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Episode 106: Farewell with Fondness

This Flippin' Podcast·podcast_episode·24m 57s·analyzed·Nov 23, 2020
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.028

TL;DR

Ken Cromwell pays tribute to ReplayFX/Pinburgh's closure and its profound impact on the pinball community.

Summary

Ken Cromwell, co-host of Flippin' Out Pinball, delivers an emotional tribute to ReplayFX Foundation and Pinburgh following the organization's announcement to cease public operations due to pandemic conditions. The episode emphasizes gratitude for the tournament's impact on the pinball community, personal memories of competitive play and friendships, and reflects on Pinburgh's role in introducing players to rare machines and building a welcoming competitive culture. Cromwell expresses hope that the community will rally to recreate similar events in the future.

Key Claims

  • ReplayFX Foundation has officially shut down public operations and is liquidating physical assets due to pandemic conditions

    high confidence · Official announcement read verbatim from ReplayFX Foundation; confirmed by Kevin Martin and Mark Steinman

  • Pinburgh grew from approximately 600 players in the first year Cromwell attended to 1,100 players in recent years

    medium confidence · Ken Cromwell's personal observation of Pinburgh growth

  • Ken Cromwell finished 16th place at Pinburgh 2018, making the finals of the A division

    high confidence · Cromwell confirmed by checking his FPA profile during the episode

  • Keith Elwin won the Pinburgh 2018 tournament and contributed to Cromwell's elimination

    high confidence · Ken Cromwell's account of Pinburgh 2018 results

  • Phil Grimaldi (Dr. Phil) and Ken Cromwell met through a shared connection via soccer and Main Street Amusements arcade in Lafayette

    high confidence · Ken Cromwell's personal narrative about friendship origin

  • Main Street Amusements in Lafayette was the origin point for Cromwell and Grimaldi's pinball hobby, opened by Dan St. John

    high confidence · Ken Cromwell's historical account

  • Taylor Reese, Cromwell's former co-host, has retired from the Flippin' Out Pinball podcast

    high confidence · Opening statement of episode; Cromwell indicates Reese is open to returning

  • ReplayFX Foundation was established in 2011 to promote preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of pinball technology

    high confidence · Official ReplayFX Foundation announcement

Notable Quotes

  • “Although I recently lost my co-host Taylor Reese to retirement, that hasn't been a big deal. Although I miss the bald, old, angry man. Love you, Taylor.”

    Ken Cromwell @ 0:00-0:30 — Sets tone of affection and humor while announcing personnel change

  • “this is not a farewell to our show, but it is a farewell to our beloved Pinburgh and, in a larger scale, ReplayFX”

    Ken Cromwell @ 0:30-1:00 — Clarifies the episode's focus: ReplayFX closure, not podcast closure

  • “It sucks. There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

    Ken Cromwell @ 7:00 — Direct emotional response to ReplayFX closure announcement

  • “each machine has a story and is part of your collection. And you guys built this amazing collection...I can't imagine the sadness of seeing it all go”

    Ken Cromwell @ 15:00-20:00 — Empathetic reflection on ReplayFX's machine collection being liquidated

  • “it's almost like every year at Pinburgh is a class reunion that you actually want to attend”

    Ken Cromwell @ 25:00 — Captures the social/community value of Pinburgh beyond competitive play

  • “standing on that stage, and looking out, and Phil and I just being together, being like, holy shit, man, like, this is, this is a cool moment”

    Ken Cromwell @ 50:00 — Emotional highlight of competitive achievement and friendship validation

  • “we started playing together at this little arcade in our little town...five or six years [later] we are here at the biggest tournament in the world...we're on stage for the finals in the top 16”

    Ken Cromwell @ 50:30-55:00 — Illustrates the transformative journey enabled by Pinburgh

  • “if it wasn't for the Replay Foundation and Pinburgh itself, I wouldn't have gotten to have that moment”

    Ken Cromwell @ 55:00 — Direct attribution of life-changing competitive experience to ReplayFX

Entities

Ken CromwellpersonTaylor ReesepersonReplayFX FoundationorganizationPinburgheventKevin MartinpersonMark SteinmanpersonKeith Elwinperson

Signals

  • ?

    event_signal: ReplayFX Foundation and Pinburgh tournament officially cease public operations; all public events canceled; foundation liquidating physical assets and existing as online-only entity

    high · Official announcement from ReplayFX Foundation signed by Kevin Martin and Mark Steinman; cited pandemic conditions as primary cause

  • ?

    community_signal: Major community gathering point eliminated; strong emotional response from participants; community expressing intent to recreate similar events; speculation about successor tournaments

    high · Cromwell's extensive personal narrative; discussion of Pinburgh's role as 'class reunion' and annual pilgrimage; mentions of Pinside as potential successor; Cromwell considering hosting smaller local events

  • ?

    personnel_signal: Taylor Reese, co-host of Flippin' Out Pinball, has retired from the show; Cromwell indicates Reese remains open to returning

    high · Episode opening statement; Cromwell states Reese 'can come back whenever he feels like it'; Reese and Cromwell primarily connected at Pinburgh

  • ?

    venue_signal: Pinburgh served as major draw for arcade and gaming venue crossover; event featured diverse gaming including board games, tabletop games, cosplay; vendors like Wild Bill's Soda and Tilt Cycle participated

    high · Cromwell's narrative about discovering other gaming communities at Pinburgh; description of expanded horizons to board gaming and tabletop communities; vendor participation documented

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Pinburgh tournament showed significant player growth (600 to 1,100+) with high demand (waiting lists, ticket scarcity); featured diverse machine selection exposing players to lesser-known EM and vintage machines

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.075

0:00
Welcome, everyone, to episode 106, Farewells with Fondness, of this flipping podcast. Although I recently lost my co-host Taylor Reese to retirement, that hasn't been a big deal. Although I miss the bald, old, angry man. Love you, Taylor.
0:23
He can come back whenever he feels like it. This is not a farewell to our show, but it is a farewell to our beloved Pinberg and, in a larger scale, ReplayFX. As we've all heard over the past several days, the ReplayFX Foundation has decided to shut their doors. I will read a brief announcement that was released by them word for word, so we have it here for our audio history. Special Announcement Hello fellow gamers and friends. We hope to continue to be safe and healthy in this difficult time. The Replay Foundation was established in 2011 to promote the preservation, restoration, and enjoyment of pinball technology, with an emphasis on the player experience. Replay exists to continue the activities of the Professional and Amateur Pinball Association, and it has expanded those activities to encompass many forms of gaming, in particular by operating the world's largest arcade through the signature ReplayFX event. The foundation relies on public events to further its mission and support its operations. Being able to play games competitively in person is a key element of both the mission and the events. Unfortunately, due to the current pandemic conditions, it has proven nearly impossible to safely and practically operate large public events.
1:48
Therefore, it is with great sadness and regret that we must discontinue our public events and wind down most of our operations until further notice. We know this is very disappointing, but we have been unable to find any other way to proceed. While the foundation is not dissolving, we are liquidating most of our physical assets and canceling all of our public events. Over the coming months, the foundation will retire all of its debts, including the refund of prepaid tickets, and will exist solely as an online source for the foreseeable future. The tireless commitment and hard work put in by our employees and volunteers will always be immensely appreciated, as well as the support and enthusiasm of our fans and attendees. we hope to play some role in the future of gaming and we encourage everyone to collect and play these beautiful games whenever possible with all our hearts we thank you for having been on this journey with us and for creating such wonderful memories together it is in fact more fun to compete we will see you all in the arcade someday sincerely kevin martin and mark steinman co-signed by the board of directors.
Phil Grimaldi
person
Dan St. Johnperson
Kyle McAlpineperson
Steve Bowdenperson
Dan Burfieldperson
Robertperson
Main Street Amusementsvenue
Flippin' Out Pinballorganization
Pinsideorganization
Aerobaticsgame
Dragon Fistgame
Vikinggame
Tilt Cycleorganization
Double Dangerorganization
Wild Bill's Sodavendor
IFPAorganization
Deep Root Pinballorganization

high · Cromwell's observation of growth trajectory; description of ticket scarcity requiring rapid clicking; mention of games like Aerobatics inspiring acquisitions

  • ?

    operational_signal: ReplayFX liquidating large machine collection; prioritizing sales to operators and public venues over private collectors to ensure continued public accessibility

    high · Cromwell's observation of ReplayFX's sales priority strategy; commendation for not allowing machines to be 'locked away in private collections and basements'

  • ?

    restoration_signal: Cromwell's collection acquisition methods illustrate restoration culture: Craigslist sourcing, long-term want-to-buy ads, cabinet restoration projects, gifting; each machine has historical provenance story

    high · Detailed narratives about Dragon Fist (Craigslist + uShip transport), Viking (2-year want-to-buy), Frontier (cabinet restoration), Fathom (barn extraction), Harlem (coaching gift)

  • ?

    business_signal: ReplayFX Foundation operated on event revenue model; pandemic elimination of large public gatherings made operations unsustainable; foundation dissolving operations but not dissolving as entity

    high · Official announcement stating foundation 'relies on public events to further its mission' and 'proven nearly impossible to safely and practically operate large public events'

  • ?

    content_signal: Flippin' Out Pinball recorded live episodes from Pinburgh with vendor booth partnerships; Tilt Cycle and Double Danger provided space and technical resources

    high · Cromwell's narrative about recording live from Pinburgh several years; mention of Dan Burfield/Tilt Cycle and Robert/Double Danger providing table space, outlets, and power

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Significant negative sentiment shift in pinball community following ReplayFX closure announcement; loss of central annual gathering point; uncertainty about future tournament options

    high · Cromwell's emotional response ('it just sucked'); discussion of uncertainty about where community will gather; acknowledgment that announcement came during pandemic already affecting people (school virtual learning)

    • 3:03
    So, with that heavy announcement that was released last week, we have officially seen the end of Pinburg as we currently know it.
    3:18
    It sucks. There is no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Sadly, last week I released an episode to you guys about all the things I've tried to stay positive about during the pandemic and the things I've been enjoying, et cetera, et cetera. And then literally, um, about an hour after that, I was driving to grab some food on my lunch break from school because we had just gone to virtual learning again. And, uh, I received several text messages about the announcement being made and it just sucked you know there's no way around that but um first and foremost to kevin and mark uh the other members of the board of directors and the so many volunteers who have contributed to hosting pinberg and replay fx um for at least the last five or six years that I've attended. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. The experience can't be topped and it won't be duplicated in the way that you guys built a loving community event that was welcoming to absolutely everyone and it expanded all of our horizons into things we interacted with. I played arcade games I had never seen before. It's one of the few places where I've witness cosplay done well in person um the vendors wild bills soda i have an amazing cup that i use from them i'm gonna have to find other places they go to get my refills now um it just you know opened my eyes to the board gaming community to the council gaming community all these things that i don't particularly have strong interests in and it also was a gateway to many of those individuals to pinball. So your mission was accomplished. You did open more people's eyes to the pinball scene from the first year I attended, where I think it was capped at 600 players, to the last year where I got to play, I believe it was up to 1100 players. You know, just in that brief time period, you doubled the amount of players that wanted to play in this event. For specifically Pembroke, and on top of that, there was many, many more on the waiting list. It became an annual mission to click as fast as you could to get your ticket. This most recent year before it was canceled, I was saved by my friend Roy, who was able to get tickets for our whole group, as we all missed on the initial launch. I was at the state finals coaching wrestling and literally in between matches just refreshing the page, trying to get my ticket, trying to get my ticket. And although that stressful experience was disheartening as somebody who really, really wants to attend a play in the tournament and not initially get my ticket, I was able to come through and get one but just looking forward to that small adventure you guys maintained in an amazingly large collection and there a spreadsheet out there I know you guys have already announced you running about two days behind on replying to emails but the games are being sold off and i guessing most of it is probably sold by now and if not it will be in the near future um it's it's sad as someone who has at one point in time sold off my very small collection in comparison to what you guys have uh can't imagine what you're going through i know For me, each game that I have sitting here in my living room as I record this has a story behind it. I'm looking at my Dragon Fist that I found on a Craigslist ad in Idaho as Bruce Lee Pinball. Not only did I find it and communicate with the seller for months before I was able to make arrangements,
    6:59
    it was picked up by a woman transporting a boat from Oregon to Michigan on U-Ship, who previously owned an arcade, and I have that story. I have the Viking that was, you know, I had a want-to-buy ad up for two years before I was contacted by a brand-new Pinside member who had this. This was their only game. They'd had it for years, and they wanted to sell it to someone who was looking for a Viking. And my Frontier that I got a new cabinet and restored, my Fathom that I pulled out of a barn in southern Indiana and my friend restored as a gift to me, and the Harlem that was given to me by a parent of a kid that I coached. Like each machine has a story and is part of your collection. And you guys built this amazing collection. And although I know it was a mass collection and it had, you know, different means and different goals with it to share with the public. Like I know as you guys got those machines, you probably have little stories like that about each one. And I can't imagine the sadness of seeing it all go. So hopefully, as I saw you guys post about the games being for sale, you guys, as in the Replay Foundation, you guys were giving priority to operators and people who were going to put these games back into public. And I think that is awesome of you to still, as you are having to dissolve this beautiful thing you've created, finding a way and still taking the time and effort to try to have these games out for people instead of just simply to the highest bidder, you know, getting locked away in private collections and basements, etc., etc.
    8:35
    And again, it all just sucks, but I just commend you for the way that this is being handled. and speaking for oneself as you are resolving your debts.
    8:48
    Keep my ticket money from this year if it helps you guys. I don't care about the $120 or $130, whatever it was. It's gone. It's not in my bank. I don't need it at this moment. And there's those of you out there that absolutely need that money and want that money back, and there's nothing wrong with that. But as far as it goes, if you guys set up a way where our tickets can either request our refund or it can just be donated, please, I hope you guys can set that up. Because I, for one, would rather donate to the cause. Because that $130 is well worth the memories that I've been able to create at your show over the last several years with my friends.
    9:29
    It's become an annual pilgrimage for me and my friends. specifically Matt, Brandon, and John as well as several others but we've gone together most of these years you've been hosting it and we look forward to it basically from the day Pembroke ends one year until the day we're leaving the next year and it's not just because we're playing in this amazing tournament although that's part of it it's because we know for three or four days we're going to spend time together with some of our best friends, playing pinball, eating food, giving each other shit, all of those things together just make for this awesome weekend. And not only that, I have my specific group that I travel with and I go to experience this show with, but it's almost like every year at Pinberg is a class reunion that you actually want to attend. it's gathering with all of these people from not just around the country but from around the world that we only get to see at pinberg or maybe if you're lucky another show throughout the year and yeah you're playing pinball 10 to 12 hours a day but in those hours between rounds when you're laying on a floor trying to give your feet a break or you're racing to get a steak sandwich and consume it during the lunch break.
    10:54
    All of those little things are done with this group that you just have this deep passion for the same hobby, and you have so much in common, and you get to catch up on people's lives.
    11:06
    Taylor and I, the only time we've seen each other really in person has been at Pemburg. Taylor and I live 12 hours apart or so, maybe more than that. we were brought together by the idea of this podcast by Pinside. And, um, that's where we first interacted with each other in person. And it turns out we got along well, we like each other. We're similar dudes. Uh, we did get to see each other at Texas one year as well, but like we knew we could count on Pinnberg. That was where we were going to get to really see each other. We recorded live from Pinnberg several years. Like that was cool. You know, different people giving us the resources in the space, specifically Tilt Cycle with Dan Burfield and Robert with Double Danger, having booths there that allowed us to set up at their table, use their valuable table space, their outlets, their power resources to hook up our computers and our microphones and sit there and talk about what we had witnessed during that course of that weekend, watching the finals while we recorded. Those are just memories and experiences that are like some of the most fun times that come to mind for me over the last several years. And again, I just want to express how thankful I am for those I got to play machines there that I don see every day One that specifically jumps to mind for me is the EM machine aerobatics because I enjoyed playing it so much at the show that I sought one out I have an aerobatics now specifically because I played it at Pembroke and I really liked it. I found the artwork beautiful. I found the layout fun. It was fast, brutal, something you don't see every day. And I think that's what Pembroke taught a lot of people was like, there's so much beauty and in these machines that aren't your quote-unquote A-list games.
    12:58
    And because they weren't those A-list games, not as many of them were preserved, and there's not as many of them available for collection. And you should seek out those games because they all have merit to them. They all have a certain skill set required, different rules, unique features, etc. But they're there, and they should be enjoyed just as much as an Addams Family or a Monster Bash, even if they don't have that high dollar value or that prestige in owning one, like, man, they're just fucking awesome games, you know, so you have all of that, um, and, you know, without a doubt, me and my friends have already discussed, like, what, where will we go now, what will be next, and with that uncertainty being there, you know, due to this pandemic, and if something will step up and replace Pinberg, how do we make arrangements what are we going to do it's been talked about i i think something else will happen um if nothing else can be said about the pinball community it's that we're passionate people um we are resourceful people we take things that are on the brink of utter destruction and look unsalvageable and people will take the time money and effort to restore these things these individual machines and just like somebody will take the time to restore a machine i think somebody will take the time to restore pinberg as an event in some way shape or form and maybe it won't be the same exactly it'd be impossible for it to be it will live on with that spirit that pinberg had and for that i look forward to that announcement i look forward so that whoever steps into that void that's been left by Pinberg and comes up with something, that will allow the pinball community to come together again and have those experiences in a new way, but yet with that spirit of competition, unique formatting, the variety of machines. Immediately, InDisc pops into my head as I know the collection out there is very large and they only host a few events a year, but that you know just spitballing I know that that would seem to be at least a possibility who knows what ends up happening I think if nothing is done in the immediate future on a much smaller scale much much smaller scale I would absolutely attempt to host something in the vein of pinberg and in matching the format at my location um pending you know the announcements of these vaccines and people getting vaccinated and us being able to gather in decently sized groups again in the near future i you know i will certainly do my best to have something like that go on locally i think it would just be good for everyone but with all that being said uh I want to tell the story that my friends still give me lots of crap about in a loving, jesting way. But without a doubt, Pinberg in, I believe it was, oh, I'm looking, I'm sorry, 2018 probably.
    16:21
    I'm trying to double check and I apologize. Let's see here. I'm pulling up my FPA profile. Yes. uh pinberg 2018 i managed to finish in 16th place um the tournament that year was won by none other than keith ellen who contributed to my elimination but i got to play on the main stage I made it to the finals of the A division of Pinberg. And it was really, really cool in and of itself.
    17:01
    Because I play a lot of pinball and I love pinball. And I'm a competitive person and I like being good at things. I work hard to be good at things.
    17:10
    So that was exciting. To kind of see vindication of the amount of hours and work I had put into playing pinball machines. come to fruition. And I won some money for playing pinball. That was cool.
    17:25
    But above all else, I got to share the stage and play in the same group as the friend that I began this pinball hobby with, Phil Grimaldi, Dr. Phil, as we call him on the show, because Phil is indeed a doctor and another person who works hard, specifically at his pinball skills. and Phil and I never would have started playing had Dan St. John not opened up Main Street Amusements here in Lafayette that was both of our introduction to pinball and Phil literally living across the street in an apartment building from Main Street Amusements and me living very close and working in the building next door we actually got to know each other because my ex-girlfriend and Phil played together on a soccer team that was how we first met and then we sort of like ran into each other at the arcade, I think, and started to discover like, oh, we both play pinball. And next thing you knew, we were playing together like several nights a week, either at some of the games at my house or some of the games at his apartment and always going to Main Street and starting to do tournaments and leagues together. And eventually, Phil, you know, finished his doctorate and he moved to Texas where he resides now and has helped contribute to building the pinball scene in that state as well. But we still see each other every year at Pinburg And for whatever reason or some sort of magic in the air in 2018 him and i were just playing really well and we made the finals like it was amazing and i don't have like specifics on the games that we played exactly or like where we finished in qualifying like i feel like i might have gotten a bye even at one point and maybe phil had to advance then we ended up playing in the same group even and we we advanced through the same group together over the previous year's champion kyle mccaupine um who's a friend of ours as well and like phil and i got to advance together to that final 16 and then you know he ended up going even further into a tiebreaker to advance to the top eight and fortunately he lost and finished tied in ninth place with steve bowden of deep root pinball and fun with bonus and all around awesome guy, but I remember at one point, uh, standing on that stage, and looking out, and Phil and I just being together, being like, holy shit, man, like, this is, this is a cool moment, and we did take that, like, moment to stop, and quote-unquote, smell the roses, and appreciate it, but, like, we were like, we started playing together at this little arcade in our little town, you know, whatever it would have been at that point, five years earlier or something, five or six years, I don't even know and we had this friendship that was built over pinball and we both were competitive people and now we are here at the biggest tournament in the world, the biggest tournament that has been hosted to date and we're on stage for the finals in the top 16 playing against former world champions and I had friends there watching and supporting me who were supposed to be going to a Pittsburgh Pirates game. I can't remember if they went or they were saying I needed to lose so they could go. I don't remember. Giving me shit.
    20:36
    But it was just a really, really cool experience that if it wasn't for the replay foundation and Pinbrick itself, I wouldn't have gotten to have. I wouldn't have gotten to have that moment. And I'm thankful for that. And as dumb as it is, I've mentioned on the show before how lucky I am to have the father I have and like my dad posting online that you know I'm on sharing on Facebook that I'm on the stream I'm playing pinball you know doing well at this tournament just to have that support those sort of things just great memories man so thank you guys for all of that like I don't want to dwell on the super negative side of things and more just stay positive about what we got to experience at your show that you've put on for us and thank you so much for it. Had a lot of fun. So that has been, you know, although it's obviously a bit sad to discuss, um, in hindsight, knowing that we don't have that future date to look forward to at this point in time, uh, being so thankful and grateful. It's just the week of Thanksgiving for all the memories that have been given to us. Um, as dumb as it sounds, like going back to the hotel late at night with my friends and trying to find a late night place to eat in Pittsburgh which oddly for a big city all these restaurants shut down early the seafood place that we go eat at in the little town square area the late night drunks at the pizza place me sleeping underneath the desk every year on the floor we pack as many people into a room as we can to make the tournament cheaper for all of us as we go there the friends who snore really loud and have to wear their CPAP masks or they're going to die in their sleep so you get to make fun of my friends for looking like Darth Vader doing all of those things has just been awesome so I hope that something does come up and steps in to fill the void so I can create more memories like that in the future but I don't really know what else to say because you know like I said we're all sad and unfortunately this year man like it just keeps going and keeps taking from us but uh ideally we will get through this it's not the end of the world um there are far more important things in the world than just uh an event even if it may not feel like that in the immediate aftermath of the situation. We are still far better off than many other people and places and if nothing else we are who we are and better for having got to experience Pinberg and ReplayFX as it was built into the world's largest arcade for one weekend a year of this magical bliss and it coincidentally almost always tied in with my birthday, which made celebrating my birthday really fun in a unique way.
    23:44
    Got to be with my friends for my birthday, so that was always really nice, too. That's really all I got on it. I know this isn't a super long episode, and there's far more people that will go into greater depths of what Pinnberg is and was, but for me it was important to get something down to get it off my chest to let those who run the show if you listen to this at all and I know there's some of you who do just know how appreciative I am of the experiences I got to have because of all of your hard work I got to show up to a pinball event and hang out with my friends and be carefree for a few days eat delicious food, sleep way too little, and just have fun. So thank you for giving me that little bit of escape and these great, wonderful memories. And I hope to flip again with all of you one day soon as we hit 2021 and the future. Keep flipping, everyone. Bye.