October 22, 2026 | Five rounds, plenty of pinball shenanigans, and one unexpected octopus! 🐙
Thursday night at Tilt Studios was another reminder that pinball league is never just about the scores. It’s about the machines, the people, the questionable decisions, the bonus cardio, and the stories you take home afterward.
And this week? Andrew and I both had ourselves a pretty darn good night!
🎮 Round 1: Guardians of the Galaxy
We kicked things off with Guardians of the Galaxy, playing alongside Jared Harris, John Shopple, and Drew Fones.
I started strong with a skill shot, multipliers, some hits to Groot, and a few shots toward Yaka mode. By Ball 2, I was up to 43.8 million, with plenty of mode shots and a nice bonus.
For Ball 3, I chose Quill mode, which immediately starts multiball. I already had locks lined up for other multiballs, so I was hoping to chain things together. Let’s just say the execution wasn’t quite as tidy as the plan! 😂
I finished at 67.6 million for third place and 3 league points. Jared took first with 289.8 million, John finished second at 133.7 million, and Drew came in fourth at 31.9 million.
I learned something for next time: with Quill multiball, it’s probably smarter to play down to one ball and then time that final lock to transition into the next multiball before Quill mode expires. Pinball is always teaching me something!
🎸 Round 2: The Beatles (Platinum LE)
Next up was The Beatles, with Aric Stults, Paul Blanco, and Amanda Calhoun.
My first ball was a little rough. I had no skill shot, managed a loop and some drop targets, and then the ball rolled up the inlane too fast and straight down the outlane. I shatzed myself. 🤦♀️
Fortunately, the game improved from there!
Ball 2 brought a skill shot, drop-target frenzy, and lots of loops. On Ball 3, I started multiball and kept working the shots. The ball got itself stuck on the drop targets, and when I nudged it free, it went straight down the middle. Because, of course it did. 😂
I finished with 2,599,860 points for first place and 7 league points!
Aric finished second with 1,352,440, Paul was third with 884,590, and Amanda finished fourth with 610,290.
Apparently, The Beatles and I were ready to make beautiful music together.
🕷️ Round 3: Venom (Pro)
Venom was next, with John Magyar, Jeffrey Goad, and David Vogt.
This was a fun one! On Ball 1, I got Mayhem multiball with three ball locks and Milo, followed by Carnage multiball. That’s a pretty good way to start a game.
Ball 2 had no skill shot, but I kept working the ramps and managed a couple of hits to Carnage.
For Ball 3, I switched to Eddie Brock, started Toxin, got some good Carnage shots, hit a couple of ramps and the scoop, and worked in some loops. The ball bounced around the sides, and I had a couple of exciting saves along the way.
Final score: 151,002,540 — first place and 7 league points!
David finished second with 138.3 million, John was third with 62.9 million, and Jeffrey finished fourth with 20.2 million.
That was a satisfying finish. Venom and I were definitely getting along!
🦖 Round 4: Jurassic Park (Pro)
Jurassic Park brought a three-player group with John Magyar and Andy Olson.
Ball 1 started with a skill shot, an amber collect, some shenanigans, and then I was out. Ball 2 was much better: another skill shot, Rescue the Employees mode, and plenty of rescues and good shots.
By Ball 3, I was at 25.6 million, ahead of Andy at 21.9 million and John at 15.8 million.
First place and 7 more league points!
Three first-place finishes in a row? I’ll absolutely take that!
🌌 Round 5: Star Wars (Pro)
And then came Star Wars. Naturally, this was where the universe decided to mess with me.
I usually choose Han Solo. But the player before me button-hooked the machine on his way out, so I inherited mystery settings and found myself stuck playing Luke Skywalker. Once the game started, I couldn’t change characters.
He is a sweetheart, so I wasn’t going to get mad. I just shrugged and decided to improvise my way through the game. 😂
Ball 1 brought a mode start and plenty of hits toward the TIE Fighter Multiball. Ball 2 had more TIE fighter hits, although Luke and I were still getting acquainted.
Finally, on Ball 3, I got TIE Fighter Multiball going and finished with 127,805,420 points.
That was good enough for second place in the group! Craig Bolton took first with 498.9 million, Forrest J. Barkley finished third with 86.2 million, and Jason Hecht came in fourth with 45.5 million.
Han Solo might be my usual guy, but Luke got the job done.
🏆 The final tally
Five rounds, five very different machines, and a whole lot of fun.
Machine| Finish| League points
Guardians of the Galaxy| 3rd| 3
The Beatles| 1st| 7
Venom| 1st| 7
Jurassic Park| 1st| 7
Star Wars| 2nd| 5
Total| | 29 points
That’s 29 out of a possible 35 points, including three first-place finishes!
The league standings put me tied for fourth overall for the night with 29 points. Andrew had an even bigger night, finishing first overall with 33 points!
John Shopple took our picture for his recap, which was a lovely way to capture a night when we both played well. I’m pretty proud of us!
🪜 Bonus cardio, because why not?
One of the unexpected perks of playing pinball at Tilt Studios is that the venue is upstairs. There is an elevator, but that thing is creepy, so the stairs it is!
I got in several trips up and down two flights while wandering around between rounds. At one point, I was distracted by a crane machine containing the cutest little octopus and nearly walked into a wall.
Priorities, people. 😂
And speaking of that octopus…
🐙 The octopus plot twist
I spotted the adorable plush octopus in the crane machine and immediately thought of Evan, one of my former students who has a serious appreciation for octopuses and other wonderfully weird creatures.
I have sent him octopus and squid videos over the years because I know how much he enjoys them. I even told him about Remarkably Bright Creatures, because Marcellus, the very opinionated octopus in the movie, is absolutely the sort of character Evan would appreciate.
Then Hailey won the plush octopus for me!
So now I have a little green, pink-underarmed octopus joining the family. I haven’t settled on a name yet, but he has already earned a place in the Thursday night storybook. 🐙💚
💜 The people make the game
Tonight was a good reminder that the best part of league isn’t always the leaderboard. It’s the people who make the experience worthwhile: the friends who play alongside you, the people who share the funny moments, and the ones who make you think of them when you encounter something delightfully weird.
Andrew and I both had a great night, I got three first-place finishes, and we have a photo to remember it by.
With two weeks left in the season, I’m still keeping an eye on the standings and hoping to make my way into Division A. The gap is small, the final weeks matter, and I’m not done fighting for that spot.
For now, I’ll take the 29 points, the stair-climbing, the new octopus, and the memories.
Movement in real life still counts. Pinball progress still counts. And a Thursday night full of good people and ridiculous stories absolutely counts.
See you next week, Tilt Studios!
Every week counts. Always! 🎱💜🐙
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