Victoria Pinball Leagues (VPL) exists to promote the growth of pinball within Greater Victoria, British Columbia. VPL represents multiple leagues and tournaments hosted within the region and provides a safe space and inclusive community for anyone who wants to have FUN and enjoy the game of pinball.
Personal Conduct
Players are expected to treat fellow league members, staff of the establishments in which we meet and the machines that we play in a respectful manner. Conduct including but not limited to the following will not be tolerated:
- acts of intimidation or threats
- distracting or harassing players
- public intoxication
- slamming the glass or the machine
- derogatory language
Absences / Delays
Players should remain close to the pinball machines during league play. Any player not present to play their ball will be given 3 minutes to return to their machine. If the player does not return within 3 minutes their ball will be plunged. Repeat absences may result in an immediate plunge of ball.
If a personal matter requires you to step away from play please inform your group and if necessary a league official so that they are aware.
Death Saves / Bang Backs / Excessive Movement
Movement of the machine after a ball has drained to perform a “Death Save” or “Bang Back” to return a ball to play is not allowed. Any player who performs this maneuver will receive a warning and is to drain their ball immediately. Failing to immediately drain could result in a disqualification for that game and a score of 0. Repeat warnings can result in a disqualification in that season or tournament and assigning the player to last place in the standings.
Note: a “Lazarus Ball” that goes down the center drain but hops back into play by it’s own momentum is permitted.
Moving a machine so that it becomes unlevel or disoriented such that it puts other players at risk of tilting to continue to play will result in game disqualification and a score of 0. Movement of a machine (ie: sliding) such that it comes in close contact of a machine beside it is also prohibited. The game will be restored to a level state with any warnings/tilts/tilt-throughs incurred by other players handled appropriately.
Game Malfunctions
Any malfunction of a game that deems it unfit for play should be reported to a league official so that it can be fixed or retired from play.
Malfunctions that result in an advantage to a player, such as a stuck ball or a ball returned to the shooter lane, should be reasonably attempted to be returned to play. If this is not possible, the player is to immediately trap any live balls and inform a league official whom will take appropriate action to safely free the affected ball(s).
Violations and Enforcement
We ask all league members to be aware of the Code of Conduct and to report any violations to league officials so it can be evaluated and addressed as soon as possible. Matters that are deemed to contravene our guidelines will result in a formal warning. Repeated violations could lead to temporary or permanent suspension from league activities.