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Kissed by Black Rose…. How to Break Up With a Game :’(

Bash Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·analyzed·Aug 15, 2024
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.025

TL;DR

Don struggles with selling Black Rose; Pinball Helpline offers acceptance and gratitude.

Summary

Don from Bash Pinball calls the Pinball Helpline seeking emotional support about his co-host Matt's decision to sell their shared Black Rose pinball machine. With Ian from Nudge Magazine's help, Don works through feelings of loss and learns to approach the situation with gratitude rather than resistance. The episode blends humor, genuine emotion, and pinball community bonding around the difficulty of letting go of beloved machines.

Key Claims

  • Black Rose is a 1992 Williams pirate-themed pinball game with a physical cannon that shoots at a ship

    high confidence · Hosts explicitly describe the game mechanics and year as factual information for listeners

  • Matt has owned Black Rose for approximately one year (since August of previous year)

    high confidence · Matt states 'I've had this game for a year. So I got Black Rose like August of last year.'

  • Black Rose was Matt's only working game available for sale from his collection

    high confidence · Matt explains: 'Black Rose is the only game that I have that is actually able to be sold because it's working perfectly'

  • Black Rose is in exceptional condition, arguably the nicest example either host has ever seen

    high confidence · Don states: 'I've ever seen one in that good of shape' and 'the cabinet paint isn't super faded'

  • The shedcade is a 20 by 12 foot building with an 11 foot by 4 foot recording console taking up significant space

    high confidence · Matt describes: 'there were four games in there and it's like 20 by 12 building with a huge 11 foot by 4 foot recording console'

  • Matt's game collection includes/included Dracula, Mandalorian, and at least three other machines

    high confidence · Matt references owning 'four games' concurrently and mentions Dracula and Mando by name as earlier acquisitions

  • Ian from Nudge Magazine recently rented and had to return a Shadow pinball machine, experiencing similar emotional difficulty

    high confidence · Ian shares personal anecdote: 'a couple months ago maybe a little longer than that i was lucky enough to get a shadow pinball machine'

  • Nudge Magazine Issue Four just arrived from printers after two delays

    high confidence · Ian states: 'issue four is just finally come from the printers we got delayed twice'

Notable Quotes

  • “Black Rose is the definition of pinball. It's a quirky, original theme. It's fun. It's got all these cool little toys and trinkets and unique things.”

    Don @ Early in episode — Articulates why the game means so much to him; establishes emotional stakes

  • “I didn't like that game until I played yours, and then I realized that I love that game. It's, oh, man, it hurts, dude.”

    Don @ Mid-episode — Shows how Matt's ownership and maintenance of Black Rose changed Don's perspective on the game itself

  • “The move is usually to be you know supportive... if he had a girlfriend that he was going to break up with, you probably try to talk them out of it one way or the other right. The move is usually to be supportive.”

    Ian (Nudge Magazine) @ During helpline call — Central philosophical reframing that helps Don accept the situation

  • “The time that you had with that game was a gift right... just think about how lucky, like, when we deal with feelings like this... You had nothing to do, Don, with Matt buying that game.”

    Ian @ Helpline portion — Key turning point where Ian shifts Don's perspective toward gratitude

  • “If it's not a hell yes, then it's a hell no.”

    Ian (quoting his sister) @ Late in helpline call — Frames the decision-making philosophy that validates Matt's choice to sell

  • “You're not that selfish... you're just like normal amount of selfish. You're not like a bad person.”

    Ian @ Helpline portion — Humorous validation that normalizes Don's feelings while maintaining perspective

  • “I'm going to look at Matt and I'm going to say Matt... I am truly thankful as I'm looking at you in the eyes for the experience and for bringing this game into my life.”

    Don @ Accepting Ian's advice — Don's emotional acceptance and commitment to gratitude

  • “You are a bright and shining example of who we want in this pinball community.”

Entities

DonpersonMattpersonIanpersonBlack RosegameBash Pinball PodcastorganizationNudge MagazineorganizationPinball Helplineorganization

Signals

  • ?

    business_signal: Nudge Magazine Issue 4 recently arrived after two delays in printing; limited reprints of Issue 1 available (30-40 remaining)

    high · Ian states: 'issue four is just finally come from the printers we got delayed twice' and discusses limited reprint availability

  • ?

    collector_signal: Pattern of collectors owning multiple games in limited space, forced to make difficult choices about which machines to keep versus sell for space and cash management

    high · Matt describes having four games in 20x12 building with large recording console; forced to choose which working games to sell

  • ?

    community_signal: Pinball Helpline operated by Nudge Magazine provides emotional counseling and support for community members facing difficult pinball-related decisions

    high · Ian explicitly offers this service and has precedent helping Don previously; demonstrates structured community support infrastructure

  • $

    market_signal: Black Rose represents desirable collector machine in excellent condition; selling locally preferred over shipping due to fragility concerns

    medium · Don emphasizes 'You better not ship that thing, dude' and Matt indicates preference for local sale; exceptional condition noted as rare to find

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Community member (Don) transitions from resistant/grieving about losing access to Black Rose to acceptance and gratitude for the time spent with the game

    high · Don begins angry and dismissive ('I'm double mad at you now'), but after Ian's counsel concludes with genuine gratitude and emotional acceptance

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.067

0:00
I mean, I understand why, but circumstances have conspired to get us to this point and it's a bummer but i you gotta deal with it i thought we were friends i thought you know this was uh well i mean do you remember before this isn't the first time little game called bram stoker's dracula yeah this is adding to the fact that i'm mad at you now i'm double mad at you are you are you holding an additional new grudge because I'm selling Black Rose? It's stacking onto the old grudge. Yeah. Because you're selling Black Rose. That's not fair. You gotta get over stuff. Get over the other one and then... Arr!
1:12
Arr! You can buy it from me. Unfortunately, right now, I'm not in a position to... I mean, you did get a game fairly recently-ish. Yeah, well, I think I may forgive you eventually. So, you know, I've had this game for a year. So I got Black Rose like August of last year. Oh, wow, it's been that long? Yeah. Dude, time is flying. I didn't even realize it. Actually, I think it's the longest I've had any game. Wow. Actually, yeah. Oh, well, I guess you're right because it was here at the shop and then it moved to the house. So there's like almost a little bit of a breakup there as far as where it's been. And that's probably why it seems like it hasn't been around that long. Yeah, yeah, because when I got it, I think I didn't have room in the shed, Cade. So I took it to the workshop, and you guys all had unrestricted access for a while. Yeah. A couple months or something. Yeah, that's true. I mean, I did play it quite a bit. Yeah. When you first got it. Yeah, you're still on the scoreboard, actually. Yeah, yeah. But as it turned out, I think Black Rose was the only game I had. It was the third game that I owned after Dracula and Mando. it was the only game i had for several months and i just played it like every day like an hour or two a day for like months yeah i mean i get it you know and you had you had the keys to the shedcade you do but you don't take advantage of that i don't feel comfortable man yeah you know it's your house like i don't i mean it's it's not actually live in the shedcade it's not attached but like what you know what am i gonna roll up at like 3 a.m and like sneak like turn my light You're asleep at 3 a.m. You would roll up at a normal time and be like, hey, I'm coming to play pinball. I'd be like, okay. Yeah. I mean, it's like 200 feet from my actual house. Yeah. And I also have other businesses on the premises. So people coming in and out, it's not a big deal.

Ian @ Closing remarks — Affirms the friendship and emotional maturity shown by both hosts during difficult conversation

Dracula
game
Mandaloriangame
Shadowgame
Hookgame
3:07
I told you how I grew up, right? I can't do stuff. Kind of like Dracula, I have to be invited in. just very very strict and respectful I feel weird about it so and part of the reason I'm selling it is because there's just been way too much stuff in the shedcade there were four games in there and it's like 20 by 12 building with a huge 11 foot by 4 foot recording console taking up a giant chunk of it so there's just no room for four games in there I never meant to have four games, but it just kind of happened. Yeah. You know, I understand. My heart doesn't want to believe it. Because that game, to me, is the definition of pinball. It's a quirky, original theme. It's fun. It's got all these cool little toys and trinkets and unique things. It's in great shape. Just the art and it hurts, man. So, I mean, I'm with you. When I got that game, I was like, man, this thing, unlike Dracula, I was like, this game is just about perfect. As far as the condition of it, the play field, everything is just almost perfect. Even the cabinet paint isn't super faded. I don't know if I've ever seen one in that good of shape. I was kind of like, I think I'm going to keep this one because I don't know if I'll ever find a nicer one. Yeah, that's the nicest one I've ever seen. I mean, I actually didn't like that game. until I played yours, and then I realized that I love that game. It's, oh, man, it hurts, dude. Like, the ramps feel so good. Yeah. Oh, dude, the little video modes. Yeah, yes. By the way, if you're listening to this and you've never even heard of Black Rose, look it up. It's going to blow your mind. I mean, I think most people probably know, but it's the 1992 Bally Williams pirate-themed game. Spoiler alert. Arr.
5:07
You have a physical cannon that you shoot at a freaking ship. Yeah. Come on. And then it shoots you back. Arguably the best pirate?
5:17
Maybe. Well, hold on. Hold on a second. We're getting into some territory. I know you're not comfortable saying anything that might make your hook game feel slightly lesser Let just leave it there Okay He was a little upset when you first brought Black Rose A little jealousy Put him next to him, yeah. Hook is male-gendered? Yeah, he is. Okay. Black Rose is a lady. Black Rose is a female, for sure. It's that vibe, but he was still jealous. Okay. I mean, you would think maybe they would hit it off, get together. No, I think he was... I think it's been a long time for him. I think he's just resigned himself Still obsessed with Tinkerbell Yeah, basically Well, that makes sense I don't know I gotta make some room in there and then the other games that I have I don't have space to fix I don't have any other working games Black Rose is the only game that I have that is actually able to be sold because it's working perfectly and everything is playing real good and nice My other games, I would have to put quite a bit of effort into to get them to that same point so it's a bummer man i don't want to get rid of it yeah well i don't want to make you feel bad yeah but you should and the other thing is my intention was to switch from the shedcade to the future pinball arcade lounge yeah yeah but that project is just kind of stalled it's gonna take a little longer yeah so i just i I'm trying to get some cash and have some more space and make decisions later. Yeah. And, you know, continue to have games that I'm not kind of bored of. I'm realizing that you're serious. Like, you're really going to get rid of this game. Yeah. If anyone out there wants to throw down, go in with me on this game. Hit me up. I'm looking for... For investors.
7:18
Let me tell you about this game called Black Rose. You can have shared custody Dude if I had the money I would give it to you tomorrow This game is pinball man If a game is pinball I can't get rid of it You know that It is one of the most pinball pinball games In my opinion It's got the pinball magic It doesn't get much more pinball than that I guess I understand because you've played it quite a bit And It's like collecting cars or something Do you ever really drive all those cars? It's just like burning a hole in the bank account and filling up your shed or your garage or whatever. And if you don't play it often, stuff goes wrong. These games need to be played. I guess it could be bringing joy to someone else. Yeah. But I want that joy for me. Yeah. Sorry, no joy for you, Don. You have your own game that you don't want to get rid of that could be a Black Rose.
8:25
Wait, what game? I mean, I don't know. Any of the games that you own, you could theoretically sell and get yourself a Black Rose. No.
8:34
Right. I knew that was coming. So wait, are you selling it locally or are you going to ship it? I would hope to build a cell locally. You better not ship that thing, dude. Yeah. I don't know. I would have to do something drastic if you... I still haven't accepted that you're getting rid of it. I'm going to find a specifically put for shipping only. And then you're going to be forced to buy it.
9:00
Black Rose. Why didn't I play you when I had the chance? I feel like I'm about to cry. Not literally, but figuratively. my heart is crying and i need to make this call okay do it as you know i'm open to suggestions like so if someone makes a good enough argument i need some kind of emotional support i think i'm gonna call nudge man they helped me out last time the pinball helpline yeah i need to make this call real quick. Okay. I can wait.
9:38
Hi, you've reached the pinball helpline. This is Ian from Nudge Magazine. How can I help you? Oh, dude, I am so glad you answered. Dude, I need your help. I think at this point, we're kind of acquainted now. I've used your services before. Wait, wait, wait. Who am I speaking to? This is Don from Bash Pinball. Oh, yeah. Hey, Don. How's it going? Hey, oh, I thought you... Sorry, I don't want to seem presumptuous. I thought you knew who I was, but I'm doing okay, but I'm having a really big problem right now. So obviously, my friend Matt, right? Like my buddy, fellow basher, Pinball BFF Matt, he's trying to get rid of a pretty awesome game. And I don't know what to do. Like I tried to talk him out of it yesterday. And the last session that we did, I kind of talked a little bit about it and i just i don't have the money to buy it i don't know what to do it's it's black rose i don't know if you're familiar i am familiar with that game yeah well that this is a real complicated problem right yeah first off right i would just say that this sort of sounds like you're not going to ever have control over this situation so first off what i'm going to say is this call is going to be about acceptance it's not going to be about changing matt's mind because I don't believe, like, if he had a girlfriend that he was going to break up with or a boyfriend or whatever, you wouldn probably try to talk them out of it one way or the other right The move is usually to be you know supportive I think I picking up what you putting down Yeah. So for me, I do dig Black Rose quite a bit. I understand why you feel that way and like why you are kind of like coming to terms with the fact that that game might not be in your life. If it helps, I can actually give you a similar scenario that happened to me. yeah so a couple months to go maybe maybe a little longer than that i was lucky enough to get a shadow pinball machine in my house i rented it from my buddy john and it was like that's the game for me that i've always wanted you know and not only was this like a shadow it was the nicest shadow i've ever played it he just kept it in great shape he does refurbish stuff but eventually he wanted it back he was either gonna sell it or i think he had to put up like he was doing powder coat stuff or something but i got really upset like irrationally upset not not i didn't tell him that but i i was dealing with those feelings and so like for me i just had to kind of like come to the realization is like bro the time that you had with that game was a gift right like yeah You had nothing to do, Don, with Matt buying that game. And so just think about how lucky, like, when we deal with feelings like this. I don't want to. I know. I know it sucks. But we got to have gratitude, I think. And so what I'm going to challenge you to do is find the gratitude and look in Matt's eyes and say, dude, I love you for bringing that game into my life. And I love that game so much that this is why I'm upset. Yeah. Honestly, dude, like this, this, you putting it into perspective like this, I feel bad now.
13:04
I do. I feel grateful. Like, yeah, you're right, because had he not owned it in the first place, I wouldn't have been able to play it at all. Yeah. So it's not really my place to say, you know, like what game he should or shouldn't get rid of. And now think about this. I'm so selfish. You're not. okay let's settle down you're not that you're just like normal amount of selfish you're not like but i just love that game dude i love that freaking game i feel you but guess what now like this is giving you lore for the pod dude like now you are going to be on a search for the rest of your life for a black rose that hits just the same as that one and you might never find it but that's kind of a cool quest to have like yeah whatever whatever shadow pinball machine i get next in my life i will always compare it to the first one and like now i can just like hear my exes as i say that being like yeah this is like all the problems with you but uh i mean at the same time i mean it's kind of like a beautiful thought so it's just like it's really cool that the reason you guys do this podcast together the reason that you're buying games is like they do affect you and you do care about them so it's natural to feel that way but it's also like you're going to have to get out of your reptile brain just a little bit. I know you can do it because I've heard you be empathetic. Wow, dude, this is huge, Ian. How much do I owe you for this?
14:31
This is not a damn thing. You already paid for the magazine. That's how you got access to this number. That's hilarious. Dude, honestly, that has been so insightful. And I know what I must do. So I'm going to look at Matt and I'm going to say Matt. Ian, I'm also here. I think it might be kind of weird that I've just been listening this whole time. I know what I must do. And Matt, I am truly thankful as I'm looking at you in the eyes for the experience and for bringing this game into my life. What was the rest of it, Ian?
15:07
I think you hit it. You got the spirit of it, for sure. Anyways, thanks, Matt. I'm still going to be a little upset deep down inside because I love the plastics and the art and the parrots. The plastics is the first thing you said. Because, dude, that parrot is so sick, that giant macaw or whatever on the right side. But, man, anyways, thank you, Matt. You are welcome. You may proceed with what you were going to say. I kind of wanted to know, Ian, how do you know when you're done with a game? dude i was it's so funny that you say that uh matt because i was literally gonna ask you the same question like what were you what were you feeling like it was just like it's time to go like i think for me i haven't owned enough games to like properly probably give you an answer to that but i think for me it's like if i've seen everything that i want to see in it then i'm good i guess like it would really depend on the game because i don't think all games are like equal like there are some games i can come back to again and again and again and again yeah and other ones i can't so i've thought a lot about buying mandalorian because i love it but also i have nearly gotten to the final wizard mode now and so i'm like i think if i got there i the guild would be off the lily a little bit you know so i think that's probably a really big part of it is just like I want to try something new and write space I mean that been the biggest thing for me you just got to make those decisions so what was it for you that like kind of pushed yeah for me with that game i love that game and when i got it i was like i'm probably going to keep this game forever but but after you know i've had it a year and i had it was the only game i had access to for several months in a row so i was just playing it kind of non-stop yeah and then i took a break from it for like i don't know three or four or five months i took a long break from it and i kind of got back to it and i'm like still just so familiar you know just like everything is like you know i'm not like the best pinball player but i'm like a little too good at that game now dude word that speaks to me for sure and i think just what i'm hearing from you like in the tone of your voice And the words that you're saying is like, my sister told me this one time, and I know it's advice that you've probably heard before. And it actually ended a relationship for me that maybe it shouldn't have. But she was like, if it's not a hell yes, then it's a hell no.
17:46
And I think this kind of feels like if it's not a hell yes, which it definitely is not, you felt conflicted for a while. You know something's broken here, metaphorically speaking, just in case there are any buyers listening to this right now. no it's playing great it's great dude it's a hell yes for me yeah it's a problem but uh so like yeah if it's not a hell yes it's a hell no so i say you know sorry black rose you gotta you gotta hit the bricks so i'm excited though because this means right let's not look at it as a negative like we're losing a game it's like we're gaining possibilities right now like true that spot that money that could be a lot of different stuff and it could be pinball stuff it could be other stuff who knows you guys love coffee you love gear like you got a lot you got a lot of uh ways that your money's spoken for so i think i'm just like excited to see what comes next yeah yeah ian do you want to go in on this game with me or not hell yes or hell no come on it's a it unfortunately for me is a hell no because as y'all have called me and i'm in the midst of shipping out 400 magazines so i got about you know two two thousand bucks earmarked on shipping yeah you got like the new issue right yeah issue four is just finally come from the printers we got delayed twice and so now we're finally it's here and it's in a big pile on my front porch so i'm in the process of converting that into like happy customers hell yeah and you still got some right they're not sold out no we still we do yeah if you go to nudgepinball.com you can go pick up your very own issue four and we even have now an issue one reprint so those are really really hard to get for a long time so yeah dude i got that combo man all right do you still have those or no yeah yeah we do we we do have like 30 or 40 of those left so if anyone hears this and you don't have one you got to act pretty fast but yeah dude i will get yours in the mail tonight and hopefully that'll that'll soften the blow a little bit well it'll give me something to read while i you know like think about how much i'm gonna miss uh farewell thy game and yeah well is it already packed up and you can have like a farewell night well no it's not packed up well we we kind of we kind of sort of started to do that last night and then you know i think matt realized how much i love the game which is why i called you in a crisis today yeah yeah i don't me to laugh um it's it's my response to trauma i also you know i have separation issues you know so it's part of the don's never sold a game i gotta i gotta deal with that yeah because i'll go broke like real quick well then you're good that you have a friend like matt who can make those hard decisions so and i got the help line so exactly i am not i'm not worried about you two one bit you are a bright and shining example of who we want in this pinball community so So I would say just take that and, you know, I can't wait to see what game comes in next. Oh, man. You know what? You turn this frown right side up.
20:56
Is that the expression? I just made that up. No, that's right. Yeah. He's got a poet's heart. Yeah. Okay. You turn this black rose into a fine rose.
21:09
All right. Yeah. I think I'm done, dude. I got to free up this line in case you get in there. Yeah, I think I'm done. Look, I'm glad that it spoke to you, and I'll talk to you all soon. And if you ever need help, if you have a pinball emergency, we're only a call away. Baby, I compare you to a kiss from Black Rose on the bridge. Ooh, before I get a little stranger in the air. Now that your nose is a glue Light it to put him on the ring Bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye, bye-bye Goodbye, black wings
22:08
you