Houston Arcade Expo Recap

Space City Open

Congratulations to Colin MacAlpine for taking the top prize at the Space City Open! Colin was on absolute fire all weekend, and finished strong for the win. Also congrats to Steve Bowden, Preston Moncla, and Zach Palmer for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, respectively.

Be sure to check out the finals, which will soon be archived on the space city pinball youtube channel . Currently available on twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/spacecitypinball). Some top notch play!

Huge thanks to my assistant TD’s, Marc Gammons, Elizabeth Dronet, David Pollock, and Matt Quantz. Also huge thanks to the game donors who provided just an amazing collection of well playing machines. This was the biggest tournament in Houston Arcade Expo history, with 123 players total! – Phil Grimaldi

A Division Finalists:
Colin MacAlpine, Steve Bowden with broken trophy, Preston Moncla, Zach Palmer
B Division Finalists:
Dennis Moncla, Chad Lower, Tom George, Tim Tennison

Interplanetary Knockout

Wow! What an amazing event. Participation in our inaugural women’s tournament exceeded expectations with 45 women battling it out. We would like to thank all the Space City League members who contributed games for our mega-booth as well as Titan Pinball who loaned us a game so we could include more players. Titan, Eight Bit Dreams and Speedy’s also contributed prizes. We would especially like to thank Jennings Orthodontics for sponsoring the event. Congratulations to our champions!

-Elizabeth Dronet and Raleigh Palis

Interplanetary Champions
1st Ashley Ludwig, 2nd Miette Dronet, 3rd Kelli Raisler, 4th Elizabeth Dronet

Dronet Sisters featured on Backbox Pinball Podcast

Lauren Gray’s Little Flip episode features the Dronet Sisters from Houston, Texas. Miette and Annabeth are 14 yr old phenoms ranked in the top 100 of the lady’s bracket. We chat about their introduction to pinball, their big pinball design dreams and what type of music pins they would like to see in the future.

SCPL Swag

Space City Pinball League will have a limited number of posters and stickers available at the Houston Arcade Expo and upcoming tournaments. Framed posters are a $10 donation and unframed posters are $3. Sticker sets are $5. Pay in person or on paypal. See Elizabeth Dronet for details or email her at bellesandchimeshouston at gmail.com.

The Game Preserve NASA

Space City Pinball League is excited to announce the first tournament at The Game Preserve’s new NASA location–Three Strikes Wednesday! Marc Gammons will be the tournament director for this inaugural event. Join us and make history!

The Game Preserve NASA’s address is 20810 Gulf Fwy Suite Z, Webster, TX 77598.

Space City Open Shirts

The excitement builds as we come closer to November’s Houston Arcade and Pinball Expo!

Only a few days remain to pre-order a custom Space City Open Tshirt! The deadline to order is October 27. Shirts are $18.96 and can be picked up at the show. We will not have extras, so get your shirt now! Order here. 

A more readable player list is now posted here. A link can also be found on the tournament website.

Interplanetary Knockout Women’s Pinball Tournament

The Belles of Space City will host a three strike women’s pinball tournament at the Houston Arcade Expo.

Women of all ages are invited to a cosmic battle of skill that will test their mastery of gravitational fields over metal spheres. Battle-ready earthlings will target jackpots and nudge their way around the unknown terrors of outer space to avoid the deep black hole straight down the middle. If you have what it takes to be a space cadet, register today for the Interplanetary Knockout!

This three strike tournament will take place during the Houston Arcade Expo on Saturday, November 16. Check in will begin at 7:30 pm at the tournament desk. $10 Entry. Read all the details here.

Pinball Profile World Tour

PINBALL PROFILE is coming to Space City! If you’re looking for something to do before the Houston Arcade & Pinball Expo…we’ve got just the thing!

Venue: EinStein’s Pub in nearby Katy, Texas. (Must be 21 or older)

Join us for an IFPA sanctioned, 3 hour Flip Frenzy, Thurs., Nov. 14th at 7pm. There’s a 10-15 minute break at halfway mark. Top 4 make playoffs (play either 3 or 4 games, to maximize TGP, mulit-match play playoffs). PAPA playoff format (4-2-1-0 scoring). Top seed picks bank of games. *rules subject to change prior to start of event.

Tons of random prizes from sponsors including Comet Pinball, deeproot pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, Mezel Mods, Stern Pinball, and even a set of Pin Stadium Lights! ALL prizes are random, so no skill set needed! Winner trophy from ULEK Store.

Cost $25. Every player gets an exclusive Pinball Profile World Tour shirt if you pre-register by Nov. 4

Max 40 players. Only way to secure spot is pay in advance. Waiting list will be taken.

Email/PayPal $25: pinballprofile@gmail.com by Nov. 4

Please include:
– your Full Name
– Shirt Size (unisex)
– Shirt Style: Baseball 3/4 (red or black) sleeves, or white t-shirt.

Belles & Chimes Fall League

The Belles of Space City will host fall league nights on Thursdays beginning September 26th. These competitions will take place on games in private collections. The season will include four qualifying dates plus finals. The top three weeks will count towards qualification. Ladies must attend at least two weeks to be eligible for finals.

Practice begins at 6pm followed by competition at 7pm. Entry costs $10 for the season. Contact bellesandchimeshouston at gmail for more information.

Texas Pinball League

Join Space City Pinball League at the Houston Qualifier on October 6th! The Texas Pinball League unites the leagues in Austin, Dallas and Houston, to create a massive, Texas-sized pinball showdown and party at Finals.

General League Overview: Each major region of Texas hosts a qualifying event, each following the same format with the top 5 players from each event advancing to the finals. The finalists converge in a single city to represent their region. Finals coordinates with the three major Texas events (Texas Pinball Festival, Houston Arcade Expo, Bat City Open) to reduce travel burdens. The winner are immortalized on the TPL cup and possess the cup until the next TPL season.

Full rules at: texaspinballleague.wordpress.com

Space City Open

Once again, Space City Pinball League will host the Space City Open pinball tournament at the Houston Arcade Expo on November 15th and 16th. Online registration will begin on September 22nd at noon.

The Space City Open is a matchplay pinball tournament. There will be four distinct qualifying sessions (A, B, C, and D), during which players will play six randomly selected machines against groups of randomly selected opponents on each game. The top six players from each session will move on to the finals. Each player is permitted to play in up to two qualifying sessions. Please see the tournament website for the full rules. 

The Belles of Space City will also host a women’s knockout tournament at the Houston Arcade Expo on Saturday, November 16th. Online registration will begin Sunday, October 20th. Details may be found on the tournament website.