Southern Fried/Waterworld/Cross country travel in no particular order

[bobbzillah]

So boyfriend and I have been talking a lot about buying our first pin and I've some how set my heart on  Waterworld. Never played it so that could all change quickly but it's a good fit so far price-wise and theme-wise. What's people's opinions of this table?
A month from now we will be embarking on a cross country trip to Washington state which just so lines up for us to stop in Atlanta for the Southern Fried Gameroom Expo. This will be our first attendance to such an event and I was wondering what a good amount of time would be suitable? I was thinking several (4-6) hours but it being a three day event feels overwhelming. Also, got tips on attending this kind of event?
And lastly anyone drive across the country before? Any man I wish I would have or thank god i never have to___ again? The route we're looking at is the St. Louis, Denver, Washington zig zag up. We're only taking 6 days to get there so it's much more a drive than sightseeing trip. But I do plan on playing pinball in Seattle that's for damn sure.

[owlnonymous]

SHOOT THE DEEZ! I would def' consider playing the game you plan on purchasing first. Especially if it's Water World, or some other Gottlieb for that matter. You should be able to walk though SFGE and have fun in 4-6 hours, but allow for more time if needed. Denver has some rad pinball places, called the 1up.

[bobbzillah]

I'm a big fan of the movie so it has me there but for sure gonna play as many games as possible before we buy and for sure play the machine we do buy before purchase. 

[getyourselfahotdog]

Good tips, also, before you pull the trigger you should have someone take a look at it before you buy if possible. Pinballs are complicated and it could save a lot of headache latter . My first pin had the MPU board hard wired in. If I had any idea what I was looking at or someone to tell me what  a hack job it was I would have ran. Lesson learned. You have a lot of friends from TBPL with tons of knowledge.  Don' t be afraid to ask. Also, you do know it doesn't stop at one! LOL Good luck on your quest Bobbzillah.

[HFK]

That is one long drive. Just make sure you are taking a comfortable car, rent one if you have to. It will be your home for quite a few days and something cramped or even worse unreliable will make for a not fun trip. I don't even like the plane ride to Seattle but if you drive something nice and take your time to see things along the way it could be really fun. At least you will have some good company so that is a plus.

As for the expo how much time you need is up to you. There should be a very nice selection of games so you could easily spend all day if you want to play everything a couple of times. If you just want to check it out you could play a couple of games and be out in an hour but it sounds like you will be there for a while.

Waterworld was the sleeper hit of GameWarp a couple of years ago. It is a really fun pin but not very deep so lots of people dismiss it, that and the fact it is a Gottlieb. Since you enjoy the theme it should be a blast. It has a really cool multiball and it isn't hard to figure out plus a good running Gottlieb system 3 tends to stay that way.

[bobbzillah]

That is one long drive. Just make sure you are taking a comfortable car, rent one if you have to. It will be your home for quite a few days and something cramped or even worse unreliable will make for a not fun trip. I don't even like the plane ride to Seattle but if you drive something nice and take your time to see things along the way it could be really fun. At least you will have some good company so that is a plus.

As for the expo how much time you need is up to you. There should be a very nice selection of games so you could easily spend all day if you want to play everything a couple of times. If you just want to check it out you could play a couple of games and be out in an hour but it sounds like you will be there for a while.

Waterworld was the sleeper hit of GameWarp a couple of years ago. It is a really fun pin but not very deep so lots of people dismiss it, that and the fact it is a Gottlieb. Since you enjoy the theme it should be a blast. It has a really cool multiball and it isn't hard to figure out plus a good running Gottlieb system 3 tends to stay that way.

We're taking my kia soul which is roomy and reliable, just gonna have to pack a donut and jack since the car doesn't come with a spare tire!? Mostly going to be a scenic drive but that's the way I'd like it.

I'm thinking 4-6 hours was a good estimate for us, Aaron's gonna get bored quick probably.

From the pictures and videos I've seen waterworld looks like what I'm looking for in a first pinball table, not too complicated but enough going on to entertain us. I worry about getting into a table with a lot going on that needs constant work and tweaking.