# Episode 106 - Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown Report and Feedback

**Source:** For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2015-06-25  
**Duration:** 7m 10s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://foramusementonly.libsyn.com/episode-106-rocky-mountain-pinball-showdown-report-with-phil-bogema

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## Analysis

Nick Baldridge hosts Episode 106 of For Amusement Only, featuring feedback from Phil Bogoma about his experience at Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown, including impressions of the new Wo Nelly game and designer presentations by Greg Freras and Dennis Norman. The episode also includes technical discussion with VicCamp about replay mechanics on a 1947 Exhibit Treasure Chest machine, exploring how scoring systems worked in early pinball.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Wo Nelly game was playable at Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown and could theoretically retrofit a chime box — _Nick Baldridge reporting feedback from Phil Bogoma about RMPS attendance_
- [HIGH] Greg Freras and Dennis Norman designed Wo Nelly and gave a presentation at RMPS — _Phil Bogoma's report to Nick Baldridge about RMPS speakers_
- [MEDIUM] Sweet Shiny (or Shawnee Mutascope) slots were advancing odds slot machines that functioned similarly to bingo machines — _Phil Bogoma's slot machine knowledge from Maryland collections in the 1970s_
- [MEDIUM] Bally Continental is an oddball machine with a bingo-style game built into a slot machine format — _Phil Bogoma describing his personal collection_
- [MEDIUM] Exhibit Treasure Chest (1947) likely awarded up to 30 replays through cumulative completion of hidden operator-set goals rather than a single mechanism — _Nick Baldridge's technical analysis in response to VicCamp's IPDB observation_

### Notable Quotes

> "I encouraged him to hole out a bingo next year and I think that would be a really good thing for that show as well as any show."
> — **Nick Baldridge**, early in episode
> _Suggests advocacy for bringing authentic bingo machines to mainstream pinball shows for community education_

> "he said there were lines at most of the games and especially this one"
> — **Nick Baldridge, reporting Phil Bogoma**, mid-episode
> _Indicates Wo Nelly generated significant player interest and long wait times at RMPS_

> "I know what it is that I encouraging you to do and I know that it a whole heck of a lot of work to haul one of those things out but I think it would be very good for people to be able to experience these machines"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, mid-episode
> _Reflects commitment to accessibility and education in EM/bingo pinball community despite logistical challenges_

> "Vic you got eagle eyes my man I noticed that as well but went with the info on the billboard ad"
> — **Nick Baldridge**, second half
> _Demonstrates collaborative technical deep-dive between host and community on IPDB accuracy_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Nick Baldridge | person | Host of For Amusement Only EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast; expert in electromechanical pinball and bingo machines; creator of Multi-Bingo homebrew machine |
| Phil Bogoma | person | Pinball enthusiast who attended Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown; slot machine collector; provided feedback on Wo Nelly and early slot machine mechanics |
| Greg Freras | person | Designer of Wo Nelly game; presented at Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown |
| Dennis Norman | person | Designer of Wo Nelly game; presented at Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown |
| VicCamp | person | Community member who provided technical feedback on Episode 104 regarding Exhibit Treasure Chest replay mechanics |
| Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown | event | Annual pinball festival and tournament in Denver/Colorado area; featured Wo Nelly and designer presentations; venue for RMPS attendee feedback |
| Wo Nelly | game | New game playable at Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown; designed by Greg Freras and Dennis Norman; generated high interest with long player lines |
| Exhibit Treasure Chest | game | 1947 pinball machine; subject of technical discussion about replay award mechanics and scoring systems |
| Bally Continental | game | Slot machine with integrated bingo-style game mechanics; owned by Phil Bogoma for approximately 20 years |
| For Amusement Only | organization | EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast hosted by Nick Baldridge; focuses on classic electromechanical and bingo pinball community |
| Bally Playboy | game | 1978 pinball machine found and played by Phil Bogoma at Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown attendance and experience, Wo Nelly game reception and design, EM and bingo pinball community engagement at mainstream shows
- **Secondary:** Slot machine mechanics and historical crossover with bingo machines, Early pinball replay award and scoring system mechanics, IPDB accuracy and community technical collaboration
- **Mentioned:** Personal slot machine and pinball collection experiences

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.78) — Nick Baldridge expresses appreciation for community feedback and RMPS attendance; enthusiasm for Wo Nelly and ongoing technical discussions; some frustration with transcription errors in source material makes assessment uncertain

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Phil Bogoma attended Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown and reported back to podcast host with detailed observations (confidence: high) — Direct feedback from RMPS attendee about new game releases, designer presentations, and player interest
- **[product_launch]** Wo Nelly game was publicly playable at RMPS; generated significant player interest with long queues (confidence: high) — Phil Bogoma played Wo Nelly and reported lines at the machine, designers present for presentations
- **[community_signal]** Strong technical collaboration between podcast host and community members on historical pinball mechanics and IPDB documentation (confidence: high) — VicCamp identified IPDB discrepancy on Treasure Chest replay counter; Nick Baldridge provided detailed technical explanation
- **[historical_signal]** Deep technical analysis of 1947 Exhibit Treasure Chest replay award system reveals early pinball design constraints and operator customization (confidence: medium) — Technical breakdown of goal completion mechanics, mechanical limits, and replay counter design
- **[content_signal]** For Amusement Only podcast actively solicits and features community feedback through multiple channels (email, pin site threads) (confidence: high) — Phil Bogoma emailed report; VicCamp provided technical feedback on prior episode
- **[industry_signal]** Game designers (Freras, Norman) presenting at major shows and engaging with community at events (confidence: high) — Greg Freras and Dennis Norman gave presentations at Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown
- **[collector_signal]** Community members finding and playing rare machines like Bally Playboy at public events (confidence: high) — Phil Bogoma located and played 1978 Bally Playboy at RMPS
- **[historical_signal]** Historical documentation of slot machine and bingo machine mechanical similarities and crossover features (confidence: medium) — Discussion of Sweet Shiny advancing odds slots and Bally Continental bingo-hybrid mechanics from 1970s Maryland collections

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## Transcript

 What's that sound? It's 4 Amusement Only, the EM and Bingo Pinball Podcast. Welcome back to 4 Amusement Only. This is Nicholas Baldridge. I heard back from Phil Bogoma several days ago actually on the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown. geschtôi wszystk tastung Practice parringgebiet� I got to play the new Wo Nelly game and it was pretty interesting. I asked him what he thought of Wo Nelly and let him know that you could actually retrofit a chimebox into there if you wanted. And I encouraged him to hole out a bingo next year and I think that would be a really good thing for that show as well as any show. and he was only able to play a couple of games He said there were lines at most of the games and especially this one He said that the guys who designed it were there referring to Greg Freras and Dennis Nordman and he caught part of their presentation though he did miss the first part and he did in fact find a Bally Playboy from 1978 so all in all a decent morning slash afternoon so a few days uh after that he let me know that he had heard the segment on slot machines and if you listen to the interview with phil uh... you heard that he had a couple slots and he had mentioned that uh... there were a ton of kini sweet shawnee mutascope slots around Maryland in the seventies that's very interesting game he says the sweet shiny slots were advancing odds slot machines so they worked in a similar fashion bingos in that you put in money in you uh... got a chance for increased odds on the slots he also mentions that uh... he has a bally continental which is that oddball machine which i mentioned uh... that has an actual uh... bingo style game in the slot machine and uh... he says the mechanisms are pretty similar to a bingo and he says when he bought the slot he was warned about repairing it he told the seller that he worked on bingos and the seller basically said oh no big deal then He says he's had the slot almost 20 years and never uses it. It's nothing like the pins. So, a couple of thoughts come to mind. The first is that the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown looks like a fun show and it's got some interesting speakers. And hopefully Phil you do get to try the Scorgasm Master maybe next year I do think it would be right up your alley and you might have a good time with it And Phil I do encourage you to bring a bingo next year I know what it is that I encouraging you to do and I know that it a whole heck of a lot of work to haul one of those things out but I think it would be very good for people to be able to experience these machines Because competition is important through the game factor and it's午 playtown, hot衣toning I karışankule abundance procedure Jordan Kukreour of a Thank you Phil for coming on the podcast in email form and thank you for making it out to Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown and giving me a report. So I got some feedback today from VicCamp on episode 104 which is on 1947's exhibit Treasure Chest. Vic says, Nick this is a cool game for its time period and most likely attracted many players to drop some coin. I did notice on the inside backbox picture on IPDB that the credit unit only reaches 25 replays and I wonder how a player can score up to 30 replays. And I replied this is on the pin side thread for the podcast by the way but I replied and said Vic you got eagle eyes my man I noticed that as well but went with the info on the billboard ad which is also in IPDB I don see an adjustment for number of replays awarded on Fathom completion In the cycling The most likely scenario is that the 30 number is comprised of winning all of the goals on the machine in the same round. If you examine the apron, you'll see that you can win anywhere from 1 to 7 replays by completing goals that were hidden by the operator sticker. That adds up to 28, so that's pretty close. Between that and the ad writer and billboard possibly having incorrect information or just rounding for convenience, we get 30. The example on IPDB may have been such a AtomicENNISas design point and set was to be in novelty mode by the operator which would have done away with the replay award altogether. It's set to replay in the picks. It's also likely that the designers realized completing all the goals on the machine to award those replays wasn't possible in 5 balls thus the mechanical limit on the replay counter. 풀inks rundown on the

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 014cdde7-2e63-41f9-9d93-52ef0ad3e01b*