more players in the tiebreaker match didn't use, then from the games that weren't used among the groups from which the players came the League Commissioner will pick a game at random to be used.

If only 5 games were available that night, then the League Commissioner will pick one of the five games at random. With fewer than 5 games available that night, the League Commissioner will pick a game at random from one of the games that wasn't played twice.

The order of play in the match is in order according to the number of raw points, from lowest to highest, each player obtained in the match. So the player with the lowest number of raw points goes first and the player with the highest number of raw points goes last.

Highest score in the game wins, next highest is second, and so on.

If it turns out that among any players in a match who are using premakeup scores are tied with other players in that match, then the persons who are tied are ranked according to the number of raw points they obtained in the night's match, with the person having the most raw points the winner of the tie, the person with the second-highest raw point total the runner-up, etc. If two or more of the players in question have an equal number of raw points, then they will be ranked based on their current standings in the League with the person higher in the standings being the winner of the tie.

VII. The Regular Season

A. Length

As noted earlier, the regular season will consist of ten league nights, one per week, on Wednesdays. In general, national holidays will be skipped. Other weeks may be skipped based on weather, or other circumstances, at the Commissioner’s discretion. No person may join the current season after the second week of the season has passed.

B. How Many Divisions?

If there are fewer than 8 players competing during a League season, all players will compete in a single division. If there are more than 7 players, then there will be two divisions, an A and a B.

C. Weekly Groupings

For the first week, the league players will be broken up into groups according to the following table:

Number of Players in the league	Number of Players in each Group

<8	TBD at beginning of season
8	G1: 2; G2 and G3: 3 each
9	G1, G2, G3: 3 each
10	G1 and G2: 3 each; G3: 4
11	G1: 3; G2 and G3: 4 each
12	G1, G2, G3, G4: 3 each
13	G1, G2, G3: 3 each; G4: 4
14	G1 and G2: 3 each; G3 and G4: 4 each
15	G1, G2, G3, G4, G5: 3 each
16	G1, G2, G3, G4: 4 each
17	G1, G2, G3: 3 each; G4 and G5: 4 each
18	G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6: 3 each
19	G1 to G5: 3 each; G6: 4
20	G1 to G5: 4 each
21	G1, G2, G3: 3 each; G4, G5, G6: 4 each
22	G1 and G2: 3 each; G3 to G6: 4 each
23	G1: 3; G2 to G6: 4 each
24	G1 to G6: 4 each

The players will be grouped according to their known skill level to the Commissioner. If the Commissioner doesn’t know a player’s skill level, then that player will be asked to estimate his/her skill level and the player will be placed in the appropriate group (skill level scale is from 1 to 10 where 1 is rank novice and 10 is expert). For subsequent weeks, the groupings will be in sets of 3 or 4 people as was done in the first week. Each group will have a “winner” each week based on who has the most league points for the week. The groupings for the week will be determined by swapping the winner in each group with the loser from the group immediately above, with the exception, of course, of the winner in the top group. For example, in week 1, players A, B, and C comprise group 1 and players D, E, and F make up group 2. Suppose the order of finish for these groups is B, C, A and F, D, E. For week two, the groupings would be B, C, F and A, D, and the winner from group 3. Player E would move down to group 3.

D. Missing a week

If a player misses a week of play, and does not have pre-makeup scores available, their group position for the next week remains unchanged. This removes the potential for a player to miss a week, move down a group, and have the opportunity to play against weaker players. For example, in a typical three-player group, if one player is missing, the winner of the two present players moves up and the loser moves down. For players using their premakeup scores, the following week’s grouping for that player is as follows: If a player is the winner of his or her group in a given week, that person will move up a group (or stay in Group 1 if the player is already in that group) otherwise the player’s group placement will remain unchanged.

E. Special rules for 4-player groups

As noted above, the lowest groups may be 4-player groups. Swapping only one player, particularly in the bottom group where only one player changes each week, causes the lower groups to be more stagnant than the others. To alleviate this, 4-player groups will swap two players as long as the players moving up scored at least 10 points AND the players moving down scored no more than 10 points. In other words, to move up, you have to score at least 10 points, and you can’t move down if you score more than 10 points.

F. Game Selection

Each week, there will be a certain number of working pins, P. If P < 5 then all groups will play one or more games twice so that the total number of games played that week is 5. If P > 5 (which should normally be the case) then all groups will choose 5 of the P games to be used that week. Everybody in each group will get to choose the game(s) he or she doesn’t want to play or wants to play twice, as the case may be. The lowest player in each group chooses first, then the next lowest chooses next, and so on. If 2 or more people in a group choose a game, then that game will not be used that week (or played twice if P < 5). If a game isn’t chosen by at least two people in a group (for three and four player groups), then the games chosen by the lowest (P-5) ranked players will not be used that week (or the lowest (5-P) players have their chosen games used twice if P < 5).

G. Qualifying for A and B divisions

All league players have the opportunity of playing against every other league player during the first 5 weeks of the season. The Total League Points (TLP) for each player is noted at the end of the 5^th week of the season. For a league that has an even number of players, n, (No-Shows and other dropouts are not counted in the number of players on Week 5) the top n/2 scores at the end of the 5^th week of the season will be in the A Division for the rest of the season and the other half of the league players will be in the B Division. If the league has an odd number of players, then the top (n-1)/2 scores will make it to the A Division with the rest of the league going to the B Division. Any ties in TLP between league players will be broken by: Average Normalized Score (ANS) up to and including the 5^th week of the season (higher ANS wins the tie), then the player’s total amount of Raw Points earned up to and including the 5^th week of the season to break any further ties.

H. Groupings and League Play After the 5^th Week of the Season

Once players are in their respective Divisions on the sixth week, they will be playing players within their OWN Division only for the remainder of the season. There will be at least two groups in each Division (for example, two groups of two players each for an eight person League). This is to prevent, say, a mid-ranked A Division player from having an advantage over B Division players should he/she were to be in a group with two mid-ranked B Division players.

I. Notes on Groupings

The idea behind grouping the players according to this scheme is so that players tend to play against other players of similar ability. When a player has a good week, they move up a group, and thus, in theory, play against slightly better players the next week. Likewise, after a poor week, the player moves down a group and plays worse players.

By stratifying the divisions as explained, players of similar ability will be competing with each other for the playoff spots. Thus, while the initial weekly groupings may seem to favor the strong players, they are really designed to help everyone.

VIII. Match Bonus Points

A. Overview

The method for awarding league points coupled with the grouping system can lead to certain anomalies in the overall fairness of the system. In particular, there are times when it would seem advantageous for a player not to do well on purpose to avoid moving up in the groupings. Often, a player will only win their match by one or two points, and then have to play in a much tougher group the next week. Thus, the reward for winning the weekly match (the mere one or two points more than the 2^nd place player in group) was not sufficient to compensate for having to move up in the groups.

To compensate for this, we also award bonus points for winning your match.

B. Points

When awarding match bonus points, a match will be treated like a game. For example, in a three-player match, the winner of the match (not counting any Sweep Bonus Points) will receive 3 bonus points. The 2^nd place player will receive 2 points and the loser, zero points. A bonus point will also be awarded as in a 3-player game. If the winner of the match scores more than the 2^nd and 3^rd place player combined, the winner gets a bonus point. Otherwise, the 3^rd place player gets it. Typically, the winner does not score more then the other two players combined. So, usually, in a three-player match, the bonus points will be 3-2-1.

Match Bonus Points will be used starting in Week 2 of the league.

A four-player match is scored like a 4-player game. However, if the winner of the match scores more than the other three players combined, then another bonus point is awarded to the winner of the match.

A two player match is scored as follows: If the winner of the match has a point total greater than triple the losing player (not counting Sweep Bonus Points), then the winner shall get 4 Match Bonus Points and the loser one Match Bonus Point otherwise the winner receives 3 Match Bonus Points and the loser 2 Match Bonus Points.

C. Ties

Sometimes there will be situations where the first place player (in a three player match) and/or the second place player (for a four player match) will have a point total that is equal to the sum of the point total of the 2^nd and 3^rd place players (three player matches) and/or the 3^rd and 4^th place players (four player matches). For purposes of this discussion, we'll assume that a three or four player match with Players A, B, C, and/or D has been completed. Player A came in 1^st, Player B came in 2^nd, Player C came in 3^rd, and Player D came in 4^th (for a four player match). These ties will be broken in the following manner:

For three player matches, all players will play a tiebreaker game. The scores are compared at the end of the game and if Player A's score in the game is more than the sum of the scores of Players B and C, then Player A gets the extra 1 point (Player A 4 Match Bonus Points, Player B 2 Match Bonus Points, and Player C 0 Match Bonus Points), otherwise Player C gets the extra point (Player A 3 Match Bonus Points, Player B 2 Match Bonus Points, and Player C 1 Match Bonus Point).

For four player matches, Players A, B, and C or B, C, and D will play a tiebreaker game and the scores compared as if the three players playing were in a three player match. If it turns out that both sets of players have to play a tiebreaker game (which would be the case if Player A got 15, Player B got 10, Player C got 5, and Player D got 5 points, for example; note that in this case Players C and D have to play a tiebreaker game first to determine who comes in third place for the match; this game MUST be played before the tiebreaker games for the Match Bonus Points are played), then the group containing player A will play their game first. Yes, this means that Players C and D, in this case, would have to play a total of three tiebreaker games to determine the final TLP for all four players in their match that week.

The tiebreaker game is determined in the following manner:

If 5 pins are operational (meaning the game is working with no problems that would prevent the game from being played), then one of the games used in the match will be played again with the choice of the game going to the player with the lowest point total in the match. If this player doesn't want to make a choice, then the second place player makes the choice. If the second place player doesn't want to choose the game then the first place player chooses the game. If no player wants to make the choice, then the League Commissioner will pick the tiebreaker game.

If 6 pins are operational, then the game that wasn't played in the match will be used as the tiebreaker game.

If more than 6 pins are operational, then one of the operational games not used in the match will be played with the choice of the game going to the last place player in the match. If this player doesn't want to make a choice, then the second place player makes the choice. If the second place player doesn't want to choose the game then the first place player chooses the game. If no player wants to make the choice, then the League Commissioner will pick the tiebreaker game.

IX. The Playoff Round(s)

A. Qualifying

After the regular season is complete, each player will have a total number of league points accumulated for the ten weeks. This will be the total of regular points plus bonus points. Depending on the total number of players in the league, anywhere from 2 to 6 players in each division will advance to the playoffs. The playoffs will then determine the A and B division champions.

B. Lateness / Absence

Play will begin promptly at 7:30 PM. Players who qualify for the playoffs will be given a 10-minute grace period. After the grace period, if the player is not in attendance, the first runner up for that division’s playoffs will automatically advance to the playoffs.

If a player notifies the Commissioner in advance that he or she will be unable to attend playoff night, every attempt will be made to reschedule the playoff tournament, if possible. If it is not possible, based on other players’ schedules, etc., then the playoffs will go ahead as planned using the runner-up player as the alternate.

C. Format

For all round(s):

1) The players will start in reverse order (in Round 1 only) in which they came in after week 10 of the season (i.e., the person who came in first goes last when the first game is played).

2) All games that were used in the league will be played in the playoff round(s). If a game(s) should be out of commission or breaks down during the round, then another game(s) that has been used or that will be used in the round so as to keep the number of games played the same. So if 7 games were used in the league, then 7 games will be used in the playoff round(s) and if one of those 7 games is out of order on playoff night, then one game will have to be played twice to keep the number of games played at 7. The Commissioner will pick the first game to be played at random and the last place player for the previous game picks the next game to play. If a second round is played (the finals), then the players in that round play their first game in reverse order of how they placed in the semifinals (1^st round). The Commissioner will pick the starting game for the finals as well.

3) The games are played and scored otherwise as if it were a non-playoff game, except that Match Bonus Points and Sweep Bonus Points are not given out.

4) The following table details how many players will make it to the first playoff round (the Finals for a one round playoff) based on how many players are still in the league at the end of Week 5 of the season and if there is a second week of playoffs (which would be the Finals while the first round would then be the Semifinals).

Number of Players in the league at the end of Week 5	Number of Players in each Playoff Round Round 1 Div A Round 2 Div A Round 1 Div B Round 2 Div B
<8	No Playoffs. The 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and maybe 4^th place persons after Week 10 is complete will be declared the winners of the league for the season.
8	One Round: The top 2 players compete head to head for 1^st and 2^nd place winners of the Division.		One Round: The top 2 players compete head to head for 1^st and 2^nd place winners of the Division.
9	One Round: The top 2 players compete head to head for 1^st and 2^nd place winners of the Division.		One Round: The top 3 players compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.
10-14	One Round: The top 3 players compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.		One Round: The top 3 players compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.
15	One Round: The top 3 players compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.		Semifinals: The top 4 players play and the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place players in this Round play in the finals.	Finals: The players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.
16	Semifinals: The top 4 players play and the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place players in this Round play in the finals.	Finals: The players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.	Semifinals: The top 4 players play and the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place players in this Round play in the finals.	Finals: The players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.
17	Semifinals: The top 4 players play and the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place players in this Round play in the finals.	Finals: The players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.	Semifinals: The top 5 players play as follows: 2 groups are formed: 5 vs. 1 and 4 vs. 3&2. The winner of 5 vs. 1 and the 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 4 vs. 3&2 go on to the finals.	Finals: The 3 players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.
18-20	Semifinals: The top 5 players play as follows: 2 groups are formed: 1 vs. 5 and 3 vs. 2&4. The winner of 1 vs. 5 and the 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 3 vs. 2&4 go on to the finals.	Finals: The 3 players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division.	Semifinals: The top 5 players play as follows: 2 groups are formed: 5 vs. 1 and 4 vs. 3&2. The winner of 5 vs. 1 and the 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 4 vs. 3&2 go on to the finals.	Finals: The 3 players from the Semis compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division. The starting order is deter-mined by each player’s TLP from the Semis with the top TLP going last.
21-22	Semifinals: The top 5 players play as follows: 2 groups are formed: 5 vs. 1 & 4 vs. 3&2. The winner of 5 vs. 1 and the 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 4 vs. 3&2 go on to the finals.	Finals: The 3 players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners of the Division. The starting order is determined by the TLP of each player from the Semis with the highest TLP going last.	Semifinals: The top 6 players play as follows: 2 groups are formed: 6 vs. 5&1 and 4 vs. 3&2. The 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 6 vs. 5&1 and the 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 4 vs. 3&2 go on to the finals.	Finals: The 4 players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th place winners of the Division. The starting order is deter-mined by the TLP of each player from the Semis with the highest TLP going last.
23-24	Semifinals: The top 6 players play as follows: 2 groups are formed: 6 vs. 5&1 and 4 vs. 3&2. The 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 6 vs. 5&1 and the 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 4 vs. 3&2 go on to the finals.	Finals: The 4 players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th place winners of the Division. The starting order is deter-mined by the TLP of each player from the Semis with the highest TLP going last.	Semifinals: The top 6 players play as follows: 2 groups are formed: 6 vs. 5&1 and 4 vs. 3&2. The 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 6 vs. 5&1 and the 1^st and 2^nd place winners of 4 vs. 3&2 go on to the finals.	Finals: The 4 players from the Semifinals compete for 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th place winners of the Division. The starting order is deter-mined by the TLP of each player from the Semis with the highest TLP going last.

D. Miscellaneous

The playoff round(s) will be likely take longer than a typical league night. Plan on staying as long as it takes!

X. Acknowledgments

Thanks to A.J. Fried and ultimately the founders of the Free State Pinball Association (FSPA) and the Triangle Pinball League (TPL) for providing the basis for most of the rules on which this league is based. Also a thanks is given to various league members whose input was valuable in shaping this revised rulesheet.

XI. Further Information

For any further information, contact Koi Morris, kmorristaftzww@mindspring.com (home-email address) or morrisk@wyeth.com (work e-mail address). You may also call me at 732-274-4091 (Work #).

XII. Document History

3 Jan 1999 The revision of this document from A.J.’s GSPA League rules was completed.

25 Aug 1999 Revisions were made to Sections II F, VII, VIII, and IX D.

22 Jan 2000 Revisions were made to Sections III C, and VIII D.

06 Feb 2000 Revised Section V A.

13 Aug 2000 Revised Section VII D.

28 Feb 2001 Major revisions to this document were made.

06 Feb 2002 Revised Section III A, B, and C.

31 Jul 2002 Revised Sections II A, C, D, E, F, and G; Sections III B and C; Section VI D; Sections VIII B and D; Sections IX B and C

1 Aug 2002 Moved Normalized Score Section (formerly Section VIII C) to VI E and added a new Section VI F (Ties) to this rulesheet

28 January 2003 Revised Sections IV B and VII G

29 March 2003 Revised Sections III D and VI F