The Hidden World of Pinball Rulesets
Do You Want To Know a Secret?
The Hidden World of Pinball Rules
King Kong is a great game and it’s pretty likely that 50% of the people who put quarters in it won’t understand how great it is while they’re playing it. Yeah, it’s cuz they suck at pinball, sure. But this isn’t a skill issue – at it's base, it’s about learning. Or specifically, the type of learning that has to happen to really understand a pinball machine. I’m not totally against it, but a lot of times pinball rules are 95% unsaid and 5% on the rule card. As skill sets deepen and player skill goes up in the aggregate, how we learn about this stuff reflects back on how pinball culture in general works. It’s slapdash and very fuckin’ grass roots. This shit rolls out like folk lore. So like mothman, UAPs, or your mom’s chili recipe, the only people who find it are the ones who go looking for it.
Aprons are basically for wiping your drool
Ah yes, the apron rule card. They’re not super helpful. It might tell you how to start a mode, but not what the mood does once you’re in it. I guess if you’re reading this and aren’t familiar with the term, think of a mode like a level in a video game. Usually they’re timed, and try to tell a story with what is going on the playfield, oh and they score a lot of points, especially when paired with multiballs. That’s not the only thing going on in a game. Let’s take King Kong for example; on top of modes, there are also bi-planes, kong caves, treasure hunts, NYC crash out stuff, climbing the (not) empire state building, spider-mullet-multis, and island locks to modify modes into 2 ball multiballs, PLUS mini wizard modes like the one where you’re beating the absolute shit outta a couple of seemingly nice dinosaurs. PHEW.
That’s a lot of stuff to remember! Even entry level stuff is intense. To light a Kong multiball on the Pro version, you have to nail all the drop targets, twice, then hit the middle ramp three times, then hit the Kong banana guy shot. That’s a lot to remember And most of this stuff - and what makes King Kong awesome - isn’t even mentioned on the rule card.
Learning the basics isn’t standard across Manufacturers
Renowned Stern programming lead, Tanio Klyce, after being told to stand still for Nudge Magazine
Learning about pinball rule sets is a funny thing. Every manufacturer sorta does it different. Jersey Jack games ship with literal flow charts for reference. Stern and Spooky have great explainer videos on their Youtube channels. American Pinball, uh, sends you an envelope full of half cooked onions and calls it a day.
For me, most of the learning just comes from getting into the dojo. Going to the arcade or bar by myself and tryna just get as deep into the game as I can. It can be frustrating, but honestly, the overwhelming feeling is having a gd blast. The feeling of discovery. Like, I’m figuring out the ways this game is supposed to be played. Hey! It’s how I like to spend my free time!
To be clear: Mostly that also aligns with getting a lot of points, but not always! For me, exploring the code is more important than the points I’m getting. The good news is that they usually go hand in hand.
We Evolve as the code does
Star Wars Fall of the Empire has been a great launch. Sure, everyone has a problem with it. It’s a fan layout. It’s an IP we’ve seen before. Well here’s one thing they ain’t talkin’ shit about: the code. That’s because it’s deep. It’s fun. Jabba, Falcon, Vader, character modes + the super character modes, plus three different multiballs that I can think of off the top of my head (on a pro), plus the Vader/Luke mini wizard.
But it didn’t start with all that stuff. And I didn’t start with the ability to get to all that stuff either. As the code has updated, so have I. These days it’s pretty easy for me to get several extra balls because I know how to do it and I’m able to visualize success. I see my run, I do my run, I reap the results. It’s the most therapeutic feeling in solo pinball. Nailing the execution, sucking down a diet coke, and then quietly muttering to the bartender that you got the GC again.
And they’re like big fucking deal, you already had it.
And you’re like yeah, haha, isn’t that funny.
The Secret Club
But then there are the games where you need a little help. And you wander down to your local water hole, sauntering in like Han Solo, but if Han Solo was also a total virgin. And you ask a bartender the scuttlebutt on how to do stuff on Harry Potter. Maybe you slip them an extra couple bucks on the Diet Coke refill.
I hear it’s all about skill shots and multiballs, they say. You can pick your skill shot with the action button.
Oh word, your incredulous reply. This will change everything, you deviously think to yourself.
The Fabric of the Universe That Ties Pinball Together
And that’s sorta how it goes. Maybe you find out what the fuck is going on with Quidditch from a buddy online. Maybe you watch your biggest pinball rival light up the Explore Hogwarts multi and learn about roving jackpots. Ad infinitum.
That’s why I’m saying that maybe this IS the best way to learn pinball. Through osmosis. These rules and strategies sort of make their way in waves through the very fabric of pinball. That fabric is knitted together in the moments when we learn from each other, when we make fun of each other, when we laugh at another house ball. .
I truly can’t think of another gaming community that works this way. Video Games have explainer vids, board game people know the entire ruleset before they play, sports are sports — it’s only pinball where we find the secret society, the gnostic pinball believers, silently waiting for the next code update that will finally set them free.
